‘A Good Year’ author dies

Peter Mayle, the author behind a number of fictional books set in Provence with wine at their heart, has died aged 78.

Mayle died earlier this week in Provence after a short illness it was reported.

Originally from Brighton, Mayle moved to Provence in 1987 with the aim of writing a novel, the result of which was the very successful, ‘A Year in Provence’.

Wine featured heavily in many of his works most notably ‘A Good Year’ about a flashy City banker who discovers the pleasures of a slower, more honest life when he inherits a priceless vineyard in the south of France.

The book was adapted into a 2006 film by Ridley Scott with Russell Crowe in the title role.

In more recent years Mayle wrote a quartet of ‘Caper’ books, which also included books in which wine featured prominently, most notably ‘The Vintage Caper’ about a wine collection that gets stolen.