George and Amal Clooney photographed in 2016, five years before their arrival at the Canadel estate in Provence.
Credit: Andrea Raffin / Alamy Stock Photo (2016)
(Image credit: Andrea Raffin / Alamy Stock Photo (2016))

George and Amal Clooney have put the Provence wine country commune of Brignoles on the world media map by acquiring the nearby Canadel estate.

Despite reports of a delay to the deal earlier this year, the couple were pictured arriving at the estate and in Brignoles at the end of last week.

Local mayor Didier Brémond posted a photo of himself between the Hollywood actor and Amal Clooney, a Lebanese-British lawyer specialising in international criminal law and human rights.

‘Welcome to Brignoles.’ he wrote on 23 July. ‘It’s now official. George and Amal Clooney are residents of our beautiful commune.’

Brémond added, ‘I had the pleasure of meeting them, at their invitation, at Domaine du Canadel.’

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the purchase price was around €7m.

Lying in the Var area, the sprawling Canadel estate covers 172 hectares. Alongside the main residence, it’s believed to include vineyards, a pool and olive groves.

It’s also around a half-hour drive from Château Miraval, the Provence estate co-owned by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and the Perrin winemaking family of Château de Beaucastel fame.

There has been no suggestion of the Clooneys seeking to commence a wine project at Canadel.

Yet their arrival emphasises how desirable this rosé wine heartland has become for wealthy property buyers.

Vineyard estates in Provence have been in hot demand in the past few years.

Buyers range from those seeking purely ‘lifestyle’ properties, where the vineyard operation doesn’t necessarily need to make a profit, to investors with more serious wine projects in mind.

In an example of the latter, Château Cos d’Estournel owner Michel Reybier bought Château La Mascaronne in the Var area last year for an undisclosed fee.

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.