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Stalin's Wine Cellar
The adventure of a lifetime to buy Stalin’s secret multimillion dollar wine cellar located in Georgia; this is the Raiders of the Lost Ark of wine. In the late 1990s, John Baker was known as a purveyor of quality rare and old wines. Always entrepreneurial and up for adventure, he was the perfect person for an occasional business partner to approach with a mysterious wine list that was foreign to anything John, or his second-in-command, Kevin Hopko, had ever come across.The list was discovered to be a comprehensive catalogue of the wine collection of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. The wine had become the property of the state after the Russian Revolution of 1918, during which Nicholas and his entire family were executed. Now owned by Stalin, the wine was discreetly removed to a remote Georgian winery when Stalin was concerned the advancing Nazi army might overrun Russia, and inevitably loot artefacts and treasures. Half a century later, the wine was rumored to be hidden underground and off any known map.John and Kevin embarked on an audacious, colorful and potentially dangerous journey to Georgia to discover if the wines actually existed; if the bottles were authentic and whether the entire collection could be bought and transported to a major London auction house for sale.Stalin's Wine Cellar is a wild, sometimes rough ride in the glamorous world of high-end wine. From Double Bay Sydney to Tbilisi Georgia, via the streets of Paris, the vineyards of Bordeaux and iconic Château d'Yquem. A multimillion dollar cellar and a breathtaking collection of wine (and one very expensive broken bottle) is the elusive treasure. The cast of characters include Stalin, Hitler, Tsar Nicholas II and a motley bunch of Georgian businessmen/cowboys toting handguns, in the early days of Russian business development that led to the world of Putin and oligarchs.
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Published January 1, 2020
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About the author
John Baker
303 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
June 11, 2023
After hearing John Baker interviewed on the ABC Conversations program/podcast, I was hooked on the story and wanted to know more. To his credit, Baker enlisted the help of author Nick Place to turn this frankly incredible story into an entertaining, page-turning mystery/adventure/masterclass in museum wines. Even better, having Simon Burke read it to me, effortlessly dealing with the unfamiliar Georgian, Russian and French names/words, was a joy.
November 16, 2020
I was reading this book from the perspective of a girl who lived in Georgia at the time of the events described by the author.
The wine collection was never considered lost in the first place. So the book is about how the "merchant-scavengers" found out about the wine collection.
The whole story, reminiscent of Indiana Jones Holy Grail Adventure, is the story of looting, plotting with the corrupt officials and taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of the country recovering from the civil war. The tale of marauders with consciousness and ethics anaesthetised by alcohol.
The book is infiltrated with arrogance and condescension. The author uses derogatory labels such as "embryo republic", "wild west" and makes sarcastic remarks concerning the culture and the people, despite having little understanding of the language, culture and history.
It's astonishing that the author decided to publish this story.
I found this book shallow and distasteful.
The wine collection was never considered lost in the first place. So the book is about how the "merchant-scavengers" found out about the wine collection.
The whole story, reminiscent of Indiana Jones Holy Grail Adventure, is the story of looting, plotting with the corrupt officials and taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of the country recovering from the civil war. The tale of marauders with consciousness and ethics anaesthetised by alcohol.
The book is infiltrated with arrogance and condescension. The author uses derogatory labels such as "embryo republic", "wild west" and makes sarcastic remarks concerning the culture and the people, despite having little understanding of the language, culture and history.
It's astonishing that the author decided to publish this story.
I found this book shallow and distasteful.
August 31, 2020
What an enjoyable book! As someone who loves drinking wine but knows next to nothing about it I was definitely worried that I wouldn’t understand much of this book.
Turns out that the brilliant and light hearted writing makes it so easy to digest - a real page turner!
I love the way this is written, it is such an extraordinary story with such amazing history.
Turns out that the brilliant and light hearted writing makes it so easy to digest - a real page turner!
I love the way this is written, it is such an extraordinary story with such amazing history.
