Stalin's Wine Cellar

“Stalin’s Wine Cellar is a pretty ripping read with a swaggering narrative voice.” –Kitchen Arts & Letters bookstore, New York

“James Bond was famously au fait with the finest vintages, and it’s not hard to imagine him front and centre in this twisting, true tale of vinous espionage that brings more than a splash of Fleming or Forsythe to the wine-book realm… a tale heady with fear, frustration, envy, exasperation and, at one point on the streets of Paris, disaster.”–The Australian

“A cracking account … If only more wine books were as much fun as this one.” –Sunday Age

“A very colourful and fast-paced journey into wine history.” –Daily Telegraph

“A wild, boys-own adventure… It’s quite the ripping yarn.” –Herald Sun

“It’s a bit of a thriller, a tale of layered intrigue, a journey through history and an intriguing insight into the verifying of label-less bottles of apparently priceless wine.” –The Age/Sydney Morning Herald

“I loved Stalin’s Wine Cellar, a ripping romp about Sydney wine aficionado John Baker’s adventures in trying to acquire a priceless collection of booze in post-Soviet Georgia.” –Canberra Times

“The words “wine book” and “ripping yarn” aren’t normally seen in the same sentence, but Stalin’s Wine Cellar is just that.” –Good Food

“A wild, sometimes rough, ride in the glam world of high-end wine.” –Better Homes & Gardens

“The ultimate wine-meets-history tale … Read paired with a glass of your favourite wine.” –Gourmet Traveller

“A seriously rollicking read.” –GQ

John Baker (Author)

John Baker was a hotelier and rock ‘n’ roll promoter in the eighties era of Midnight Oil, INXS and Cold Chisel. He became a wine merchant creating a number of fine wine stores, including Quaffers Double Bay Cellars and the Newport Bottler, as well as the importing business Bordeaux Shippers. He likes wine from anywhere (as long as it’s very good) and is now more involved with a mixture of projects including the business of olive oil, as he says it’s good for his health and less punishing the next day.

Nick Place (Author)

Nick Place is the author of five published novels and several non-fiction books, as well as comedy and screenwriting, occasional poetry and even an original stage pantomime. He has also enjoyed a long and diverse journalistic career across all media, mostly covering sport. He lives in Melbourne, where he is an enthusiastic supporter of the single malt whisky, wine and coffee industries.