Top wine critic and author, Monty Waldin, has decided to put his money where his opinionated mouth is and pack it all in to make wine biodynamically in rural France. He has just over a year to turn 4 hectares into top selling organic wine. Renovating an old cabin on his vineyard so he can babysit his vines 24/7, his only company will be his donkey and occasionally his high maintenance girlfriend Silvana when she jets in from Italy. Regarded by peers as a bit loopy because of his views about Biodynamics, and even as the enfant terrible of the wine world (he’s upset the establishment for his harsh criticisms of the wine industry), Monty’s nonetheless forged a successful career and written several award-winning books ... But now he’s abandoning life behind the laptop for a new one making his own wine in the French Pyrenees. For a sneak preview of Chateau Monty go to Channel4.com.

When Matthew Sykes, scion of an old port-shipping family, extends an invitation to wine writer Ezra Brant to attend his quinta's bicentennial celebration in Oporto, Ezra is delighted to accept. An all-expenses-paid trip to sunny Portugal is just what he needs, and the visit will dovetail nicely with his research for a book on the history of port wine. But when Ezra arrives, he finds his friend Sykes has more on his mind than the anniversary fête. A series of strange and sinister incidents around the Quinta San Pedro point to a deliberate attempt to derail the big party. When murder becomes part of the picture, Ezra becomes more determined than ever to find out what really lies behind the events.

For wine writer Ezra Brant, the trip to the picturesque Piedmontese village of Barbaresco to help judge the annual wine competition was supposed to be a restful interlude -- despite all the talk of a serial killer the locals have dubbed "the Beast". But when a fellow wine writer disappears without a trace, Ezra has no choice but to investigate. Could his colleague have become the latest victim of the Beast? Or does his disappearance have to do with a story he had been pursuing? Ezra puts his wine knowledge to work in finding the truth, in spite of all the obstacles set before him ... including a charming Irish redhead

A unique carto-guide concept offering an illustrated double-sided, fold-out map and guidebook.