July 24, 2021
I felt very conflicted, reading this book. On the surface, it appeared fascinating - a unique opportunity for two wine aficionados to travel to a mysterious country and perhaps make their fortune.
The more I read, though, the more it appeared to be the story of two privileged westerners aiming to profit from the ignorance or misfortune of people in a country struggling to find its feet after the fall of the Soviet Union. If it was fiction, I might perhaps have enjoyed it more, but the morality of trying to dupe Georgians who were themselves trying to dupe even less fortunate Georgians made me sad.
I was also not a fan of the writing style, with what felt like increasing chunks of excessive dialogue that added very little. Overall, despite my long interest in both French wine and Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet history, I did not enjoy the story or the way it was told.
The more I read, though, the more it appeared to be the story of two privileged westerners aiming to profit from the ignorance or misfortune of people in a country struggling to find its feet after the fall of the Soviet Union. If it was fiction, I might perhaps have enjoyed it more, but the morality of trying to dupe Georgians who were themselves trying to dupe even less fortunate Georgians made me sad.
I was also not a fan of the writing style, with what felt like increasing chunks of excessive dialogue that added very little. Overall, despite my long interest in both French wine and Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet history, I did not enjoy the story or the way it was told.
December 29, 2020
Loved it! Used to live in Tbilisi, Georgia and now living in Sydney, Australia - I enjoyed the book that connects the two worlds together! You’ll also get to learn a bit about French and Georgian wines + some bits about history.
August 26, 2020
I couldn’t put this one down.
It’s set in Sydney, my backyard, so I could relate to the sense of place. The fun, the lifestyle - these guys John and Kevin were living the life back then. They clearly knew what they were doing in the wine industry; that bottle shop in Double Bay was pretty well known. So all this drew me in and I could picture them, no-nonsense Aussie blokes working hard at something they enjoyed and knew a lot about.
So I believed them when the main story came along. I couldn’t make out the list either. Then it all fell into place and the adventure was on. They are the experts and their jaws dropped when they realised what they were dealing with, so I got swept along with the excitement and lived it with them.
The breakouts about Russian/Georgian history were actually quite interesting. I didn’t know Stalin means Man of Steel and I’d never thought about generations of tzars importing French wines. But they always had the best so it’s obvious when you think about it.
It was fascinating learning a bit about wine. I’d never heard of Château Ychem and that’s the one they rave about. The prices are just mad - who would pay that for a bottle of wine? It’s another world.
So, quite a wide appeal I’d say. I’m getting a few copies for Fathers Day and I’ll remember it for Christmas for the difficult-to-buy-for men in my family. Highly recommend.
It’s set in Sydney, my backyard, so I could relate to the sense of place. The fun, the lifestyle - these guys John and Kevin were living the life back then. They clearly knew what they were doing in the wine industry; that bottle shop in Double Bay was pretty well known. So all this drew me in and I could picture them, no-nonsense Aussie blokes working hard at something they enjoyed and knew a lot about.
So I believed them when the main story came along. I couldn’t make out the list either. Then it all fell into place and the adventure was on. They are the experts and their jaws dropped when they realised what they were dealing with, so I got swept along with the excitement and lived it with them.
The breakouts about Russian/Georgian history were actually quite interesting. I didn’t know Stalin means Man of Steel and I’d never thought about generations of tzars importing French wines. But they always had the best so it’s obvious when you think about it.
It was fascinating learning a bit about wine. I’d never heard of Château Ychem and that’s the one they rave about. The prices are just mad - who would pay that for a bottle of wine? It’s another world.
So, quite a wide appeal I’d say. I’m getting a few copies for Fathers Day and I’ll remember it for Christmas for the difficult-to-buy-for men in my family. Highly recommend.
August 14, 2023
This was a rollicking good read that I raced through. Vintage wines, travel, adventure, intrigue and all true. You couldn’t make this stuff up!
