AT POUPON'S TABLE

This audiobook takes the listener to Provence, Alsace, and Corsica. Narrator Adam Barr portrays the characters convincingly and is quite facile with French accents, but maddeningly, he continually mispronounces Barolo. Lynch, the famed wine importer, shares his knowledge and tastes. The novel's protagonist, Kendrick Thomas, a wine merchant like the author, resides in Provence. Henri Poupon, his best friend, is a larger-than-life French winemaker whose romantic excursions contribute to the plot (which otherwise seems to serve the author's goal to educate about wine). The text suffers from the male gaze--all the women are objectified. But the work is worthwhile for its insights into the demimonde of wine making and marketing. A masterclass in French wine and cooking. [Published: JANUARY 2026]