Wine People

by Michelle Wildgen

A rich, intoxicating escape into the hedonistic and cutthroat world of wine and what happens when two ambitious women, opposites in every way, join forces to succeed in a competitive male-dominated industry. In their late 20s, Wren and Thessaly land coveted jobs at a glamorous New York City boutique wine distribution company where they're expected to have an exquisite wine palate, endless tolerance for alcohol and socializing, and the ability to sell, sell, sell. Hardworking, by-the-book Wren comes from a modest background and has everything to prove. Thessaly hails from a family of California wine growers. Her natural charm is shadowed by an overwhelming sense of self doubt. On a fateful business trip to Europe, the unlikely pair forge an alliance and launch a friendship that changes the course of their careers and lives. With mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine, Wine People is an utterly entertaining page-turner that explores all the ways the closest of friends can both misjudge and uplift the ones they love.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Book Club, Chick Lit, Wine, Womens Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Michelle Wildgen is a writer, editor, and teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to being an executive editor at the literary journal Tin House, Michelle is the author of the novels Bread and Butter: A Novel (forthcoming from Doubleday), But Not For Long and You’re Not You (both available in paperback from Picador), and the editor of an anthology, Food & Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast (Tin House Books). You’re Not You has been adapted for film, starring Hilary Swank and Emmy Rossum.

Michelle’s nonfiction has included a weekly column on food television as well as individual essays on a wide range of topics: from American Girl doll Rebecca Rubin, Burt Reynolds’ 1970s fan mail, and obscure Wisconsin card games to the craft of writing, fresh mozzarella, deer-hunting for the neophyte, and the number of times one has to endure anaphylactic shock before giving up shellfish for good.

She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Her fiction, personal essays, and food writing have also appeared in publications including The New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and anthologies such as Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer, Dirty Words, Best New American Voices 2004, Best Food Writing 2004 and 2009, Death by Pad Thai and Other Unforgettable Meals, and journals including StoryQuarterly, TriQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere.

Awards and honors include a scholarship to Bread Loaf, residency at the Hall Farm Center in Vermont, and the Virginia Faulkner Award for Excellence in Writing from Prairie Schooner.

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young women work in sales and operations for a wine importer in NYC. Thessaly comes from a California wine growing family and Wren comes from a modern Midwest upbringing. They’re a bit wary of and competitive with each other even at their male-dominated, cutthroat company that demands a high tolerance for alcohol and a lively after work social calendar. When rumors swirl of a shakeup and potential promotion opportunity at the importer, both women step their game up and begin to form a friendship and an alliance.

Following Thessaly and Wren at work, on business trips to Europe, and across the country in their endeavors, Wine People is a story of the intricate wine world and female friendship, both with their highs and lows.

This is my second read from Zibby Books and another story I enjoyed. Thanks to Cindy (@thoughtsfromapage) for organizing a traveling galley program for this upcoming release, out on 8/1/23!

[Kelly Hooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s raise a glass to female friendships, armchair travel, and chasing your dreams. WINE PEOPLE is the story of two women from vastly different backgrounds working for a high-end wine importer in New York City. When the head honcho announces his upcoming departure after decades in the industry, it sends the company into a cutthroat tailspin as the employees vie for a position at the top.

I love the way the story whisked me away to quaint tasting rooms in the German countryside, the vineyards of Sonoma, and sweeping Italian villas. It was so easy to envision myself sipping a crisp Gewurztraminer or juicy Pinot Noir and Foodies will appreciate the decadent descriptions of extravagant meals. While I enjoyed the luxurious escape, the story is also full-bodied and robust in the way the best wines are.

Not a wine aficionado? Not a problem. Wine is a foundation for the story but the heart is truly how the women navigate forging their own path in a male-dominated industry. Many women will find the themes of being underestimated and building other women up when culture seeks to pit us against each other very relatable.

READ THIS IF:
-You enjoyed The Lager Queen of Minnesota
-Prioritizing friendships resonates with you
-Gallivanting through a European wine tour is on your bucket list

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: August 1, 2023

Many thanks to Zibby books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I really enjoyed this story about female friendship and the struggles to strike out on your own in a male dominated industry while battling addictions (alcoholism).

This book was like a love letter to wine as two very different young women work their way up and eventually start their own wine-making business, experiencing many ups and downs along the way in what is a very cutthroat, snobby business.

