This highly-engaging and cleverly-written novel by Ashley Elston follows the complicated life of Lucca Marino aka Evie Porter as she carries out various sketchy projects for a Mr. Smith and his not-so-lawful organization. The storyline takes us through the unsavory projects which Evie was contracted to complete. Evie happens to fall for Ryan, the object of one of her investigations, until doppelganger Lucca Marino is sent to alert Ryan of Evie’s scrutiny of his company. IT tech Devon assists Evie in uncovering the criminal acts of Mr. Smith. We learn all about the Tempranillo grape and the various nicknames or alternative names for the grape. We enjoyed a 2013 Muga Rioja Reserva and discussed the Ah-so two-pronged wine opener, used to open older or fragile corks.
Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes? Jojo Moyes’ 2023 novel helps answer that question. Nisha Cantor, a wealthy globetrotter, and Sam Kemp, an overly stressed woman with an awful job, accidentally pick up each other’s gym bag. Inside Nisha’s bag was a beautiful pair of 6-inch Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, which makes Sam feel more confident when she wears them. Nisha is desperate to find them since her husband is divorcing her and wants the shoes back. Both women’s lives turn upside down with new life experiences. This was a funny, easy read with numerous twists and turns in the plot. And we learned all about famous and infamous wine fraud - Rudy Kurniawan to Yellowtail.
This intriguing 2022 novel by Nikki Erlick focuses on the age-old question of how much time one has to live. The tale begins when everyone in the world over 22 years of age receives a small wooden box with the message: The measure of your life lives within. Every person found a piece of string in the box correlating to how long they will live. We follow the lives of eight New Yorkers and the repercussions of the choices they make based on their string length. Following the theme of the wooden box, we try a boxed white wine from La Petite Frog Picpoul out of Southern France. It proved to be a crisp, tasty wine that we enjoy while learning about the aspects of boxed wine.
This hilarious novel by Richard Osman was made into a Netflix series with an all-star cast. Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce, and Ibrahim are 80-year olds living at Cooper’s Chase, a retirement village in Kent, who solve cold cases as a hobby. But now, they have a live investigation when Ian and Tony, who are involved in expanding the village, die under suspicious circumstances. As the mystery progresses, the murder victims’ past lives reveal shady activities, along with former associates Jason, Bobby, and Turkish. Extra skeletons in the cemetery and confessions by multiple residents add some clever twists to the plot. We enjoy a chilled Fino sherry from El Maestro Sierra that is bready and floral with a pale, lemon color.
In this novel by Nina Simon, we explore a fun whodunit featuring a trio of female amateur sleuths, three generations worth! The storyline has grandmother Lana, mother Beth and daughter Jack Rubicon trying to prove Jack’s innocence when she is suspected in a murder. Enter Hal Rhoads, his children Martin and Diana, Ricardo Cruz and Victor Morales and a land trust. When both Rhoads and Cruz die in the same timeframe, the Rubicon women start detecting and discover who the murderer really is. Like Lana, we enjoyed a local (Central Coast) Sauvignon Blanc - a 2023 from Outward in Santa Maria Valley, California, while doing a deep dive into the sauvignon blanc grape.
Gareth Brown’s 2024 novel brings us a little sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, action, and time travel along with crazy characters and lots of drama. Cassie Andrews, a book seller in New York City, receives a magical book from her favorite customer who happened to die in the bookshop.The doors in this wonderful book take her and her best friend Izzy to wherever they wish. They encounter numerous people who also possess “special” books and people who use their books’ powers for evil. The Clos des Fous Pinot Noir we enjoyed tied in the sweet friendship of Cassie and Izzy and this wine that was grown by four friends in Chile.
Alex Michaelides has again written a complex novel with numerous twists and turns and a crazy ending. Ex-movie star Lana Farrar takes her husband Jason and teen son Leo to her private Greek island for Easter. Also included were friends Elliot and Kate, and housekeeper Agathi. The story is told by an unreliable narrator and unfolds across five acts - like a Greek tragedy. Just wait until the end! We enjoyed a 2022 Semeli Moschofilero and Sauvignon Blanc white blend that was vibrant and floral while discussing the colorful history of Greece, the mythology, and its wines.