August 11, 2021
Hard one to rate.
A couple of Australian entrepreneurs get the chance to identify a wine cellar located near Tibisli. Georgia has just gained independence and those who have or can are trying ways to get some foreign exchange.
While the book has been likened to an Indiana Jones adventure it really was a tale of what the well-to-do can do to make even more money. The Australians showed while they considered Georgia to be corrupt they or at least those they work for are worse.
A couple of Australian entrepreneurs get the chance to identify a wine cellar located near Tibisli. Georgia has just gained independence and those who have or can are trying ways to get some foreign exchange.
While the book has been likened to an Indiana Jones adventure it really was a tale of what the well-to-do can do to make even more money. The Australians showed while they considered Georgia to be corrupt they or at least those they work for are worse.
March 1, 2024
As another reader has remarked: “[This] is the story of looting, plotting with the corrupt officials and taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of the country recovering from the civil war. The book is infiltrated with arrogance and condescension.”
I was also increasing irritated by the writing style. Describing events of long ago as though you have perfect recollection of all that was said, of looks exchanged – in an attempt to make it all more “real” – is simply naive.
I was also increasing irritated by the writing style. Describing events of long ago as though you have perfect recollection of all that was said, of looks exchanged – in an attempt to make it all more “real” – is simply naive.
February 16, 2021
If you like books with any or all of the following - history, travel, deception, politics, lost treasure, secrecy, and of course wine but not necessarily essential, then you will love this. John Baker is a wine expert of, it would seem, some repute in his native Australia and elsewhere who also happens to be an excellent raconteur of his adventures in the underground wine world. Specialising mainly in top end, rare and antiquarian wines, when this book opens in the 1990s, he is the owner/operator of a wine shop in the wealthy area of Double Bay in Sydney. With his trusty side kick Kevin they make a great team in finding and investigating the provenance of wines, getting themselves into possibly shady business dealings with high flyers, with nothing more really than their gut feelings and extraordinary knowledge to keep their reputations and wallets intact.
One day John and Kevin find themselves sitting at the top of a Sydney high rise being told a crazy story about a wine cellar in Tbilisi, Georgia formerly part of the USSR, that used to belong to Josef Stalin. A very large part of these thousands and thousands of bottles apparently belonged to Tsar Nicholas II and dated as far back as the 1860s. All untouched since the 1950s at the very latest when Stalin died. This is like the Holy Grail of wine. Now the owners of the winery in Tbilisi want to sell the stash, and somehow John and Kevin have become the experts to do it. Do they want the job or not.? Is this a silly question or not?
What follows is truly outstanding. Not just in the facts of what happens over the next few years as the saga of the cellar slowly and tediously drags on, with the surprising twists in it, but in the way John Baker tells the story. Like a wide eyed child, he and Kevin have no idea what they are in for when they board that plane in Sydney airport whisking them to the other side of the world. To describe Tbilisi as the wild west is a hilarious understatement and the reader is just as mesmerised by it all as the Australians. We meet George - mysterious and unpredictable lead negotiator, a number of gun carrying hench men, or are they really something else? John and Kevin are captivated by the landscape of the city, the beautiful rundown old buildings, the spirit of the people. And of course the wine cellar - what a totally bewildering and mystical place that turns out to be, requiring our two heroes to draw on all their knowledge, gut instinct and subterfuge skills to find out what is really there.
This had me gripped from the first page, had me laughing and smiling at the antics of many of the players, plenty of photos to look at and enjoy. From Sydney to Russia, to London to France. It is a ride and a half, and I fully expect the highlight of the careers of these two characters.
One day John and Kevin find themselves sitting at the top of a Sydney high rise being told a crazy story about a wine cellar in Tbilisi, Georgia formerly part of the USSR, that used to belong to Josef Stalin. A very large part of these thousands and thousands of bottles apparently belonged to Tsar Nicholas II and dated as far back as the 1860s. All untouched since the 1950s at the very latest when Stalin died. This is like the Holy Grail of wine. Now the owners of the winery in Tbilisi want to sell the stash, and somehow John and Kevin have become the experts to do it. Do they want the job or not.? Is this a silly question or not?
