Washington Post’s David McIntyre chooses CTV as a “must read.”

This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to chuck the office for a vineyard, especially if that dream involves moving to France. Alex Gambal was working for the family business in D.C. (his father co-founded Colonial Parking) in the 1980s when he discovered his love of wine through tastings at Mayflower Wines and Spirits with the store’s owner, Sidney Moore, and her son, Harry. In this respect Gambal is like many a Washington wine lover of that generation, myself included, who were influenced by Sidney Moore and her store. In 1993, Gambal moved his young family to France, where he worked for another wine legend, Becky Wasserman, helping her export fine Burgundies to the United States. The wine bug bit even harder, and in 1997, he founded Maison Alex Gambal, making wine from grapes he purchased from other winemakers. He gained a following and eventually, despite Burgundy’s legendary insularity, bought a total of 30 acres of vines — small lots of a few rows scattered over several prime vineyards throughout the region. He sold the business in 2019 to Famille Boisset, a major Burgundy house.

Gambal clearly loves the country and its people, but his memoir is no romanticized Peter Mayle-style fantasy of life in France. He gives us a no-nonsense view of what it’s like to butt up against an intractable bureaucracy, and like many winemakers who dream of “returning to the land,” he discovered that much of the work involves returning to the cities to sell his wine. We get an insider’s look at the convoluted three-tier distribution system in this country and a clearer understanding of why fine wine costs so much. (Hint: Most of the money you spend never gets to the producer.) He doesn’t rail against the bureaucracy or the system but points out the foibles, inconsistencies and inequities with a wry sense of resignation and humor. Sometimes, achieving our dreams requires putting up with a lot of things that don’t make sense.