Taking us back into 1942 France during the German occupation, this historical novel by Kristin Harmel was published in 2020. Eva Traube and her mother were escaping Poland through France to Switzerland after her father was sent to Auschwitz. Eva assisted a French underground forgery operation by creating new names and papers for children smuggled into Switzerland. Within encoded text, she and fellow forgery expert Remy documented the “lost names” of the children in a book. In 2005 an 86-year-old Eva returns to Berlin to find the book and encounters an old friend. With a nod to the French/Switzerland border where most of the novel took place, we enjoyed a white alpine wine from Famille Richel, made from the unique Jacquère grape.
In this 2021 novel by Allison Larkin we follow the story of April Sawicki, a young songwriter and waitress born in a small town in New York. Abandoned by her mother and mistreated by her father, she left her cafe job at age 16 to look for a better life. From New York to Florida to North Carolina, April assembles her own family that she always wanted. We enjoyed a Dr. Konstantin Frank semi-dry Riesling. In 1958, Dr. Frank planted the first vinifera vines in New York and was instrumental in New York planting and selling wine grapes.
Chris Pavone’s 2022 novel is an international thriller set in Portugal. Newlyweds Ariel Price and John Wright are combining a honeymoon with his consulting appointments in Lisbon. The storyline centers around Ariel’s desperate search for her husband and the bureaucratic red tape she goes through to be able to provide the ransom. As Ariel uses her past encounters to finance the ransom, some surprising secrets are revealed. The book is intriguing and hard to put down as we discover more information and have more questions. The wine we are enjoying is a 2021 Quinta de São Francisco Branco, a Lisboa white blend from the Óbidos DO. It has mineral notes and a fresh cool taste… the type of wine you could enjoy at the beach or by the pool.
Spare gives us an intimate look into the personal life of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Broken into three parts, his candid self-examination offers insights into the Royal Family and America’s fascination with them. The loss of his mother as a child of 12 deeply affected him. As a “spare” entity to his family, he chose a military path at age 21. His experiences while serving in South Africa were transformative. The third part of the book describes his life with Meghan and the reasons they fled from Harry’s home country. Honoring his time in South Africa, we taste Ken Forrester’s 2022 Petit Chenin Blanc.
The 2021 novel is the fictionalized story of Belle da Costa Green, a woman of color who “passed” as white in high society in the early 1900s. Serving as J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, Green acquired rare manuscripts and artifacts from around the world, despite her struggles against racial inequality and injustice. Her passion for enriching J.P. Morgan's collection was instrumental in the opening of the J.P. Morgan Library in New York City. Green also savored several glasses of wine from Burgundy, so we enjoy a 2021 Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne Rouge as we explore the basics of this revered wine region.
This enjoyable novel’s theme presents the discrepancies and challenges for professional women in the 1950s and 1960s. The main character is Elizabeth Zott, a chemist who is released from her doctoral degree and fired from a scientific institute. Follow her as she negotiates friendships, falls in love, has a daughter, and stars in a television cooking show. We enjoy a 2018 Inglenook Cabernet Franc as we delve into a discussion on (almost) everything you ever wanted to know about the components and chemistry of wine.
What happened to Agatha Christie during the eleven days she disappeared in December 1926? Writer Nina de Gramont creatively interprets the missing days in her 2022 novel. Agatha leaves home when husband Archie says he wants to marry his mistress Nan O’Dea. Inspector Frank Chilton searches and finds Agatha after she meets Finbarr, who is in love with Nan. Flashbacks take us to Nan’s time in a Catholic home for unwed mothers where the women were treated horribly. The book’s last chapters reveal new love, old enemies and reconciliation between two very strong women. We selected a 2021 Domaine de Fontsainte red blend to savor as we discovered the amazing history of Southern French wines.
On October 30, 2022, Jen Brotherhood, a successful lawyer living in Liverpool, witnesses her son Todd committing a murder. The Garda are called, and he is arrested. The next morning, Jen finds herself back in time before the murder has happened. She then is able to time-travel back as far as 2002 to gain clues to explain the October 30 circumstances. In the present day, she lives with her husband Ryan, who previously was undercover as Kelly, investigating Joseph and his crime family’s car theft operation. As the story unfolds, enjoy an English sparkling wine! We drank a 2018 Gusborne Brut, made from traditional champagne grapes.
