The Wine Merchant
32 episodes
Web <link> from RSS feed:
https://thewinemerchant.alitu.com
Database link:
https://thewinemerchant.alitu.com
RSS Feed:
https://feeds.alitu.com/85275221
Creator: Claire Julliot
Solo Crime and Mystery Serial Audio Book
Synopsis:
This is a complete novel! Start with #1 and continue in numerical order. Time travel in the footsteps of the Widow Cliquot with Claire Julliot as she chronicles French village life through periods of Love, War, and Champagne. Follow Claire as she falls in love, becomes a wine buyer and then owner of an unassuming village wine shop - and front for an investigative agency simply named The Wine Merchant. Turn Claire’s diary pages to the present where Claire and her team of 'fixers' respond to their clients’ desperate pleas for help. This unlikely team discretely unwinds layers of mystery to reveal thieves and counterfeits. In so doing, they simultaneously protect the makers and especially the heritage of the region. But there's more - Return with Claire to the vineyards of Sonoma where the aunts will always be waiting at the BeeKeeper’s Cottage. Everyone understands that none of this could happen without the help of aunts – the original fixers in our lives -those people who step in to help. Some are known to us while others are not. The Wine Merchant is like an aunt - always there and ready to help without the need for recognition.
Format: Audio Book
Continuity: Serial
Writing: Scripted
Voices: Solo
Narrator: First Person
Genres: Crime and Mystery
Soundscape: Voices only
Completion status: Finished
Not tagged: [Maturity] [Creator demographics] [Character demographics] [Country of origin] [Transcript] [Content warnings]
Click here to update these tags.
Episodes:
Thu, 04 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Awakened by a call in the middle of the night, Claire runs to help without asking questions. Her sidekick Brigitte is desperate for Claire to personally witness suspicious activity at the Andoux vineyard bottling facility. Her true mission? Convince Claire to help solve this mystery as part of a related and ongoing investigation. Claire's company is called The Wine Merchant - an unassuming wine shop tucked away in a French village whose real business is discretely fixing the type of problems associated with luxury goods and counterfeits. When you have no options and cannot call the police, the Wine Merchant can help. The Wine Merchant's other mission? Protect the reputations of the makers and the regions where the products are made - it's always about the terroir.
Fri, 05 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire needed a summer internship to satisfy her degree program. Eventually, she turned to her aunt who gave her an idea. Claire found the confidence to believe in her dreams and make them happen on a vineyard in France. When she couldn't find a career path, she built her own in Champagne - with the help of an aunt.
#3 The Diary Legacy of a French Village
Sat, 06 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire's aunt Laurente checks in on Claire at the Greno vineyard and introduces her to the value of diaries - for those who write in them and for those who discover them decades and centuries later.
Claire takes you right into her life at the Greno family house and vineyard through her vivid descriptions of the place and the people who inspire her there - her 'other' family. She discovers the value of connections from the village Saturday market to Em the spaniel and her new friend Brigitte.
#4 The End of The Beginning Part
Sun, 07 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
After a melancholy ending to her first summer internship, Claire returns for a second summer and then a third. This summer was different because she wasn't eager to leave, Claire wanted to stay for the harvest. Laurente invites her to their annual harvest celebration and Claire announces her decision to take a semester off and return to the States for her final semester and graduation. She learns that her mother Barret trusts her; they've entered a new era in their relationship.
#5 Out in The Vineyard Awaiting Harvest
Sun, 07 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Immersed in the beauty of the season with the ever-present threat of hailstones Claire works in the Greno vineyard alongside Michel.
Claire attends Laurente's Harvest Celebration before the harvest - Madame A. Huron gives her the key to the village and makes Claire an honorary citizen for life. Claire returns to the States, finishes her degree, meets Laurente at their cafe, and then heads out west to her mother's new home in Sonoma.
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Recognizing that her best job prospects would be in the States, Claire heads to her mother's cottage - the BeeKeeper's Cottage in Sonoma. She settles into vineyard life with her mother, Natalie the owner, and Tim. They all get to know one another and their histories - including Manuel, Natalie's grandfather and inspiration. More interested in the vineyard than job hunting Claire avoids the inevitable until she receives the ideal job offer as a buyer of French wine.
Tue, 09 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Three years into her tenure as a buyer, Claire tries to leave for France - it's harvest season and Laurente's Celebration is the one event she will never miss. Even though she's delayed Claire returns to a hero's welcome in Reims. The welcoming lunch is Claire's "Maiden Speech" for the group gathered. Madam Huron steps in to help and shares her secret with Claire.
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 14:30:00 GMT
Claire resigns to pursue another dream but not before returning to the BeeKeeper's Cottage and the advice of her mother, aunt, and friends. Every sensory pleasure is available there along with the calm of the porch - not to mention the company.
#9 It Was All Local Until It Wasn't
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
As Tim takes the first steps for the barn renovation, Claire bears witness to a life-changing event at Natalie's vineyard. It took a team with amazing skill sets to figure things out - to 'fix' the issue. Claire confirms her aunt's involvement with the seat reassignments.
