If Hank Moody (Californication) took a Sideways style existential journey through wine country, this might be what it looked like. The protagonist, Bruno Tannenbaum, of David Baker’s debut novel, Vintage, is a drunken, debaucherous, separated, has-been, with writer’s block. It’s not that he doesn’t have talent or redeeming qualities, but being a failure seems to have taken front and center for Bruno.
Brought to the brink, Bruno gambles everything on a far fetched quest for a lost war vintage in hopes of restoring his career and marriage. His journey across Europe showcases his romantic and hedonistic approach to wine and food and life, which is set in contrast to his writer rival, who writes bestselling guides based on scoring wines.
Dessert isn’t a course. It’s the end of a process. It’s been unfairly caged as an excess, as gluttony topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. But it needn’t be. Its role is to merely complete the cycle, and to bring harmony and closure to the orbit of the life of a meal.”
– Bruno Tannenbaum
You probably don’t have as much faith in the transformative power of the perfectly paired food and wine experience as Bruno does, but the perspective does merit consideration. Food and wine not just as commodities, but nourishment for life, is a perspective with the power to add value to all three.
About the Author
David Baker has spent time working in commercial vineyards and making passable pinot noir in his garage. He holds an MFA from Columbia College, Chicago and currently lives in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. www.301media.com
Vintage
David Baker
Touchstone, 2015
ISBN 9781501112515
Upcoming Events for Vintage
Thursday, Oct 8, 7pm
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Boulevard
Corte Madera, CA 94915
Friday, Oct 9, 7pm
Copperfield’s Calistoga
1330 Lincoln Avenue
Calistoga, CA 94515
By Kim Johannsen