Good on audio but not quite as outstanding as I was expecting after seeing a lot of hype. Recommended for fans of stories with flawed and relatable female characters and books like Hello, sunshine by Laura Dave or Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

⚠️CW: alcoholism

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love good wine and food and found this book captivating. A great peek into the wine industry and the people behind it. The female characters were strong and well developed, especially in a male driven business. Highly recommend to all foodies.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was on the library website a while ago and just grabbed many books that were available and looked light and easy. This was pretty much as expected. It wasn't anything profound, but it was compelling enough and an easy read; bonus points for having the relationship between two female friends as central (not rom-com typical hetero-romance). I'm not very interested in wine, but it as not very esoteric; I didn't feel like Wildgen was trying to educate as much as provide what she percieves as a "romantic" and "elegent" environment.

I was a bit annoyed at the timing and pace; the first 60-70% is about the promotion (so takes place when they are "young, but not too young to be considered") at Lionel Garrett; then the rest fasts forwards 10(ish)? years...they build and have the business, then Thessaly leaves, then they re-unite 3 years later. It felt like things just sped up too much and too quickly: Wildgen really wanted to give them "time apart", but didn't have the patience to write it (or overspent on the developing of the initial partnership?).

Anyway, it was good enough, but nothing special.

[sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

wine people follows two women that work for a wine importer in nyc (i could not have told you how prolific the wine industry is and all the jobs it provides?? wdym they afford a life in new york off of tasting wine in other cities/countries and recommending those that should be sold in nyc ??)

wren and thessaly start out as competitors, as most women in male dominated work places do. they have different backgrounds, different approaches to their work and different goals. but when a situation arises that requires them to become allied, do they barely tolerate each other or does a real friendship occur?

i had so much fun with this one! i have read books that circle around female friendships before but i dont think any that, like wine people, changes povs btwn the two women and the relationship btwn the two is the core of the book.
i learned a lot about an industry i wasn’t acclimated to, i enjoyed the characters and their flaws, we dive into their backgrounds families and flaws. there’s discussions around alcoholism, work ethic, independence, self doubt, knowing what you really want in life (and accepting the fact that sometimes ydk until yk)

and the last scene was so satisfying!! it was just such a nice read. (thank you @librofm for the ALC)

[Khris Sellin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't judge a book by its cover.

From the title and cover art, you might think this is some frothy chick-lit book about women who love drinking wine. It's so much more than that. It gives an insider's view of the wine industry and women finding their way in a cutthroat business. I didn't think I'd find it that interesting, but the author makes it fascinating. It's also a sweet story about friendship.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is about and told from the perspectives of two women in their 20s, Wren and Thessaly, who are working for the same wine importer and professional rivals who start become friends. The book follows them over the course of the next years, tracing the course of the ups and downs of their friendship, their careers, and their general journeys to figure themselves out, along with plenty of colorful details about the wine business.

I loved this book and it was such a pleasant surprise! I don’t know why, but for some reason I thought this was going to be more of a fluffy book so I just loved the unexpected depth. I also feel like there are so few books that are focused either on female friendship or on women’s careers, so I loved that this book did both. Wren and Thessaly are both complicated and sometimes prickly characters but I really got invested in them. And despite knowing nothing about the wine business and not being much of a drinker, I enjoyed those parts too.

4.25 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy (out now; I’m a few months late to read it); all opinions are my own.

[Alex Gray (gray__pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, witty book filled with mouthwatering descriptions of food and wine.

The story follows two ambitious young wine professionals, Wren and Thessaly, as they compete to climb the ladder at a New York City wine importer. From rivalries to partnerships and friendships, these two ladies join forces to succeed in a male dominated industry.

Although I found it to drag at times, this book was a great one to end my summer with. WINE PEOPLE will make you want to share a good bottle of wine with your best friends.

[Kimmy Leadholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ultimately liked this more than I was expecting. I found Wren relatable at times and felt like she was a good main character. I didn’t like Thessaly. I felt she came off selfishly and wasn’t a very good friend.

It was fun reading about two women and their navigation of the wine world - both following their dreams in different ways. I also really liked the location of Madison - I love it there and found it fun to read about it. Overall enjoyed and would recommend.
3.5 stars

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This wasn’t quite what I expected. It was really slow in parts, VERY heavy on the actual sales side of wine, and sometimes both Wren and Thessaly could be really annoying.

