A Good Year

A Conversation with Peter Mayle

Q: How did you decide to write A GOOD YEAR?
A: I read a newspaper article about “garage wines” and the staggering prices they have been fetching. The combination of wine and money seemed like an interesting basis for a little light crime.

Q: There is much about wine and the wine industry in your new novel. How did you learn about this business? What kind of research went into writing the novel?
A: I visited Bordeaux and spent time with a friend who owns one of the great chateaux, and I learned a lot from other friends in Provence who make wine. Many bottles of research were consumed in the course of my education.

Q: Are movie plans in the works for A GOOD YEAR?
A: I am always hesitant to say anything too specific where Hollywood in concerned, but I think there’s a good chance that a film will be made. It’s certainly a very photogenic story.

Q: How did you originally move to Provence?
A: For many years, while working in New York and London, I dreamed of living in Provence. I finally did, and the experience has proved to be one of those rare occasions in life when reality has exceeded expectation.

Q: What is your daily ritual in Provence?
A: Up early. Walk the dogs in the hills behind the house. Write from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00, six days a week. Lunch (a meal that occasionally stretches well into the afternoon). A siesta. Work in the garden. Re-read what I wrote in the morning, discarding much of it. Evenings are often spent with friends in one of the local restaurants.