The current wine book market is overcrowded and highly competitive, with new books appearing almost weekly. Unfortunately for the consumer, most wine books are written to one of just a few formulas: expensive coffee table picture books, everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-wine books, wine buyers’ guides, and focuses on certain wines or certain regions.
A new approach to teaching about wine is long overdue.
“The Oenophile Next Door” is unlike any wine book that has gone before. It is a novelized story that takes the reader on a wine adventure that is rich with education and discovery. Unlike “do all” wine books that tend to recycle established truisms, this book and its characters question much of what has been passed off as wine education.
About the Main Characters
William Kensington is a savvy wine writer who refuses to play by the established rules. He throws traditional wine education out the window and tells it like it is. A true free spirit, our hero takes a young couple under his wing and teaches them about wine as only he can.
Christian and Aimee have been married for about three years. Aimee is a research specialist and her goal is to set up her own research practice out of the house so she and Christian can start a family. Christian is a computer geek, but has discovered that he would rather oversee projects than write programs. He is ambitious about his career because of what it means to him and Aimee. They have reasonable expectations and an unswerving determination to build a life that is both comfortable and meaningful. They have been economizing since the day they set up house.
What's the Deal Here?
Before committing to thousands of printed copies of this 9-chapter book, I thought I should give my readers a chance to preview a chapter and to provide feedback. You will find below Chapter 1. There's not a lot of plot development, but it sets up the story rather nicely, I think, and I've been told it's a pretty good read. So please, read, enjoy, and tell me what you think. And if you’d like to place an advance order for a copy or two, that will me help to move the publishing effort forward.
You can reach me at:
Email: frugalwine@sympatico.ca
Phone: 905.844.2680
Richard Best - The Frugal Oenophile
Wherein a young couple learns about wine
by Richard Best
Chapter 1: Good Wine Makes For Good Neighbours
Christian couldn’t help breaking into a broad smile as he left his boss’s office. He’d been working especially hard for the past few months and putting in a lot of hours. What’s more, he’d really been on his game. He hurried back to his office to call Aimee.
“Guess what? I got it!!” he cooed into the phone.
“You got the promotion…” Aimee confirmed.
“Yep. I got it. And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. You know what this means?” he asked.
“OK, what?” she replied.
“No more low-end wine for us. So let’s celebrate. I’ll stop by the wine shop on the way home and pick up a bottle of the good stuff.”
“And I’ll see if I can get away a bit early and prepare something fit for an upwardly mobile executive. Love you, babe.”
“Love you too…”
Christian walked confidently into the wine store. He hadn’t been in this one before, though he’d passed it many times. He and Aimee had been watching their pennies ever since they got married three years ago, and had chosen to satisfy their wine interest with moderately priced wines so they could save for a house. But with Christian’s promotion, they were now on the fast track to their goals: a down payment, children, some time off for Aimee to raise those children and start a home-based business, plus a few of the better things that success has to offer.
“Can I help you find something?”
The question caught Christian a bit off guard. He’d been mentally spending his bonus.
“Well, yes,” Christian replied. “We’re celebrating a bit of good news tonight and I’d like to pick up something special, perhaps something in a cabernet.”
The consultant pulled a bottle off a shelf and held it out for Christian to examine. “Here’s a lovely little Australian cabernet. It has a forward palate and very good structure,” he explained.
“And how much is it?” Christian asked.
“It’s $32.”
“I think we can go up a bit from there,” Christian replied.
“Yes … well in the $50 range I’d recommend this Californian cabernet-shiraz blend. The nose is complex with ample extract on the palate and a lingering finish.”
“Sounds about right. Why don’t we try that one.”
“So where did you get this stuff?” Aimee asked, topping up her glass.
“At that little shop down on Front Street. Never been in there before. It’s kind of nice,” Christian answered.
“And how much did you pay for it?” There was some scepticism in Aimee ‘s voice.
“Fifty bucks,” Christian answered. “What do you think?”
“I’m trying to decide if I’m getting four or five times as much enjoyment out of it. How did you happen to pick it?” she asked.
“The sales guy recommended it. The usual bafflegab. I didn’t understand a word of it, so I guess I just assumed he knew his stuff. Come to think of it, he never did asked me what sort of wine I liked,” Christian answered.
“Maybe with our new-found good fortune we should take a wine course,” Aimee replied. “I’d hate to think we can’t do better than this for fifty dollars.”
“Ya, I’m pretty unimpressed,” Christian agreed. “Why don’t we do that? Why don’t I call around and find out if there are any courses running. We can both go. We can have an evening out, sample a few wines, and maybe we’ll have a better shot at picking out some good ones next time. I’ll look around next week and see what’s available.”
They agreed: If they were going to enjoy the good life, it would help if they were better informed.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” said the neighbour, noticing the look on Christian’s face, “or as good -- depending on your point of view. I’m in the business and these are samples. Most of it goes down the drain.”
Christian looked at the bottles in the boxes. Here were names he’d heard of or read about in magazines. There were some plebeian wines, but just as many were from some of the best wineries around. He was more than curious.
“So, you’re in the business?” he asked.
“I’m something of a wine writer,” replied the neighbour, setting the blue box down, “and these are samples that wineries and agents have sent to me. I taste them and then I pour them out, with some exceptions, of course.”
“Sounds painful,” said Christian. “Uh, hi. I’m Christian Ranier, and I live, well, obviously, next door. My wife Aimee and I are rather fond of wine. But you can see from my collection here, we don’t move in the same circles that you do.”
“Well I’m very pleased to meet you. My name is William, William Kensington,” replied the neighbour. “But I have to say, be careful what you wish for. I get far more wine showing up at my door than I can possibly cope with. Still, it’s a pretty good job.”
“We had an interesting experience last night,” Christian volunteered. “I bought what I thought was a premium wine. Cost me 50 bucks. And, you know, it wasn’t that great.”
“Yes, that happens a lot,” said the neighbour. “There are a lot of factors that affect the price of wine, and sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Of course it may just have been a bad bottle.”
“Um … this may be a bit presumptuous,” said Christian, thinking it over, “but would you be willing to give Aimee and me a few pointers? When it comes to wine, I mean.”
The neighbour paused, looked straight at Christian, and said, “Are you and your wife busy tomorrow evening?”
“Nothing planned,” Christian answered.
“Good. Be at my place at 7:30 and we’ll get started.”
You can visit me, The Frugal Oenophile, at http://www.frugal-wine.com