#10 Unprecedented; The New Normal
Thu, 11 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Together this team of friends was trapped in a paradise by the pandemic. Andre is invited to stay longer - to help with everything from the barn renovation to the harvest. This was a fine-tuned team of people who could fix almost anything. And then everything changed and Claire thought she was alone with her future but Barret stepped in like an aunt - with advice.
#11 Out From Under a Cloud of Dust
Fri, 12 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire's closest friend Grace arrives with Sidonie, like the others, they too are fixers of a sort. Grace has a plan to help Claire - after they catch up. But first, they have to finagle the trailer into place.
Sat, 13 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Grace and Sidonie come up with a new proposal for Claire's business plan. But first Barret and Laurente had to approve the idea. The new business will address the frauds and counterfeits that plague the makers and their fine products not to mention the regions that produce them.
Sun, 14 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
How the Wine Merchant came into being. A wine expert who detects fraud and sees the future. Grace and Sidonie find a way to draft Claire into the fixing world - alongside Barret and Laurente.
Mon, 15 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire opens a wine shop in a French village near the Greno vineyard. It's a place for makers and farmers to gather and talk. Meanwhile, the oversight committee has grown corrupt and they are no longer trusted. Laurente is the sole trusted authority that they can turn to.
Claire has a few security systems but none better than Remi - her Irish wolfhound who stands guard by the shop entrance. Remi allows a visitor up to Claire's office and she is thrilled because it's Andre.
Tue, 16 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Andre tells Claire the story of his family, the vineyard, and his missing wine. He turns to Claire for help. He wants to protect more than his wine - it's about reputation; the makers and the precious terroir. With Brigitte by her side, Claire tells Andre that there is more to the Wine Merchant than a shop. Remi agrees.
Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire tells Andre about some of the details of their 'other' work at the Wine Merchant - the fixing. If and only if he promises to not ask questions.
Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire awakens to reality after reliving the last ten years from her Champagne Internships up until last night when she met Brigitte in the woods by Analise's cottage.
Fri, 19 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
While helping Andre off the books of the Wine Merchant - they receive a new cellar file for Laurente's closest friend and mentor Elle St Denis DeLaVigne the grande dame of wine. She has been accused of cheating and counterfeiting wine. She needs a fixer.
Sat, 20 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
The investigation for the DLV file takes Barret to Hong Kong where she finds a few clues about the counterfeit wine - Andre's stolen wine is used to counterfeit DLV's
Sun, 21 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Analise has devised a plan to catch the thieves and capture the counterfeit wine
#21 This Is It . . . It's Time
Mon, 22 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
The general - Analise Huron - runs the caper from her cottage. Everyone has a role and it all works perfectly. The diver and the production manager give up all the details of their involvement and that of Andre's cousin.
#22 Changes Afoot, The after Part
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Exhausted, the team takes a break that doesn't last long
Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:30:00 GMT
Claire takes a beat and returns to her other home in France - the Greno vineyard. Once again by Michel's side among the vines, they revisit old memories and discover something extremely important.
24. Decoding the Village Diaries: My Wish Became Reality
Tue, 30 Jul 2024 19:29:29 GMT
In this episode, Claire receives an unexpected call from Laurent and Elle, asking her to decode a collection of wartime diaries that might hold the key to an important mystery. As Claire and her dedicated Wine Merchant team, including Anneliese and Brigitte, dive into reading and analyzing the old diaries, they uncover clues about the village's history, the efforts to save its vineyards, and deeply personal stories from the writers. Their mission is to piece together these fragmented histories to support Michel Grenault and preserve the essence of their village’s past.
Tue, 30 Jul 2024 22:11:11 GMT
With help from Analise, Claire rediscovers a vivid documentation of life in the limestone caves of Champagne during wartime, as captured by a young Frenchwoman in her diary. Hiding from German forces, she details the arrival of American soldiers and the gift of much-needed supplies, including ink and paper. The diary becomes her solace and a means to cope with daily struggles. Her writings offer an intimate look at the resilience and spirit of the villagers, particularly the dynamic between her and her grandmother as they navigate their altered roles and responsibilities.
Sun, 04 Aug 2024 00:31:23 GMT
With Claire by her side, Analise shares her most painful memories of the war years and the burden she still carries. Claire now has an additional problem to solve as they close in the legend of the vines - the original French vines - LA Reine.
Sun, 04 Aug 2024 20:10:43 GMT
Grace and Claire break a promise to search for a clue, hint, or lead that might bring them closer to understanding the legend of the original vines.
Sun, 04 Aug 2024 20:13:52 GMT
The issue of the corrupt Farmer's Committee complicates matters. However, the Wine Merchant's team of fixers has some ideas.
Mon, 05 Aug 2024 21:45:06 GMT
Grace and Sidonie are the champions of the hour as they lay out their plan for La Reine - the original French vine.
Mon, 05 Aug 2024 23:41:03 GMT
In Episode 31, The Wine Merchant team discusses their strategy to secure the preservation of La Reine vines. As a part of this, they plan to convince the governing Committee about the heritage value of the vines. The episode is filled with intense discussions and unexpected turn of events.
Tue, 06 Aug 2024 20:55:41 GMT
Grace and Sidonie trade the comfort of Sonoma for Hautvillers with Natalie and Tim in supporting roles. Elle DeLaVigne puts her organic co-op plan on hold.