When Jess heads to Paris to meet her half brother Ben, she finds an empty apartment and a building full of neighbors. Antoine is mean, dark and brooding. Jacques and Sophie own a wine distribution business and seem to run the show. Mimi is obsessed with Ben. Nick’s friendship was the whole reason Ben even moved into the apartment in the first place. Where is Ben? Who has reason to want him gone? Jess is desperate for answers, but she doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know who to trust. While Jess gathers the clues together, let’s head to the Loire River and enjoy a 2019 Thierry Germain Saumur-Champigny, mon amis. When you open the bottle, you’ll smell fresh violets, spice, currants and a soupçon of Dr. Pepper? Mais, oui! Upon tasting this lovely red, you are met with the tartness of a berry jam, ideally suited to a meal of mushroom soup or some charcuterie. Bon appetit!
In 1954, Emmett Watson is rounded up from juvenile detention to take custody of his 8 year old kid brother, Billy, when their dad unexpectedly dies. Two ne’er-do-well juvenile delinquents, Dutchess and Wooly, hide in the trunk and make their escape too. One car and three different ideas of where they should head make for trouble, and Emmett and Billy soon find themselves without their only possession, Emmett’s car. While this story is only ten days long, they cover most of the country, from the midwest to New York City where they get on the very start of the Lincoln Highway that will carry them all the way to San Francisco, which was Billy’s dream all along. Most of these characters are flawed and selfish, but they all come together for one beautiful meal Dutchess cooks for them before they part ways. Sometimes life is like that - you cross paths for a short, difficult time and nobody comes away unchanged. We are drinking wine from the region of Campania that would pair wonderfully with the Italian feast our characters share. We have a 2007 Taurasi wine produced by Mastroberardino that presents us with dried fruit, plum, herb and cigar box notes, which begs for pasta and red sauce. We also sample a Greco di Tufo wine from the same region that brings citrus, mineral and salt to the palate. Aglianico must be aged or its aggressive tannins will not be palatable; just like our heroes, it needs time and attention to come of age.
Returning to her houseboat, Hannah Hill is met by a high school student she’s never seen who hands her a letter simply reading ‘Protect Her.’ Her husband, Owen, then disappears leaving his daughter Bailey in her care. Why did he run away? Why is a US Marshall poking around? Did Owen commit corporate crimes? Bailey and Hannah travel from Sausalito, CA to Austin, TX in search of answers. When a shadowy figure emerges with ties to dangerous people, Hannah and Bailey are stunned to find he is Bailey’s grandfather. You’ll have to pick up this page-turner to get your questions answered about these characters. Sausalito, where our story begins, is in the Central Valley region of California, which runs east to west (instead of north to south) or sideways in order to funnel the cool, moist, foggy air from the Pacific Ocean. We are sipping a wine from this area, a 2021 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County. The first thing you will notice is the scent of black cherries, berry jam and cloves, and then tartness will hit your palate. Do yourself a favor and pair this vintage with this thriller!
Sewanee Chester’s life trajectory changes forever when she loses her eye in an accident. Luckily, her acting skills translated beautifully to audio narration and her eye patch didn’t get in her way. Adaku, Sewanee’s best friend, follows through with their longtime dream to become famous actresses together on her own, with her blessing. When famous author June French’s dying wish is for Swannee to read her final work with the mysterious Brock McKnight, she concedes to better her Grandma BlaBla’s living situation. Who is this mysterious man hiding behind the nom de plume, and what will this mean for our leading lady? All I can tell you is that they sipped prosecco together, so we shall too! We are sampling Adami’s Bosco di Gica Prosecco Superiore from the Veneto region of Italy. This made-to-drink-now bubbly elixir is fresh and crisp with notes of apple and peach. Sounds just as light and fun as our story!
Lenni was only 17 when she was brought to Glasgow’s hospital for medically hopeless cases and met Margo, who was 83. They got to know each other in art class, and when they realized they had 100 years between them, they decided to commemorate this fact by creating 100 pieces of art together while telling the stories of their lives. These friends will have you considering what makes a life well lived and how important relationships are while sharing the tender moments of their lives with them. It’s a great story of getting life in, before it’s too late, and we learn about what makes wine get better (or worse) with age. We tempt fate and drink a mature bottle of 2005 Château Berlière Montagne Saint Emilion, which smells of leather, black fruit and hay. After talking about Merlot, we discuss ideal storage conditions and which wines age the best. Also learn what not to do when storing wine. Savor each moment and enjoy the anticipation of beautiful things to come.