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A Story of Gastronomy & Wine: Château Haut-Brion Library
On 23 September 2026, Rizzoli New York will publish “A Story of Gastronomy & Wine: Château Haut-Brion Library”,
the first book devoted to the remarkable collection assembled since 2010 by HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg.
With an introduction by HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg and text by Pedro Corrêa do Lago, the book tells a history of wine, gastronomy, and dining etiquette drawn from more than 150 rare documents in one of the world’s great culinary archives.
A remarkable collection devoted to wine and gastronomy
As one of the oldest and most celebrated wine estates, and so one of the first luxury brands in the world, Château Haut-Brion has long shared a deep connection with gastronomy. This relationship is reflected in a remarkable private library that forms a singular bridge between wine and culinary history.
Assembled since 2010 by HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg, this extraordinary collection, the largest private assembly of antiquarian wine and gastronomy books, artworks and artefacts, today comprises more than 7,000 remarkable pieces, including more than 400 historic menus and 100 restaurant wine lists, alongside original letters, manuscripts, engravings and rare books.
More than 150 rare documents tracing the history of the table and wine
The first book devoted to the Château Haut-Brion Library reveals a selection of its treasures through more than 150 rare documents. Published in both French and English editions, the book offers a journey through several centuries of the history of gastronomy and wine.
Readers are offered a vivid exploration of centuries of global food and wine culture. Viticulture, gastronomy and the art of the table unfold through thematic chapters including At the Table of Kings, The Birth of the Restaurant, Literature and the Arts of the Edible and Diplomacy and Gastronomy.
Among the Library’s treasures are a sixth-century Egyptian papyrus, medieval illuminated manuscripts, seventeenth-century Japanese scrolls depicting ceremonial banquets, menus from Louis XIV’s Versailles and State dinners at the Élysée Palace, as well as pages from landmark works of French gastronomy by Antonin Carême and Brillat-Savarin. The book also brings to light other exceptional documents, including a letter written by a companion of Joan of Arc and a handwritten note on wine by Pablo Picasso.
More than 700 images spanning over two thousand years of history
Across more than 400 pages and 700 images, many of them previously unpublished, the book opens a window onto a world where gastronomy, wine culture and the art of the book have intertwined for more than two thousand years.
Forgotten banquet menus, handwritten recipes, letters exchanged between gourmets, books and bindings that have travelled through the centuries together offer an immersive look into a unique cultural legacy. Through its pages, the history of Château Haut-Brion also emerges, woven into the long conversation between mankind, the table and wine.
An essential read for wine enthusiasts, epicureans, lovers of the art of the table, bibliophiles, historians and art lovers drawn to the enduring allure of gastronomy.
Available soon in French and English from selected booksellers and at La Cave du Château, in a prestigious edition.
