Noble Rot: A Case of Sour Grapes

France has dominated the wine industry for centuries, but the bouquet is fading.

The small, old-world, family-owned vineyards in France are struggling to survive, pressed by the sophisticated know-how and slick marketing techniques of their huge, new-world competitors. Many of these competitors have larger estates, bigger budgets, and products that are winning gold medals and international press.

Count Pierre de Beaufremont has inherited an ancient and distinguished family vineyard, Château Cluny, in Burgundy. He is jealous of his largest American competitor, who doesn't respect the long-cherished traditions of the old world but enjoys international acclaim. Resenting his competitor's success and envying it, he orchestrates a devastating blow.

The count hires a professional saboteur to strike a blow at his competition that will ruin their reputation, cost them millions in lost revenues, and alarm the entire California wine industry.

A private investigator finds himself embroiled in murder and mayhem in a race against the clock to expose the count's plot before the cork is out of the bottle and a global industry is seriously disrupted.

Your next glass may be your last gasp.

Educated in Britain and France, Roger W. W. Baker is a veteran, award-winning business communicator. He began his career as a reporter with the London Financial Times before working with global multinational corporations in London, Paris, and New York. During this time, he became savvy with global branding strategies and aware of forces that attempt to extort them. He has been the editor of a dozen corporate magazines and newspapers in Europe and the U.S., and the author of many celebrity interviews and feature articles on travel and the arts. He is a recipient of the prestigious Gold Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Baker now lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife and two rescued cats. He enjoys international travel, tennis, reading, and charity work. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Florida Writers Association, and the Gulf Coast Writers Association.