About the Wine Uncensored episode
Katie Wendel, founder of Sip It! and the French Wine Intrigue and Murder Mystery Literary Society joined John Sporing, founder of A Life Well Drunk, for a WineUncensored virtual tasting on January 21, 2021.
Did you miss the live tasting? No worries, watch it here:
In the January 21 tasting Katie lead us through the novel and we sipped and discussed wines from the book:
- Bordeaux Blanc (some good values from Graves)
- Bordeaux Rouge from Pauillac (feel free to open a Lynch-Bages or a Léoville Barton)
- Sauternes
We are not listing any particular label or vintage for this tasting, so raid your cellar or support your local wine shop.
We discussed the book “The Vintage Caper” by Peter Mayle and the wines within the novel. You can purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/38sQGy7
About the Book
Set in Hollywood, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille, the delightful novel is filled with culinary delights, sumptuous wines, and colorful characters. It’s also a lot of fun.
The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the Los Angeles Times to write an extensive profile extolling the liquid treasures of his collection, Roth finds himself the victim of a world-class wine heist.
Enter Sam Levitt, former corporate lawyer, cultivated crime expert, and wine connoisseur. Called in by Roth’s insurance company, which is now saddled with a multimillion-dollar claim, Sam follows his leads—to Bordeaux and its magnificent vineyards, and to Provence to meet an eccentric billionaire collector who might possibly have an interest in the stolen wines. Along the way, bien sûr, he is joined by a beautiful and erudite French colleague, and together they navigate many a château, pausing frequently to enjoy the countryside’s abundant pleasures.
The unraveling of the ingenious crime is threaded through with Mayle’s seductive rendering of France’s sensory delights—from a fine Lynch-Bages and Léoville Barton to the bouillabaisse of Marseille and the young lamb of Bordeaux. Even the most sophisticated of oenophiles will learn a thing or two from this vintage work by a beloved author.