The history of wine is full of triumph and tragedy. Many of its triumphs have been happy accidents, including the discovery of wine itself, which is believed to have happened when early man gathered fruit, and stored it in containers of some sort. The juice would have settled to the bottom of the container, fermented and produced a low-alcohol beverage. Or consider the discovery, in the early 1600s, of a “new” type of wine in France. Known as vin gris, it sometimes underwent an unplanned second fermentation as it was shipped. When the wine arrived at its destination, it was bottled right away and retained some unplanned sparkle. That happy accident proved to be a seminal event in the history of sparkling wine.
On the flip side of the coin, there is the Great French Wine Blight, wine’s most renown tragic accident. In 1863, vines began dying for no apparent reason in southern France. The infestation spread throughout France. The cause of the was determined to be the phylloxera aphid. The tiny yellow aphid, which originated in North America, was accidentally carried across the Atlantic in the late 1850s. While France is considered to have been worst affected, the phylloxera also did a great deal of damage to vineyards in many other European countries.
Can you imagine what would happen if phylloxera, which is still problematic for isolated grape vines today, threatened the world’s grape vines on an international scale? And what if a modern-day infestation were no accident? In his first novel Root Cause, author Steven Laine asks us to consider a world with no wine.
Synopsis
Corvina Guerra is a flying winemaker, employed by Universal Wine a huge wine conglomerate with wineries across the globe. She dreams of one day settling down in her native Italy on her family’s vineyard. On a visit to a vineyard in Italy she makes a startling discovery: the phylloxera, the menacing aphid that devastated European vineyards over 100 years ago. After reporting the finding to her skeptical employer, she is tasked with investigating the spread of the bug, accidentally nicknamed “Philomena“. Soon the aphid is discovered in vineyards around the world, but this time it’s not a tragic accident. She enlists the aid of disgraced Master of Wine student Bryan Lawless to find out who is behind the the vinous scourge. What ensues is a globetrotting adventure featuring a variety of unsavory characters, betrayal, and life-threatening danger cast in the wondrous world of wine. Can Corvina and Bryan get to the root cause and save the international wine industry from ruin?
My Thoughts
Reading this book made me happy. I know this because for a period of time, I took the book wherever I went, and whenever I had even a few minutes, I chose to read this book rather than check my mobile phone.
The author admirably pairs his experience in the wine industry with his passion for writing and travel. As a wine enthusiast and lover of travel, I appreciated many aspects of this book. For example, protagonist Corvina Guerra is named after an Italian grape variety that is a key component of Amarone wine. She very likable character, with an impeccable sense of style and flair. I also enjoyed Bryan Lawless, who has a flair for the dramatic. There’s a bit of tension between the two which adds to the appeal of their global escapade seeking answers about who is behind the modern-day phylloxera infestation.
Like many of the fine wines that are part of their adventure, the book is a well structured, and thought-provoking with very satisfying finish!
About the Author:
Steven Laine was raised in Ontario, Canada and has dual Canadian and British Citizenship. He has traveled the world, working in luxury hotels for international brands like The Ritz, Hilton, Starwood, Marriott, Jumeirah, and Pan Pacific. As a Beverage Manager for a five-star hotel in London, he gained deep knowledge of wine. Over the years in has visited over one hundred vineyards and wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Burgundy, Champagne, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Lebanon, Australia and South America. As the only North American invited to be a member of the Champagne Academy, he had the privilege of visiting and learning about the major Champagne houses in France. His circle of friends includes winemakers, Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, Restaurant Managers and Wine Distributors across the globe.
Root Cause is his debut novel. Published by Turner Publishing, it is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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