num_pages: 336
description: Bonfire of the Vanities meets Sidewaysa saga of secrets family and a mystery bottle of wine that could change everything foreverIn a gorgeous wine valley in northern California the economic downturn has put a number of dreams on hold. But above it all is esteemed critic Clyde Craven-Jones a man whose ego nearly surpasses his substantial girth. As the novel opens he blind taste-tastes a sampling of Cabernets and to his confounded delight discovers one worthy of his highest score (a 20 on the Craven-Jones-on-wine scale) an accolade he's never before awarded.But the bottle has no originand that's a problem for a renowned critic. An investigation into the mystery Cabernet commences lead by the critic's wife Claire and a couple of underdogsone a determined throw-back to ancient viticulture the other a wine-stained Pygmalion-esque scribblerwho by wit and luck rise on incoming tides of money notoriety and yes love.The stage is set for this true theatre of the varietalswhere the reader joins the local vinous glitterati and subterranean enthusiasts hanging out in a seedy bar called the Glass Act. Soon Clyde Craven-Jones finds himself in a compromised position in a fermentation tank a prominent family finds its internal squabble a public scandal and a lowly vintner seeks redemption for a decades-old wrongdoing. This is a witty delectable and fast-paced novel that like a good Cabernet only grows more enjoyable once opened.
language: English
title: Nose
publisher: Thomas Dunne Books