However, I also felt like a lot of it was very realistic. I appreciated the trials of Wren and Thessaly’s friendship (aka not perfect), the hardships women often go through in the wine industry, and I LOVED the way the author wrote the wine and food tastings in this book. I also really liked how it ended.

[Shannon Recktenwald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I actually cannot believe how much I loved this book. Such a lovely story filled with themes of women in business, adult friendships, ambitions and dreams, making mistakes, taking leaps of faith, and also - food and wine. Loved the at this story was written, loved both the characters, loved the details, and LOVED that a chunk of this book takes place in Madison. Really really really enjoyed reading this story

[Kelly Pramberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover! It grabbed my attention and I also dove in! What an interesting look at wine culture and the wine business. Most of all the book is about two women and their friendship as adults. Wildgen does an amazing job developing this relationship. The French scenery is set and the two main character's are waiting! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. A five star read!

[Ryan Stoffield · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid wine connoisseur 🍷 I had to read this book the second I saw it at the library! Simple read and love the connections and plot occurring in Wisconsin. Currently drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon to celebrate finishing this great book.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
likable main characters, likable competition between them, but random plot holes and strings to nowhere , but the ending was good and made up for cuts in time.

[Susie Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

{thank you to libro.fm for my copy of this audiobook!}

Maybe my expectations were a bit too high for this one, but as someone who loves wine and reading about it and the industry, I assumed I'd be immediately sucked into this story. However, it ended up taking me a really long time to actually care about any of the characters and their outcomes.

Wine People is really about the wine distribution industry, which I did find really interesting because it's a part of the wine world that we don't often see much about. It's a male-dominated industry and there aren't often a lot of opportunities for women to rise up. This novel specifically focuses on two women, Thessaly and Wren, who come from very different backgrounds, but have seemingly similar goals. But the book starts off in kind of a jumbled way- introducing us to so many different people that I wasn't quite sure who I should be focused on.

It took quite a bit of time for me to realize the focus was on Thessaly and Wren and for me to feel like I should actually care about them. In many ways, it felt like the author knew she wanted to write a novel about the wine distribution industry, but wasn't quite sure what the plot should be.

The ending felt a little anti-climatic and "so what" to me. I did enjoy the fact that Wine People is a book about female friendship as well as competition and in many ways, I felt like it was a realistic look at what can happen when you work with friends. I wanted more details on the wine and maybe even some more drama. I'm glad I read Wine People, but it didn't end up being quite what I expected.

[Marta Block · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A fun and quick read about life in the world of wine. Wren and Thessaly work for a large wine importing business in New York City. Although from very different worlds, they find camaraderie in a largely male-dominated workplace and forge an unlikely friendship.

Thessaly comes from a storied Sonoma family with vineyards galore and a big name in the wine world. Wren comes from the Midwest and followed her excellent palate into business.

Tales of overindulgence, business trips laced with conflict, and a thin line between work and life (zero balance here), Wine People explores what it is to live one’s work and a bit of the importance of female friendships.

As someone who lives near Paso Robles, I enjoyed the description of our quirky little Tin City even if the SLO airport description didn’t quite ring true.

There are 2 big time jumps in the novel (one is 2 years & the other 3 years) that seem a bit odd or forced.

From an editing perspective, one big foible. The book claims when it’s 5 am in California, it’s 3 am central time. Nope - other way, it’s actually 7 am. No idea how that got through, but it made me cringe.

[Becca Buncie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wren & Thessaly both work in the NYC wine industry. It's a male dominated business, but they are trying to make their way to the top. Wren grew up in the MidWest, Thessaly on a farm in California. They continue to encounter men moving ahead in the business while women stay the same.

This is an interesting look at the back side of the wine business - how wines are stocked and sold across the country and the world. We are clearly able to see that this is a male-dominated world and Wren and Thessaly decide to split off on their own venture.

An enjoyable novel about the wine industry and the complexities of female friendship in life and in business. An enjoyable and informative read.

3.5 stars

[Jessi - TheRoughCutEdge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very heavily detailed story that includes every imaginable aspect of wine. It covers everything from the wine making and selling, to the tastings and distribution. I liked the juxtaposition of two main female POV’s and was drawn to them both right away. However, I struggled with the last 1/4 of the book and I can’t even articulate why that was. I found myself not being as interested in the what was going to happen. Maybe that was just a “me” problem (mood reader) and life being so busy lately.