What follows is truly outstanding. Not just in the facts of what happens over the next few years as the saga of the cellar slowly and tediously drags on, with the surprising twists in it, but in the way John Baker tells the story. Like a wide eyed child, he and Kevin have no idea what they are in for when they board that plane in Sydney airport whisking them to the other side of the world. To describe Tbilisi as the wild west is a hilarious understatement and the reader is just as mesmerised by it all as the Australians. We meet George - mysterious and unpredictable lead negotiator, a number of gun carrying hench men, or are they really something else? John and Kevin are captivated by the landscape of the city, the beautiful rundown old buildings, the spirit of the people. And of course the wine cellar - what a totally bewildering and mystical place that turns out to be, requiring our two heroes to draw on all their knowledge, gut instinct and subterfuge skills to find out what is really there.
This had me gripped from the first page, had me laughing and smiling at the antics of many of the players, plenty of photos to look at and enjoy. From Sydney to Russia, to London to France. It is a ride and a half, and I fully expect the highlight of the careers of these two characters.
October 31, 2020
Extremely well written and engaging. I love Georgia, Tbilisi is wonderful. So much value and cultural significance was stripped from former Soviet states following 1991 that the premise of this book troubled me - the wine should belong to the people! So I was surprised how much I enjoyed the story, and was happy with the ending. Any profit should be for the Georgian people (not naive enough to think that's where it will go, however).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2020
Nice story.
May 9, 2023
A crash course in wine history/appreciation! The pacing was great and the story was fun to read/quite accessible tone and choice of words considering the majority of the audience reading this wouldnt have the foggiest about wines. At the end of the day though, you cant get away from the fact that the "wild" story is still just "we found some musty old wines in a cellar". Not sure it warranted a whole book 🤣
May 10, 2023
Cracking story but put together a bit disjointedly, like it seems like there is going to be a bit of romance with Jane but then she just is never mentioned again at the end of the book - what happened with Jane and John? He also seemed pretty sanguine about the dirty deal Neville and Harry did with George after they got back from Georgia which I personally find odd. I did really enjoy the few descriptions of wine tasting which were dotted throughout the book and the story about the cork removal was gold.
One more interesting thing to me was that it was one of the Koch brothers who was the purchaser of the faked Jefferson wine.
One more interesting thing to me was that it was one of the Koch brothers who was the purchaser of the faked Jefferson wine.
December 7, 2022
OH MY GOODNESS. One of the worst books I’ve ever read. Waited the whole book for something happen but it never did. Like I’m sorry but that ending. Why did they write a book when nothing even happens. They didn’t ever get the wine. Why write a book on a failed mission. Why??? I do not want to hear about your failures. I don’t care.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2021
A story as interesting as this deserves to be better delivered. Most of the book was pretty good, with the occasional poor choice of words tainting the overall experience - it felt like it was written for a very young audience.
July 23, 2022
This book was lent to me by a lovely neighbour while I was in isolation with COVID!
Having been born in Sydney and lived most of my life there, the Sydney connection in the book held more intrigue and personal appeal and I found myself totally absorbed and working through the pages to find out exactly if it all were true and how events turned out.
Yes, I have read the criticisms within some other reviews and I agree it is unfortunate the circumstances surrounding the wine and discussions of trying to dupe others about the potential value of the cellar, are not to be idolised.
