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Stalin's Wine Cellar

By: John Baker, Nick Place
Narrated by: Simon Burke
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Publisher's Summary

In the late 1990s, John Baker was known as a purveyor of quality rare and old wines. Always entrepreneurial and up for adventure, he was the perfect person for an occasional business partner to approach with a mysterious wine list that was foreign to anything John, or his second-in-command, Kevin Hopko, had ever come across.

The list was discovered to be a comprehensive catalogue of the wine collection of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. The wine had become the property of the state after the Russian Revolution of 1918, during which Nicholas and his entire family were executed. 

Now owned by Stalin, the wine was discreetly removed to a remote Georgian winery when Stalin was concerned the advancing Nazi army might overrun Russia and inevitably loot artefacts and treasures. Half a century later, the wine was rumoured to be hidden underground and off any known map.

John and Kevin embarked on an audacious, colourful and potentially dangerous journey to Georgia to discover if the wines actually existed; if the bottles were authentic and whether the entire collection could be bought and transported to a major London auction house for sale.

Stalin's Wine Cellar is a wild, sometimes rough ride in the glamorous world of high-end wine. From Double Bay, Sydney, to Tbilisi, Georgia, via the streets of Paris, the vineyards of Bordeaux and iconic Château d'Yquem. A multimillion-dollar cellar and a breathtaking collection of wine (and one very expensive broken bottle) is the elusive treasure. The cast of characters include Stalin, Hitler, Tsar Nicholas II and a motley bunch of Georgian businessmen/cowboys toting handguns, in the early days of Russian business development that led to the world of Putin and oligarchs.

©2020 John Baker (P)2020 Penguin Random House Australia
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Stalin's Wine Cellar

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Cracking good read particularly loved the description of Bordeaux region. If you enjoy wine it will put a smile on my face.

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What an adventure!!

Great narration for a fascinating story. For someone who knows nothing about wine but is fascinated about Russian history it was a great listen!

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Fascinating

They were Crazy to get involved in such an adventure … but what an interesting story!

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Fascinating story

A really enjoyable story. Simon Burke is one of the better narrators I’ve listened to.

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Cracker

Fantastic adventure. Loved every minute. Canadians are extremely corny. But mean well.
Recommend this book. Eastern Europeans also hit different

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Enjoyed everything about this book

Not my regular genre, did it for bookclub and grateful that I did! Cracking story with many highs and lows. The interplay of history, adventure, wine expertise and international friendships made this book great to listen to. Beautifully narrated.

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The narrator was great. .I loved the story and would recommend this book for a good read!

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Great book - from a recommendation

I saw a tweet about someone else reading this book and thought it might be interesting to I started listening to it on Monday, it is now Tuesday evening and I've finished the book. A great adventure and a great story. Simon does well to narrate the story. One question however remains unanswered but I won't spoil it for you.

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2 people found this helpful

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An amazing yarn!!

This is such an amazing book. I couldn't stop listening to it. It is Absolutely Fantastic!!

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1 person found this helpful

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  • Ken
  • 03-06-2021

A Brilliant Tale

What a fantastic book. The combination of an intriguing story, well written and beautifully narrated. I am so pleased a friend recommended it to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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