The Truth is in the Wine: A Novel (Zane Presents) by Bunn Curtis

Author:Bunn, Curtis [Bunn, Curtis]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: STREBOR BOOKS
Published: 2013-10-08T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Peace can be fleeting, especially among a group of strong-minded people who have strong opinions and are strong debaters whose senses have been heightened by an overconsumption of wine.

And so it was with Paul, Brenda, Madeline and Ginger. They took their lunch love fest to Beringer Winery, where they were impressed with the mere mass of the facility and the quality of the wines. Paul had looked down on Beringer because it was a “common folk” wine, available in grocery stores.

He was delighted to learn it had excellent, high-quality wines far out of grocery store price points. They sipped on the 2009 Modern Heritage Chardonnay Carneros, the 2010 Modern Heritage Riesling and 2010 Modern Heritage 3 Acre Red Knights Valley.

They then went on to three more wines from the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons 1996, 2003 and 2006. After tasting a half-dozen wines, the ladies were good and tipsy. Paul felt the effects, too, but he was more himself than the others.

“How we going to another tasting?” Brenda said. “I don’t think I can drink anything else right now.”

“As much as I’d like to have some more, maybe we should sit down for a while,” Madeline said. “After last night, I definitely don’t want to push it.”

Paul was a little disappointed; he was ready to move on to the next spot, St. Supery Winery. He had a glass of its 2009 Chardonnay at The Lamb’s Club during a bus trip to New York the previous summer and loved it so much he tracked it down on winenthusiast.com and located it at Savi market in Atlanta.

He told the ladies they could remain in the tasting room as he went to the Beringer store to order a case to have shipped home. Ginger said, “I want to go.” She approached Paul, who whispered to her: “They’re buzzing right now. We might not want to leave them alone.”

Ginger agreed and went back to sit with the parents. Paul made his way and ordered a case of a combination of the Beringer Reserve wines that totaled more than twelve hundred dollars. That’s why he did not want Ginger with him in the wine store—she would have serious questions and demanded answers about him ordering wine that expensive.

He shopped around the expansive store, looking at wine accessories and finally decided he would rejoin the ladies and take them into downtown Napa to shop and see the landscape. But as he approached, he saw expressions on their faces that were not pleasant.

Paul picked up his pace. “How’s it going?” he said in a cheerful way when he arrived at the table. But no one else was cheery. “What’s going on?”

“We’re fine,” Ginger said, but they weren’t.

“What’s going on?” Paul asked again.

“Helena,” Ginger said.

“What? What about her?” Paul asked with concern in his voice.

“Your daughter is fine,” Brenda said. “But we were arguing—no, discussing—whether you should tell her that she is adopted.”

Paul sat down. That was a major point of contention between him and Ginger.

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