At the end of the day, however these wines were appropriated, the most logical conclusion is that they were stolen by Stalin (or Joseph Dzhugashvili) who stashed them away in Georgia for safekeeping. This is Stalin, a veritable monster who abused his second wife till she eventually killed herself and who was also responsible for the deaths of millions: a Georgian who was NOT a nice man! The wines in question and coveted were French and not national cultural items in the least - only the specific Georgian wines that were stored at the winery could be labeled that. The ‘wild west’ comments were meant to infer the lawlessness that had occurred in a country recently separated from Russian control, nothing inherently derogatory towards the Georgian people at all … in fact, the author had much praise on Tbilisi itself, the food, Georgian hospitality and so forth on many occasions throughout the book - I even found myself engaged with the food and ended up making the delicious Khachapuri (a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread). Try not to be overly sensitive and politically correct all the time, this is just a simply written though fascinating and true story and was not written to denigrate Georgian people or culture.
Overall, truly a remarkable story but particularly the Stalin connection and the depth and breadth of the collection. Having now finished, I yearned to know what really became of the cellar and where all the bottles are now - perhaps we will never know?
I’d give this a 4 out of 5.
Having been born in Sydney and lived most of my life there, the Sydney connection in the book held more intrigue and personal appeal and I found myself totally absorbed and working through the pages to find out exactly if it all were true and how events turned out.
Yes, I have read the criticisms within some other reviews and I agree it is unfortunate the circumstances surrounding the wine and discussions of trying to dupe others about the potential value of the cellar, are not to be idolised.
At the end of the day, however these wines were appropriated, the most logical conclusion is that they were stolen by Stalin (or Joseph Dzhugashvili) who stashed them away in Georgia for safekeeping. This is Stalin, a veritable monster who abused his second wife till she eventually killed herself and who was also responsible for the deaths of millions: a Georgian who was NOT a nice man! The wines in question and coveted were French and not national cultural items in the least - only the specific Georgian wines that were stored at the winery could be labeled that. The ‘wild west’ comments were meant to infer the lawlessness that had occurred in a country recently separated from Russian control, nothing inherently derogatory towards the Georgian people at all … in fact, the author had much praise on Tbilisi itself, the food, Georgian hospitality and so forth on many occasions throughout the book - I even found myself engaged with the food and ended up making the delicious Khachapuri (a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread). Try not to be overly sensitive and politically correct all the time, this is just a simply written though fascinating and true story and was not written to denigrate Georgian people or culture.
Overall, truly a remarkable story but particularly the Stalin connection and the depth and breadth of the collection. Having now finished, I yearned to know what really became of the cellar and where all the bottles are now - perhaps we will never know?
I’d give this a 4 out of 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2025
Quite the adventure, chasing something that’s just out of your grasp.
February 19, 2023
A great story told very well. I thoroughly enjoyed the book for its history and the wine. Worth a read even for those with limited wine knowledge.
October 21, 2021
What a wonderful read, quite the armchair adventure would highly recommend.
January 26, 2021
Definitely a 'boys own adventure' style book - in writing style and feeling. It's a great story, written well for the style of book they're going for. However as one of the other reviewers mentioned (who is Georgian) it does not paint the whole picture. These Aussie's didn't 'discover' the stash, it was known about. I was waiting to hear another side of the story, what really happened and a point of view from Georgia. However it never came. I understand that the story itself is from there side, and they don't know the full story, if it had, I would have given it a higher rating. I felt it was a little patronising at times to the Georgians - picturing them as naive and 'wild west' characters, glossing over the serious story that is behind it.
November 19, 2020
I first heard about this book at book club with my colleagues and the stumbled upon the author talking on the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler. The situation sounded so unique and unusual and my historical ear was pricked. My only regret was listening to the podcast for as long as I did as a lot of the plot line of the book was revealed, I’m glad I didn’t listen the whole way to the end!
Here are my thoughts as I read:
-I was surprisingly interested in the story even though I’m not a wine drinker. I’m learning so much industry, the history and how wine is valued and authenticated.
-I have a much deeper appreciate for wine as a living, breathing, organism that witnesses history.
