«The air, the grapes, the wines of the banks of the Garonne and Gascon humour are excellent antidotes to melancholy…» (Letter to Guasco, 1755)
The great Montesquieu was, at heart, a simple man: a Gascon with a sing-song accent, uncomplicated taste in clothes, an easy manner and the down-to-earth common sense of a farmer, picked up during his childhood; he was also a provincial noble, aware of his privileges, and well-versed in the quibbling, haggling world of the merchant-winemaker. His literary, society and love life in the Parisian salons of the Age of Enlightenment, facilitated by the beautiful marchionesses and brilliant minds of the Regency, and crowned with the glory of the publication of his Persian Letters and then the Spirit of Laws, has tended to overshadow the picture of a wine producer concerned with developing his land, the success of the harvests and sales of his renowned wine. »
Text translated from “Montesquieu en ses Vignobles” (“Montesquieu in his Vineyard”) by Monique Brut, a specialist in Montesquieu and his philosophical writings.
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