A war of roses has been raging between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt since 2016 – the main point of contention is the Château Miraval winery. The latest allegations are that the actor is just playing the winemaker and is acting “stubborn”.
It all began in 2008. At that time, the former dream couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt bought the Château Miraval, a winery in Provence. Far away from the Hollywood hype, they created another source of income as winemakers with a purchase price of 28 million US dollars.
Over the past 15 years, they have built a wine empire with the help of French winemaker Marc Perrin. 1.8 million bottles of the celebrity wine were sold in 2020. But their marriage did not survive the last 15 years. In 2016, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce. Since then, the couple has been at odds in court.
When the two actors bought the winery, each had 50 percent ownership and the other had first right of refusal, according to Brad Pitt’s attorneys. This right of first refusal is also the origin of a major legal dispute. In 2021, Angelina Jolie wanted to sell her share of the winery. The ex-couple is said to have even agreed, according to the court. But the negotiations at that time are said to have stalled when Brad Pitt expressed other special requests.
Five years earlier, on September 13, 2016, the marriage showdown of the former dream couple is said to have taken place in a private jet. A few days later, Jolie filed for divorce. The actor is said to have insisted on a non-disclosure agreement during the purchase of Angelina Jolie’s winery shares, so that the flight from southern France to America at the time could never be discussed again.
Too much for Jolie, who shortly afterwards sold her shares to the Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, who paid ten million dollars more than Pitt wanted to offer. A move that made Brad Pitt furious, after all he wanted to buy the shares. He claims that Jolie secretly sold and the Russian billionaire is damaging the reputation of the Miraval brand.
Brad Pitt is said to have made unnecessary expenses and behaved “stubbornly”.
Angelina Jolie’s former investment company Nouvel now accuses the 59-year-old of spending millions of dollars on small projects like building a recording studio and renovating the swimming pool. The company speaks of “obvious money robbery” and that Pitt behaved like a “stubborn child”, the “Financial Times” quotes it as saying.
The actor also had to take harsh criticism from Jolie’s lawyers. They complained that he presented himself as a winemaker without actually being one, instead of admitting “he deals in illusions, not dirt and grapes.” According to the files, Jolie himself is said to have called his portrayal as a winemaker “ridiculous”. It also reads, “During the years that he reportedly ‘built’ the business, he made dozens of films, not to mention countless commercial appearances. He traveled the world to film premieres and attended Hollywood parties. Although he undoubtedly won the vineyards to admire the work of the French workers who actually made the company a success, Pitt is not a winemaker,” according to one of the allegations.
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
