Virgile's Vineyard (31 page)

As a writer more famous than I can ever hope to be told me, when I first embarked on this second career, ‘You're not in a court of law any longer. You're writing a book, not an affidavit.'

So, in the hope of protecting both the innocent and the guilty, I have ‘juggled' with a number of the places and personalities in this book, particularly those closest to home. (To have done otherwise might have shortened my life expectancy.) Nonetheless, improbable as it may seem, all the incidents and characters described are inspired by real experience.

The imminent publication of my third book
What else is there for a boy like me?
also prompts an explanation of a further small adjustment made in
Virgile's Vineyard.
Although this latest work was written after the France-focussed ones, it deals with events that took place earlier, during a winter spent in Rajasthan immediately after I ended my career as a London lawyer
.
By the time of my subsequent adventures in the Languedoc, I had in fact already left the legal profession and my year spent ‘shadowing' Virgile was therefore not, strictly-speaking, a ‘sabbatical'. (As the Indian book explains, if I'd been granted the luxury of a sabbatical, I might never have quit the law at all!)

However, the year of
Virgile's Vineyard
did feel oddly
like
a sabbatical. It was very much an experiment to see how far I could sever my ties and commitments in England to live a full-time life in the Languedoc – something that I still haven't managed
cent pour cent
, but the vines and the olive trees and the sheer beauty of the house and surrounding landscape continue to draw me back there for every possible moment.

There are many thanks now due and some that are overdue:

to Robin Baird-Smith, Emma Bradford, Mandy Little, Jill Lloyd-Davis, Julian Mannering, Neil Philip, Gail Pirkis, Philip Pullman and Lynne Suo, who have all helped to counsel, encourage and steer me in finding my way in the unfamiliar territory of a second career;

to all my friends and family who suspended, or at least concealed, their disbelief along the way;

to Adrienne Fryer for her joyous image of the Languedoc vineyards;

to Gareth Vaughan who first inspired my passion for wine;

to Liz and Mike Berry who first persuaded me that the Languedoc was the world's most exciting vineyard;

to Bridget and David Pugh, whose matchless restaurant, Le Mimosa (now sadly closed on their retirement) made many before and after me fall in love with the region and whose introductions to local wine-makers were invaluable;

to all of the wine-makers featured in this book for making the wines that they make and for welcoming me with so much courtesy and patience – I hope that I have done something near justice to their achievements and philosophies;

to Virgile Joly, in particular, for sharing a year so generously and for being the real ‘
héro de l'Hérault'
;

to Michelle Willemin who created the closest place in the Languedoc (or probably anywhere) to paradise;

and most especially to Andrew McKenzie, without whom this book would have been, in so many ways, impossible.

ARRAZAT'S AUBERGINES

Inside a Languedoc Kitchen

In his sequel to
Virgile's Vineyard
, Patrick Moon explores the world of Languedoc food and
cuisine.

Returning to his challenging home, he could easily have filled the days, protecting infant vines from marauding wild boar and hiding baby truffle oaks from unscrupulous neighbours. However, the local campsite café is now an ambitious new restaurant and the determination of its talented young chef to achieve perfection on a shoestring is intriguing. Patrick soon finds himself with sleeves rolled up, pitching in to share for a year the triumphs, disasters and sheer hard work of life in a serious kitchen. But will the VIP diners guess that he has never made mayonnaise before? Or that he put the wrong sauce on the starter?...

A wider exploration of the region's finest produce for the table distracts him further. From season to season, Patrick's quest uncovers the secrets of olive oil and salt production, the mysteries of Ricard and the Roquefort caves, the miracle of the sparkling Perrier spring. From mighty household names to eccentric peasant smallholdings, his expeditions encompass an extraordinary cast of characters and a rich vein of humour.

But always there are the vines and olives, not to mention aubergines, demanding attention at home.

Arrazat's Aubergines
is a great read for any Francophile or food-lover and, for fans of
Virgile's Vineyard
, it continues Patrick's adventures with Manu and other familiar characters, whilst also following the continuing progress of Virgile himself.

*

‘The perfect food-based sequel to his wine book'
Restaurant Magazine

*

‘Enough erudition and warmth to make it as rewarding as one of the sensational local Roqueforts... Moon finds himself immersed in the back-breaking but romantic business of Languedoc cuisine, and leads us on a mouth-watering odyssey through snails, crayfish, foie gras – and aubergines. The humour is gentle but this is a thoughtful – and by no means misty-eyed – paean to the people and food of the region.'
Daily Mail

*

‘The buffet of colourful characters and food adventures will please Francophiles, foodies and anyone who wants to experience
la vie rustique
– without the hassles of actually living it.'
Publishers Weekly

*

‘His drive, affection and enthusiasm for his subject matter shine through'
In-House Lawyer

*

‘Cleverly combines the slog of
Hell's Kitchen
with all the familiar, friendly elements of foreign fantasy.'
The Times

*

WHAT ELSE IS THERE FOR A BOY LIKE ME?

A successful City solicitor, in his mid-forties, Patrick Moon finds himself disenchanted with the law but enchanted with India. A decision to abandon the one gives him the freedom to return to the other, as he tries to come to terms with the opportunity he has created for himself, the chance to reinvent his life. How much of his old self and his old view of the world will survive this watershed? How should he best “fill in the blank sheet of paper” in front of him?

But there is also another reason for returning to India. He is going back to see Mohamd, a talented young Indian from a primitive village in the Rajasthan desert. Patrick hopes to help him overcome the twin obstacles of poverty and caste. He wants to try to reinvent another life.

But he underestimates how much of the weight of Indian society will be stacked against him, how difficult it will be to pluck an individual out of India's crowd. Neither of these twin efforts to change a life works out as Patrick expected. But, while one can be counted a success, the other ends profoundly unhappily.

It's a tale as rich in comedy and affection for India as it is full of sadness, love and regret.

*

Visit www.patrickmoon.co.uk