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| Michel Dovaz | |
|---|---|
 Dovaz in 2008 | |
| Born | (1928-08-14)14 August 1928 Geneva, Switzerland |
| Died | 8 December 2023(2023-12-08) (aged 95) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation(s) | Wine critic, food writer and journalist |
Michel Dovaz (14 August 1928 – 8 December 2023) was a Swiss wine critic and food writer.
Career
Born in Geneva on 14 August 1928, he started his career as a journalist in Paris and later taught wine courses at the Académie du Vin in Paris when he served as a judge at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. He subsequently wrote several books on French wine as well as the chapter on Champagne for the Guide Hachette des Vins.
Car collections
Dovaz owned a collection of over 50 vintage cars, which he stored on his estate south of Paris up to 1984. The collection consisted of prewar and postwar cars of the most luxurious brands (among them are nine Bugattis, nine Lancias, four Alfa Romeos, four Lincolns, two Ferraris, two Lotuses, two Rolls-Royces and two Bentleys). The collection became famous when a German photographer was allowed to take photos of the neglected cars in 1983 in Dovaz's garden south of Paris. Most of the cars have been sold since then and many have been restored, but some of them remained untouched.
Two books have been written about the Dovaz car collection. The first was 'Sleeping Beauties' (1986/2007/2013) which showed the collection in its dilapidated 'as found' state. The book brought unwanted attention to the Dovaz collection. The second book 'The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties' (published in 2008 in Dutch, 2009 in English, 2011 in French and 2015 in German) gives additional information about Michel Dovaz and how the collection came to be. In addition, the book tells the story of what happened to the collection and the single cars.
Death
Dovaz died on 8 December 2023, at the age of 95.
See also
Further reading
- Taber, George M. (13 September 2005), The Judgment of Paris: California vs France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine, Scribner, ISBN 978-0-7432-4751-1
References
- ^ "Fairfield County Concours to Celebrate Alfa Romeo". Sports Car Digest. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Gasparotto, Laure (23 July 2018). "Damned ! Des vins californiens détrônent des crus de l'Hexagone" [Damned! Californian wines dethrone vintages from France]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Taber 2005, pp. 304–308
- Taber 2005, p. 159
- "Le dernier message de Michel Dovaz". La Revue du vin de France (in French). 9 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
External links
- New Book - The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties
- Collection Dovaz - The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties
- Sleeping Beauties