For some light “wine centric reading”, Root Cause, A Novel by Steven Laine, is an engaging who-dun-it globe-trotting mystery with a twist.
The plot is fast-moving, sprinkled with historical wine antidotes and international intrigue. Flying winemaker Corvina Guerra discovers her own family’s vineyard in Tuscany is infected with Phylloxera, a deadly plant louse which feeds on the grape roots.
Corvina fears that other vineyards around the world may also be threatened with devastation so she sets out to find the “root cause”. In her travels, she meets wine blogger Bryan Lawless who joins her in a zany world-wide search for the perpetrator.
Author Laine, a WSET Diploma Candidate himself, creatively peppers the pages with intense descriptive wine tasting notes and captivates the reader at every turn of the page. Pour a glass of wine and let the wine capers begin… www.stevenlaine.com