Pierre Richard an actor in his wineyard

More and more celebrities are turning a dream into reality and buying their own vineyards, where they plant their own vines, press their own grapes and sit back and enjoy the results. A vineyard is the ideal place to escape the limelight – and it’s also good PR.For French film stars such as Gerard Depardieu, Christopher Lambert and Jean-Louis Trintignant, a vineyard is an essential status symbol. Pierre Richard, who starred in the”big blond”comedies in the 1970s, even joins in the grape harvest at his estate near Narbonne, which produces around 12,000 bottles of rosé a year. But the vintners’neighbours are less than thrilled at having so many celebrities in their midst – they say demand for vineyards is pushing up prices.