Description

A “spellbinding debut” and “a feast for all readers” (Library Journal, starred review) about a food journalist’s desperate attempt to save his career—and possibly, his marriage—through an epic quest that leads him from Burgundy through Russia, tracking an infamous bottle of wine.

Ex-food journalist and nearly destitute wine connoisseur Bruno Tannenbaum has hit rock bottom. So when he stumbles on a clue hinting at a lost wine vintage, the 1943 Trevallier—stolen from France during WWII and now worth a fortune—Bruno is convinced that finding this wine could be the key to restoring his journalism career, and perhaps even his failing marriage. But as word spreads about his search for the Trevallier, Bruno finds himself in a desperate treasure hunt, racing from lush Burgundy vineyards through German inns and a Russian prison in this “positively delightful” (The Seattle Times) culinary expedition about second chances and “the power of food and wine to heal” (BookPage).

An unsnobby wine thriller [and] an excellent pairing with just about any book club.” —Portland Tribune

About the author(s)

David Baker attributes his fascination with wine to a chance train stop in Beaune, which led to time spent working in commercial vineyards, a film, a novel, and a dozen years making passable pinot noir in his garage. He holds an MFA from Columbia College, Chicago and is the director of American Wine Story. He currently lives in Oregon’s Willamette Valley with his wife and daughter. Visit him online at 301Media.com.

Reviews

"Baker gets his spellbinding debut off to a rousing start with a great setup and an endearing protagonist, a bon vivant who rambles from Chicago to France, Germany, eastern Europe, and Moscow, enjoying fantastic meals and drinks along the way, as he searches for the lost wine—and, just maybe, for himself. A feast for all readers, with a warning only to those on a diet!"

“For the vinous mystery buff…VINTAGE is a true page turner, unraveling the search for a bottle of 1943 French wine absconded by the Nazis.”

"A funny, danger-filled, romantic read filled with enough delicious food descriptions to make even the most well-fed reader hungry."

"Vintage is at once a mouthwatering culinary tale, an evocative look at the strength it takes to create the life we want, and a delicious adventure. Baker’s lyrical descriptions of the power of food and the right wine to heal and connect those we love weaves a tender and often hilarious tale of navigating life’s choices. In Vintage, the thread of a storied wine and its missing vintages transcends geography and explores what it means to create your own second chance."
Nina Mukerjee Furstenau, MFK Fisher Award-Winning author of Biting Through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America’s Heartland