Paradise Rescued

Did you hear the one about the Englishman who accidentally created an award winning organic winery in the south of France...?

It's Quite a Story!

When petro-chemical engineer David Stannard purchased a small holiday villa in Bordeaux back in 1992, he never dreamed that one day he would be the accidental creator of a globally successful, organic, boutique winery brand. A ‘home away from home’ retreat from his ‘regular life’ running a petrochemical plant seemed like paradise, but when changes in the land zoning and a subsequent property development avalanche threaten the rural sustainability of ‘his’ centuries old village, he felt strongly that had a duty to maintain the local heritage. And so it came to be that his back yard, ‘with a few old grape vines and a scruffy bit of dirt’ became a vineyard, restored to its former glory and added to square metre by square metre until finally in 2010, their first vintage was harvested.

The following year, disaster struck the tiny winery and the Paradise Rescued team had to rally and rebuild. Going on to win awards for the wine, and international business and marketing awards for the business too, David shares how he stumbled onto his life’s legacy, gathered an exceptional team together, and became a wine maker, and started selling into New York restaurants. All while he continued to live in Australia, running a business that is about as far away from wine as it’s possible to be. Paradise Rescued is David’s personal wine story of how his tiny former cabbage patch was transformed into an award winning international success - in many ways beating the French at their own game. Trial and error, but above all, the community of Cardan in Bordeaux came together to create something truly unique.

 A wine story from France that is truly unique, and best enjoyed while sipping a delicious glass of red wine overlooking the grapes of France – this book will transport you there.