It’s been a long day and an even longer week and you can’t wait to unwind with a glass of your favourite wine. You gently uncork the bottle, pour, swirl and take that first magical sip … and then read the headline in your evening newspaper. Your day suddenly takes a dire turn for the worse. The very wine you’ve been savoring, may have been tampered with. How does this happen?
You could be a victim of a fraudulent enologist. Fraud has been called a ‘vintage pastime’ in the world of wine. In the ever growing quest for the perfect bottle, wine makers have been accused of adding such things as wood chips, sugar and milk to augment the fermentation and quality of wine.
In the new book, Sour Grapes, by former Park Lane International Sporting Club executive chef and features writer for Stereoboard.com, David Evans, takes us deep into the underworld of vineyard fraud, blackmail, and revenge. After scamming a small French vineyard for two years, Eric Goddard fears his days are numbered when a complete stranger symbolically maims two of his best friends and accomplices.
In desperation, Eric runs to London to stay with his mother and her wealthy lover, Charles de l’Englise. When Charles realizes the love of his life is now in danger, he has no choice but to join forces with Eric to follow a convoluted trail from Texas to the vineyards of France and the pampered world of the London, as they unravel the background of the new vineyard owner. Uncovering the information is almost child’s play until Charles encounters the Texan billionaire of Polish descent and his psychopathic son intent on revenge.
With a delightful blend of intrigue and an insider’s knowledge, Sour Grapes yields:
- A harmonious balance of intrigue, suspense, romance and revenge
- The complex notes of Eric’s Oedipus-like jealousy of his mother’s lover
- The bitter aftertaste of blackmail and fraud
- Lingering finish of Charles’s devotion to Eric’s mother
- Earthy undertones revealing the dark side of wine making, greed and grudges
- “Sour Grapes was inspired by the true life events of wine tampering at Château Giscours (Margaux) in 1995,” says Evans. “With more twists than a stick of barley sugar, it is a story of blackmail, devotion and a double dose of revenge.”
David Evans is the author of Bitter Taste and his highly anticipated second novel, Sour Grapes. He apprenticed in Switzerland and held the Executive Chef position at The International Sporting Club, Park Lane, London (formerly The Playboy Club) and the film and music industry oriented St James’ Club, Mayfair. He is currently a features writer for Stereoboard.com.
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