Corkscrew - Peter Stafford-Bow

Finalist in the People's Book Prize 2018

Felix Hart, a tragic orphan, is expelled from school, cast onto the British high street, and forced to make his way in the cut-throat world of wine retailing. Thanks to a positive mental attitude, he is soon forging a promising career, his sensual adventures taking him to the vineyards of Italy, South Africa, Bulgaria and Kent. His path to the summit is littered with obstacles, however. Petty office politics, psychotic managers and the British Board of Wine ' Liquor prove challenging enough. But when Felix negotiates the world's biggest Asti Spumante deal, he bites off more than he can chew and is plunged into a terrifying world of Mafiosi, people smuggling and ruthless multinationals.

Part thriller, part self-help manual and part drinking companion, Corkscrew is a coruscating critique of neo-liberal capitalism, religious intolerance and the perils of blind tasting.

"An astonishing debut. Bed-wettingly funny."
- The Little Chalfont Gazette

"Not suitable for young adults. Or most old ones, frankly."
- Buckinghamshire Bookworm Monthly

"A wholly inappropriate gift for any wine lover."
- American Goblet Magazine