-The process of valuing the wine and the risks that they could be fake are high! In particular, even though the wine might be genuine, no one knows what the wine is actually meant to taste like.
-The fragility of the bottle and the need to be so careful when handling the bottle was apparent. My jaw dropped every time one was broken. Especially when the bottle of Chateau D’Yquem was shattered in Paris.
-The importance of a cork and the how the volume can determine value even if the labels are removed.
-Getting so frustrated at the story line! Cannot believe John’s perseverance.
- Not sure how I would feel about tasting a substance that had been bottled up in an old wine cellar with no sure way of knowing what was in it or had happened to the wine within.
- Even after every set back I just felt like there was more coming, that there must be more to the story!
-So intrigued about the story behind the winery and what actually happened there.
-Relieved that we see Georgi again, but my feelings are bitter sweet. I honestly thought we would finally find out what happened to the wine! Devastated that we didn’t… But, I can also appreciate that in life we don’t always know the ending. It also makes sense that the book was written in the hope that someone else, somewhere in the world knows the answer and is willing to share it.
If you really enjoy a mystery or a detective story that is based on a real story I highly suggest you give this a read. I listened to the audio version so felt like I got the genuine pronunciations and accents.
Here are my thoughts as I read:
-I was surprisingly interested in the story even though I’m not a wine drinker. I’m learning so much industry, the history and how wine is valued and authenticated.
-I have a much deeper appreciate for wine as a living, breathing, organism that witnesses history.
-The process of valuing the wine and the risks that they could be fake are high! In particular, even though the wine might be genuine, no one knows what the wine is actually meant to taste like.
-The fragility of the bottle and the need to be so careful when handling the bottle was apparent. My jaw dropped every time one was broken. Especially when the bottle of Chateau D’Yquem was shattered in Paris.
-The importance of a cork and the how the volume can determine value even if the labels are removed.
-Getting so frustrated at the story line! Cannot believe John’s perseverance.
- Not sure how I would feel about tasting a substance that had been bottled up in an old wine cellar with no sure way of knowing what was in it or had happened to the wine within.
- Even after every set back I just felt like there was more coming, that there must be more to the story!
-So intrigued about the story behind the winery and what actually happened there.
-Relieved that we see Georgi again, but my feelings are bitter sweet. I honestly thought we would finally find out what happened to the wine! Devastated that we didn’t… But, I can also appreciate that in life we don’t always know the ending. It also makes sense that the book was written in the hope that someone else, somewhere in the world knows the answer and is willing to share it.
If you really enjoy a mystery or a detective story that is based on a real story I highly suggest you give this a read. I listened to the audio version so felt like I got the genuine pronunciations and accents.
May 19, 2023
Having bought this book during its rather extraordinary launch campaign where it was referenced right across the media, I delayed reading it until after a recent trip to Georgia including Stalin’s home town of Gori.
Frankly, this tale of two Sydney- based entrepreneurs, trying to secure a virtually priceless collection of Imperial and Soviet era wines, is not great. The story is interesting but better suited for a weekend newspaper. The book seems verbose, padded with two-decade old conversations and faxs and thus meanders through quite a few rather dull chapters. Inserted in between is high-school prose masquerading as definitive history which it is not. The book also does a disservice to Georgia and its people, suggesting it was and still is the Wild West. Considering it is has taken 20 years to publish this tale of a fruitless quest, the authors could have been a little less lazy and done the work to find out where the wine is today. Georgia is not a difficult place to visit or get to know and thus to research.
Frankly, this tale of two Sydney- based entrepreneurs, trying to secure a virtually priceless collection of Imperial and Soviet era wines, is not great. The story is interesting but better suited for a weekend newspaper. The book seems verbose, padded with two-decade old conversations and faxs and thus meanders through quite a few rather dull chapters. Inserted in between is high-school prose masquerading as definitive history which it is not. The book also does a disservice to Georgia and its people, suggesting it was and still is the Wild West. Considering it is has taken 20 years to publish this tale of a fruitless quest, the authors could have been a little less lazy and done the work to find out where the wine is today. Georgia is not a difficult place to visit or get to know and thus to research.
