wertheimer was born to a jewish family, the son of jacques wertheimer and eliane fischer. his grandfather, pierre, co-founded the house of chanel. the privately held company is run by alain who has presided over the acquisition of several non-chanel brands, including eres lingerie and beachwear, tanner krolle saddles and leather goods, and holland & holland, a british gunmaker. based in france, the wertheimer brothers own french vineyards including château rauzan-ségla in margaux, and château canon in saint-émilion, both of which have won rave reviews from oenophiles. both brothers are enthusiastic equestrians who also inherited and operate an important thoroughbred horse racing stable they call la presle farm or wertheimer farm for racing in the united states and is known as wertheimer et frère partnership in france.