Shadows in the Vineyard

The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World's Greatest Wine

By: Maximillian Potter

Narrated by: Donald Corren

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine.

In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romance-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison - a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder - unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine.

Shadows in the Vineyard takes us deep into a captivating world full of fascinating characters, small-town French politics, an unforgettable narrative, and a local culture defined by the twinned veins of excess and vitality and the deep reverent attention to the land that runs through it.

©2014 Maximillian Potter (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Wow. Absolutely loved it!

Wonderful story full of mystery and intrigue. Great insight into how wine is made from grape to fermentation to tasting. It was as if I was there with the author during the picking and harvesting of the grapes. I wondered until the end who was the one poisoning the wine. The additional mix of French history really added to the story. Loved it! Well narrated , easy to hear, understand and great use of French and French accent. Now it's time for me to plan my trip to the DRC!

France wine crime, who could ask for more

How the best wines in the world are made, their history, the people who make them, the sad crime and criminals that tried to undo them. Well written, well reported. If you like wine and like France, you must read this book.

surprisingly exceptional

I didn't expect too much from this book because how could you turn a small crime story into an entire book? but as a lover of burgundy this is not to be missed!!

An extraordinary story

The author has provided a wonderfully rich tapestry and backdrop for his love and reverence of wine and it’s creators! Very Well Done

Too many unnecessary details

This was an okay listen. The crime and wine history are very interesting, but the details that had nothing to do with those were very boring. I skipped through chapters that didn't apply to the story

Hidden Figures in the Vineyards

This book was recommended by a friend. So glad I listened to it. Max interleaves history of the place with business and the story of what could have been a catastrophe. The real irony here is that the culprit was an alcoholic. Very well told and narrated. I’ll look for more of his books.

Fascinating history of wine

Really enjoyed the story along with the history of wine, terroir, & the families. A really good story even if you are not "into" wine.

Very good book for wine people

If you’re a wine guy, and especially like Burgundy and the history of the region, you’ll dig this book. It’s a good mystery, but a better history lesson of DRC is DRC.

Wife YES Husband NO

Great if you are interested in wine and a rambling tale. Painful if you like a good tight story.

Interesting info on history of wine industry

The narrator's largely mediocre and uneven pronunciation of the many French words and phrases appearing in this book substantially reduced my enjoyment of this otherwise decent effort. It's a pity because there must be many narrators with better command of French pronunciation than this individual.