August 8, 2021
As a modern European history/politics wonk and a food & wine lover, this was the crossover I never knew I needed. I too want to eat khachapuri on the verdant Tbilisi hillsides and drink local wine from clay vessels after exploring secret cellars of priceless old bottles that *may* have belonged to Joseph Stalin and Tsar Nicholas II.
I appreciate that Baker engaged a professional writer to tell the story, as it included myriad characters who came in and out, each creating their own diversions and obstacles. Somewhat of a letdown to end without a resolution, though.
I appreciate that Baker engaged a professional writer to tell the story, as it included myriad characters who came in and out, each creating their own diversions and obstacles. Somewhat of a letdown to end without a resolution, though.
April 30, 2024
I had no great expectations of this book but I really enjoyed it. Set over a period of twenty years it’s a testament to the perseverance of two obsessed wine experts. As well as the adventure story the book has some interesting historical facts about some of the greatest vineyards of Europe.. if you’re interested in wine I definitely recommend this book.
September 24, 2020
I loved this. A real Indiana Jones adventure with exotic characters and locations told with wry humour. The story was also full of inspiration and appreciation for fabulous epicurean delights. I found myself craving different wines with every chapter.
March 9, 2021
Fascinating story. Not brilliantly written, yet still worth it. Also a great episode of ABC Conversations podcast
May 20, 2021
Stalin’s Wine Cellar has a jacket illustration of the Man of Steel himself, suggesting this book would be some kind of treatise or exploration of Stalin. In fact, the book is more of a boys’ own adventure tale of the retrieval of some historical artefacts which had potentially great kudos in the arcane world of wine collecting.
It’s easy to imagine John Baker retelling this colourful tale many times over, possibly with some little embellishments with each new iteration over a meal and a selection of suitably expensive and obscure wines. Baker is an Australian wine aficionado, so if you are OK with wine-soaked tales, you will probably find this story entertaining.
Baker paces his yarn fairly effectively up until the moment when John and business partner Kevin have to return to Australia. The accounts of the time in Georgia (Asia), with the bizarre gun toting locals, is the highlight of the book, and the author(s) does correctly apportion a significant amount of attention to this. There’s a bit of a matey/blokey dynamic between the two males which helps give some interest to the few short days in Georgia, as well as the unique personalities and ways of the locals. The accounts of the Georgian ways of having fun in the 1990s were very entertaining. The story really crackled at this time.
I found the second half of the book, dealing with the period after the two returned to Australia somewhat anti climatic, although still perfectly readable. I got the impression there was some heavy spadework carried out trying to keep the earlier cracking suspense alive. In this regard I could have done without the developing relationship between the author and ‘Jane.’ This might have been a try at redressing the book's predominant focus on men and their wines. However, I thought this traverse from being a rollicking wine yarn across to some kind of vaguely autobiographical tome, instead struck a somewhat odd note. I couldn’t have cared less whether Jane ‘measured up’ to Baker’s apparent high standards of obscure wine knowledge, which appeared to be his main concern about a romantic partner.
If you are able to live with Baker’s bottle snobbery, it’s a good yarn.
It’s easy to imagine John Baker retelling this colourful tale many times over, possibly with some little embellishments with each new iteration over a meal and a selection of suitably expensive and obscure wines. Baker is an Australian wine aficionado, so if you are OK with wine-soaked tales, you will probably find this story entertaining.
Baker paces his yarn fairly effectively up until the moment when John and business partner Kevin have to return to Australia. The accounts of the time in Georgia (Asia), with the bizarre gun toting locals, is the highlight of the book, and the author(s) does correctly apportion a significant amount of attention to this. There’s a bit of a matey/blokey dynamic between the two males which helps give some interest to the few short days in Georgia, as well as the unique personalities and ways of the locals. The accounts of the Georgian ways of having fun in the 1990s were very entertaining. The story really crackled at this time.
