Brad Pitt’s deep connection to Château Miraval is being cited as one factor in his decision to drink alcohol again after seven years of sobriety, although the actor himself has not publicly made that connection.
An unnamed source familiar with Pitt’s situation told RadarOnline that the French estate remained important to him both personally and professionally and that wine was inevitably part of that world. The source claimed Pitt wanted to determine whether he could enjoy what Miraval produces while drinking in a controlled way.
In an Esquire interview published August 10, the 62-year-old actor said, “I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” adding that he now drinks “in a more restrained manner.”
The new claims arrive while Miraval remains at the center of Pitt’s years-long legal battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Their divorce was finalized in December 2024, but litigation over Jolie’s 2021 sale of her interest in the winery continues.
Radar Sources Say Miraval Factored Into Pitt’s Decision
Radar’s account attributes the connection between Miraval and Pitt’s renewed drinking entirely to unnamed sources. “Miraval has always remained incredibly important to Brad, both personally and professionally, and wine was inevitably part of that world,” one source told the outlet.
The source claimed Pitt wanted to be able to enjoy the wine produced at the estate rather than permanently exclude alcohol from that part of his life. According to the source, that desire contributed to his decision to test whether he could drink in a controlled way.
A second source characterized the change as gradual rather than an impulsive response to a specific personal crisis. That source tied Pitt’s thinking to the prolonged legal battle over Miraval, claiming he did not want the dispute to prevent him from enjoying either the wine or the business he had helped build.
Pitt Says He Now Drinks in a ‘More Restrained Manner’
The subject came up during Pitt’s Esquire interview after writer Ryan D’Agostino noted that the actor had offered him wine at his Los Angeles home and asked whether it was intended only for guests. Pitt responded that he had been sober for seven years before he “got back off the wagon.”
The actor said he had become “overconfident” about his limits on a couple of occasions and learned that consuming larger quantities did not work for him. When D’Agostino asked whether he could have a glass of wine, Pitt replied that he could have “a few” but not a lot. “I have to be professional about it,” he said.
Pitt also explained that he now values his mornings and does not want to lose them to the effects of drinking heavily the night before.
Pitt Previously Spoke Openly About Alcoholics Anonymous
During a June 2025 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, Pitt reflected on attending Alcoholics Anonymous during what he described as an extremely difficult period of his life. “I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open,” he said. “I was trying anything and everyone, anything anyone threw at me.”
Pitt said he needed a “reboot” and credited the openness of the people he met in AA with helping him during that period. He had previously discussed the same experience in interviews and, while accepting an award in 2020, publicly thanked Bradley Cooper for helping him become sober.
Miraval Remains a Major Part of Pitt’s Business and Legal Life
He and Jolie acquired the Provence estate after initially leasing it, developed its wine business with the Perrin winemaking family and married there in 2014. Pitt has also repeatedly treated Miraval as more than a celebrity endorsement. As the estate expanded its wine operation in 2020, he described his involvement as a long-term commitment and continued collaborating with the Perrin family on its development.
The property became the focus of separate litigation after Jolie sold her stake to Tenute del Mondo, part of the Stoli Group, in 2021. Pitt sued Jolie in 2022, alleging that the former spouses had agreed neither would sell an interest in Miraval without the other’s consent. Jolie has disputed that account and challenged Pitt’s claims, turning the winery into one of the longest-running unresolved issues remaining from their relationship.
Pitt and Jolie reached a divorce settlement in December 2024, eight years after Jolie initially filed for divorce, but the Miraval litigation continued independently.
Pitt Is Still Seeking Jolie’s Financial Records in the Winery Fight
In a July 31 filing, Pitt’s attorneys again sought financial records relating to Jolie’s income from 2017 through 2019. His legal team argued that the information could be relevant because Jolie has discussed her financial circumstances while explaining events leading up to the sale of her Miraval stake. She had already produced financial information for 2020 and 2021.
Jolie’s attorneys have opposed the broader request, arguing that the earlier records are irrelevant to the central contractual issues and that Pitt has mischaracterized her position about her finances.