Stalin's Wine Cellar
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Stalin's Wine Cellar
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Narrated by:
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Simon Burke
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By:
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John Baker
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Nick Place
About this listen
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 Chateau 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.
What listeners say about Stalin's Wine Cellar
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- peter
- 19-10-2021
Vintage
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-07-2024
This was an interesting, well written story, with great voice acting.
I really enjoyed this audio book. it's not what I would usually listen to being a fan of fantasy novels.
For me, this is one of those novels that I thoroughly enjoyed for a change of pace. it was well written, nothing too complicated, and I never knew which h way it was going to go.
I think the fact that it's a telling of a true story made the final outcome unpredictable, because there was no end goal for the writer as far as the story's ending. He was just writing what actually happened.
Overall, thouroughly enjoyable, compelling story with a fantastic performance in my opinion from the narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-08-2021
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-08-2022
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-08-2022
optional
The narrator was great. .I loved the story and would recommend this book for a good read!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Robson
- 17-11-2020
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kyle Bosworth
- 17-04-2021
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rafael A. Nazario
- 05-06-2021
A rich yarn, one to savour.
This book is a cracker. Superbly narrated (as it is well written). DOES A VERY NICE JOB OF BREAKING DOWN SOME OF THE MORE TECHNICAL DETAILS FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE ACQUAINTED WITH THE WORLD OF FINE WINE. IN THAT REGARD, IT'S A BOOK THAT CAN BE ENJOYED BY EVERYONE, REGARDLESS WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAPPEN TO BE WINE LOVERS.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-06-2024
The best narration!
The narration of this story is what made it for me. The changing accents, his deep melodic voice it was an eargasim. The history was interesting, some I knew other bits about Georgia I didn’t. The ending frustrated me but this is a true story and I guess I have to remember that real life doesn’t always wrap everything up in a bow. It is worth a listen, I am a fantasy gal and a classics lover so this was out of my wheelhouse but I am glad I read it. You will be too.
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