On 28 and 29 September, for its 17th edition, the first book festival to be held in the heart of the Burgundy vineyards will be bringing together around a hundred authors at the château du Clos de Vougeot, including some of the best-known names when it comes to talking about wine. Here is a selection…
- Laurent Battistini – Artist, press cartoonist, illustrator
A long-time contributor to Le Bien Public, this outstanding cartoonist has never ceased to produce pencil strokes and wordplays, not only in the press, but also at trade fairs, seminars and workshops, as well as in publishing. This year, he has co-signed Litres et Ratures: quand la BD visite la Côte de Beaune.
- Christine Campadieu – Writer
Christine Campadieu was a winemaker for many years at La Tour Vieille, the famous Collioure estate, when she met Jim Harrison in 2002. So soon adopted, she became the guide, confidante, dining companion… of the famous American writer for ten years, during his tribulations. These slices of life led to her first book: Le sorcier et la luciole.
- Jérémy Cukierman – Journalist, writer, director of the Kedge Wine School
Jérémy Cukierman is one of eight French Masters of Wine out of the 400 or so on the wine planet. He has just been appointed Communications & Sustainability Director at Artémis Domaines (Château Latour, Clos de Tart, Château-Grillet, Champagne Jacquesson, etc.). This year, he published L’Odyssée du vin.
- André Deyrieux – Consultant in promoting the cultural heritage of vineyards and writer
André Deyrieux is largely responsible for the birth and development of wine tourism in France, through awards such as the Wine Tourist of the Year, media such as Winetourisminfrance.com and books, including the unexpected Promenades dans le Paris de la vigne et du vin.
- Sandrine Goeyvaerts – Wine merchant, sommelier, journalist and writer
Deep-rooted, curious, committed and outspoken, Sandrine Goeyvaerts examines wine and wine lovers both in her cellar near Liège and through her books, which are as instructive as they are funny, like Cher pinard, for which we interviewed her last June.
> Find her full interview here
- Laurent Gotti – Writer and publisher
A map enthusiast, this independent journalist and taster has been ‘sketching’ Burgundy for two decades, notably through his publications in the Collection Pierre Poupon, which he manages. The proof is in his plot-by-plot atlas Les Grands crus de Bourgogne, which was the subject of a lengthy interview when it came out this year.
> Find his full interview here
- Olivier Jacquet – Writer
A Doctor in contemporary history and research engineer for the UNESCO Chair in ‘Wine Culture and Traditions’ at the University of Burgundy, this specialist in the social and historical construction of wine territories questions these ones, particularly through the notion of AOC, as in his latest book, Le goût des vins d’origine.
- Jean-Robert Pitte – Vice-President of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques, President of the Société de géographie and writer
From the top of his seat as an Academician, this emeritus professor of geography and former university president cultivates a passionate love of gastronomy, from the plate to the glass. He has written countless books in this field, including Le désir du vin à la conquête du monde, Atlas gastronomique de la France, Noé : la vigne de la vie(forthcoming). He’s Honorary President of Livres en Vignes.
- Claude Reynaud – Winemaker and writer
The 4th generation of a family of winemakers based at Château de Bosc in the Gard region of France, this farmer and historian made the choice, after a lifetime of conventional farming, to switch to sustainable agriculture, paving the way for his son Guillaume, who now runs the estate, which has gone organic. He talks about his experience in Le vin naturel existe-t-il ?
- Benoist Simmat – Journalist, essayist and comic strip scriptwriter
Writer of some forty books, Benoist Simmat has a voracious appetite. He has a real appetite for both economic issues and the pleasures of the table, as demonstrated by his comic strips La ligue des capitalistes extraordinaires, featuring the greatest entrepreneurs of the last two centuries, and, most recently, his Histoire des grands vins.
- Florence Tilkens Zotiades – Sommelier and writer
She worked for a long time in business, in international development, before changing her life. Today, this professional sommelier and taster, a specialist in organic Greek wines, divides her time between competitions, consultings and publications. The latest? Vins, vignes, femmes.
- Gabrielle Vizzanova – Wine expert and writer
Winner of the Prix Curnonsky 2022, this journalist, international speaker and Master’s and MBA professor has been working with key players in the wine world for nearly fifteen years. She has just published Petit éloge du vin.