I found the second half of the book, dealing with the period after the two returned to Australia somewhat anti climatic, although still perfectly readable. I got the impression there was some heavy spadework carried out trying to keep the earlier cracking suspense alive. In this regard I could have done without the developing relationship between the author and ‘Jane.’ This might have been a try at redressing the book's predominant focus on men and their wines. However, I thought this traverse from being a rollicking wine yarn across to some kind of vaguely autobiographical tome, instead struck a somewhat odd note. I couldn’t have cared less whether Jane ‘measured up’ to Baker’s apparent high standards of obscure wine knowledge, which appeared to be his main concern about a romantic partner.
If you are able to live with Baker’s bottle snobbery, it’s a good yarn.
August 29, 2020
Disclaimer: I know John and I have heard parts of this story for over a decade now.
I just finished the book and I really liked it! It reminded me of the page turner aspects of something like the Da Vinci code (which no matter what anyone says, everyone would have loved to write!!!) and John came across like a wine version of Dirk Pitt (another long running series of books that while light are very readable)
I suspect I had an experience of reading it that no-one else will have both recognising John in every page, and being able to message him with questions throughout! In that sense it was like no book I have ever read.
I found the legal aspects and business talk interesting but, in my past life as a lawyer, I actually did a couple of mergers and acquisitions—some doomed to fail by shady characters I kept comparing to the Georgian cast in the book— so I reminisced about those days and didn’t find it too much.
I so wish they had left with the three 1847 Yquems! In hindsight that may have been the best possible outcome as the ending and time passed left me with little doubt that those bottles, or the most valuable ones are gone or too dangerous to get close to. I also hope there is a white Grange sequel! John could very well become the Indiana Jones/Anthony Bourdain of strange fine wine.
I was certainly left wanting more John Baker stories.
I just finished the book and I really liked it! It reminded me of the page turner aspects of something like the Da Vinci code (which no matter what anyone says, everyone would have loved to write!!!) and John came across like a wine version of Dirk Pitt (another long running series of books that while light are very readable)
I suspect I had an experience of reading it that no-one else will have both recognising John in every page, and being able to message him with questions throughout! In that sense it was like no book I have ever read.
I found the legal aspects and business talk interesting but, in my past life as a lawyer, I actually did a couple of mergers and acquisitions—some doomed to fail by shady characters I kept comparing to the Georgian cast in the book— so I reminisced about those days and didn’t find it too much.
I so wish they had left with the three 1847 Yquems! In hindsight that may have been the best possible outcome as the ending and time passed left me with little doubt that those bottles, or the most valuable ones are gone or too dangerous to get close to. I also hope there is a white Grange sequel! John could very well become the Indiana Jones/Anthony Bourdain of strange fine wine.
I was certainly left wanting more John Baker stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2023
I was told about this book by a very close friend who gave it a strong recomendation. It is an exciting adventure story with a background of the most famous wines in the world and it turns out in many respects that its true. It certainly makes the life of the owner of a local Sydney wine store much more exciting than I had ever imagined. The plot is that the wines from the cellar of Stalin and the last Tsars are hidden in the cellars of a rundown Georgian winery and it is the role of our intrepid Australian wine store heros to find and liberate these amazing 100 year old classic wines and return them to the world via a major world auction house, also earning our intrepid hero a seven figure profit in the process. There are lots of twists and turns with double-crossing partners and suspect Georgian 'business-men' to add to the excitement. To me, as someone who is interested in wine, there is a lot of great background in the book, particularly on the great classic wines of Bordeaux. Reflecting on the content, there is one thing I regret and that is that I have never cracked it for an invite to one of John Baker's wine nights. I recommend that you read this book in the late afternoon with a good glass of red within reach.
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