Keira Knightley sells £3 million French vineyard where she married James Righton as she reveals the ‘difficult’ reason behind their decision
Keira Knightley has revealed she is selling her beloved French vineyard, where she married musician James Righton, and admitted it is ‘difficult’ to continue her passion projects.
The Love Actually star, 40, opened up about the release of the estate, previously valued at £3million, this week as she contemplated the realities of trying to run a hands-on, organic wine business with Klaxons keyboardist James, 42, whom she married in 2013.
“I wrote about wine and I wrote about food just because I love to eat – I can’t cook but I love to eat,” Keira said. Food Podcast.
‘I love wine and I love drinking wine. James is very good with wine. ‘I actually had a place in France and we used to make our own wine.’
The couple owned Les Cinq Puits (French for ‘five wells’, a name taken from the five natural springs in the vineyard from which the wine was made) near the slopes of Mont Ventoux in the Rhone Valley, where they delved into the traditions of small-scale winemaking.
‘We made five servings of grenache,’ Keira said, referring to the different batches of red wine they made. ‘This was amazing because it was made organically. ‘We did everything by hand and did the old stamping of the grapes and everything.’
Keira Knightley has revealed she is selling her beloved French vineyard, where she married musician James Righton, and admitted it is ‘difficult’ to continue her passion projects
The property had a very special place in her heart as it was where she and her husband, Klaxons keyboardist James, married in 2013 (pictured)
The project was extremely practical and labor intensive, with the couple adhering to organic methods and traditional techniques.
“It was actually drinkable,” Keira added. It was absolutely magnificent. We really got into it. ‘It’s great because of the winemakers’ stories.’
The vineyard produced a limited quantity of Grenache-based wine under the Ventoux label, overseen with the help of local winemakers Luc and Sandrine Guenard, and sold through specialist outlets, including the UK, rather than through mass market launches.
But despite the romance of grape stamping and producing organic wine, Keira admitted there were challenges behind the scenes.
‘This is an extraordinary thing; “how they do it and how difficult it is, especially if you’re doing it organically,” he explained. ‘We are no longer connected.’
The property had a very special place in her heart as it was where she married James in 2013.
They held a simple ceremony attended by family and close friends, including actress Sienna Miller, where the bride wore a beautiful Chanel ivory gown and matching jacket on the day.
The couple, who first met at a mutual friend’s dinner in London in 2011, have two daughters, ten-year-old Edie and six-year-old Delilah.
The 40-year-old star opened up about letting go of the property (pictured), which was previously valued at £3million, as he reflected on the realities of trying to run a hands-on organic wine business.
Keira recently spoke about the pressures of balancing motherhood with her career, choosing roles more selectively and stepping back from projects that would require long periods away from her home in London.
‘It’s very difficult for the players because we’re moving all over the world,’ he said in October. ‘So, I really tried to keep it in London and I was really lucky to be able to do that.’
Over the years, a number of famous names have invested in vineyards, particularly in France and Italy.
Former Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have become co-owners of Chateau Miraval in Provence, whose rose has become a global bestseller.
The company has been at the center of a long-running legal dispute after Angelina sold her shares in the winery following her split from Brad in 2016.
‘We made five servings of grenache,’ Keira said, referring to the different batches of red wine they made. ‘This was amazing because it was made organically’
Music icon Sting produces organic wine at his Tuscan estate, Il Palagio. Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather, owns many wineries in California and Italy.
Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has also achieved great commercial success with her eponymous wine brand.
But unlike many celebrity-backed wine ventures, Keira and James’ operation remains small and artisanal; It was a passion project rather than a commercial venture.