I do think this will be a good fit for those who love wine and want to learn all they can about it!

Thank you Zibby Books for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wine People
By: Michelle Wildgen
4🍷🍷🍷🍷
Wren and Thessaly are colleagues and rivals who end up starting a wine importing business.
🍷
They came from different backgrounds. One with a more privileged background and one who worked hard to learn the with male dominated business. What will they each have to overcome in a male dominated business.
🍷
I enjoyed this novel about the wine business.

Thank you @zibbybooks for this wonderful book and all the goodies.

#winepeople, #michellewildgen, #zibbybooks, #zibbyambassador, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so rare to read fiction that speaks about wine in such a detailed and romantic way. Hell I'm excited when a book mentions a wine that isn't a California Cab.

I wasn't as crazy about the actual story. I'm totally down for women making their mark in a misogynistic industry, but the way they did it seemed like less of a win and more of a secession. We were told these women were bold go getters but they just played things so safe it was boring.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read and it’s a huge plus that the writer is from Wisconsin! With the book being under 300 pages I’m shocked at how well the pacing of the story was and the amount of time it covered without skimping on details. The growth of both main characters was wildly evident and interesting to read about! Would recommend!

[Amy Prosenjak · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Very good depiction of what it’s like to be in the wine biz and why wine can make an experience like a dinner with friends more memorable. “As they drank, she knew they both were thinking that this wine, like all the wine they loved, had transformed the intangibles of place and time and effort into a real thing…”

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book that was mostly about work, female friendships and various aspects of the wine business but it was mostly about enduring friendships. All the main characters were women which was refreshing.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing and different look at relationships—to each other, places, our pasts and our vocations. Enjoyable, strong female characters.
Kathy J. Jacobson, author of the Noted! Series and mysteries In the Secret Heart and A Change of Heart

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked this! prior to reading I knew nothing about the wine industry, and how demanding it is for the people involved in it. It struck me as frivolous how much these people cared about wine. At certain times I felt almost queasy thinking about how completely their work consumed the lives and minds of the main characters. I loved the descriptions of food, people, and place. The friendship between wren and thessaly felt real to me since it spanned so many years and we received insight from each woman on what she truly thought of the other.

[Krista Hajjar-Nejad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Zibby Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

"And then there were the lifers. Wren was a lifer, and she knew the rules. To stay in wine, you had to be both romantic and pragmatic, never losing the love of this ancient substance even as they figured out how to balance its excesses with ruthless physical economies. She nursed the same dream they all did: fifty years in the business and dying upright at the table, a glass of her ideal wine in hand."

I'm not a wine connoisseur by any means, but by the end of this book I really felt like I was one with Wren and Thessaly. I really had no idea about the wine importing business prior to reading Wine People, and I thought it was so fascinating! Michelle Wildgen's writing kept me engaged the entire way through and loving ALL of the characters (Legs, Gavin, Jonathan, Sabrina, Nick..just to name a few). I wish a wine pairing was included with the book for each of the four parts it was divided into. I was really impressed with the ending and how nicely everything came together. Wine People was such a fun read and I highly recommend!!

[Whitney Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hit home for me, especially working in the wine industry I appreciated so many of its accuracies.

At first I was a little hesitant I wasn’t going to like this story. I didn’t understand how Wren and Thessaly were going to last an entire book when their work relationship was barely existent at the start of the story.
But then I realized their trust (vs competitiveness) in each other was the crux of this tale. As a woman in a male dominated industry, this story centers around how two females who were overlooked for a deserved promotion too a chance and made their careers their own. It wasn’t without its ups and downs but I found myself invested in their tale. I also appreciated how realistic their career path was and that life never looks like you expect it too. This was a fun read and one I will remember for a long time.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what to make of this. It was well written with great descriptions of the food, wine and setting. But I didn’t buy the friendship between Thessaly and Wren and so the emotional core of the book wasn’t effective. I needed more development for their friendship to feel true to me. They went from coworkers to besties a little too fast; the book could’ve used another fifty pages or so. The side characters were underused and things just happened in the book with very little fanfare/impact on the narrative. Still, not a bad read.

[Olivia Swindler · Rating 3 out of 5]

What made this book for me was the food writing. It was impossible to read this book and not want to drink a glass of wine and go out to eat. I struggled with the book's structure, as I felt it made it feel too long, and because the timeline was so spread out, some character development was lacking.

Thank you to libro.fm for my copy!