ChardonNOIR – Episode 2: Sour Grapes
Detective Burns wanted to seal the crime scene. Claire wanted to taste the evidence.
“Step away from the barrel,” he said.
She didn’t.
Because the wine wasn’t just poisoned—it was wrong. The wrong vintage. The wrong blend. Someone had switched the barrels.
“This chardonnay isn’t from our vineyard,” Claire said, pulling out her phone. “Check the lot number.”
Burns leaned in. “How do you know?”
“Because I know every barrel in this cellar. And this one? It’s from Merlot Ridge.” She looked up. “Rex’s winery.”
Across the room, Rex went pale. “That’s insane. Why would I—”
“Because you’re bankrupt,” Beatrice interrupted, voice dripping with false sympathy. “Everyone knows your vineyard’s been bleeding money for months. Desperate men do desperate things.”
Rex’s jaw tightened. “You’re one to talk. Your husband just filed for divorce. Wonder what he found out about you.”
The room crackled with tension.
Burns stepped between them. “Everyone stays put until we get statements.”
But Claire wasn’t listening. She was staring at the victim’s wine-stained hand.
There was something clutched in his fist. A label. Torn. Half-destroyed.
She could just make out two words: Reserve Selection.
Her blood ran cold.
Because that label? It was from a bottle that shouldn’t exist.
Episode 1: https://wineanddrama.com/chardonnoir-episode-1-death-by-chardonnay/
Episode 3: https://wineanddrama.com/chardonnoir-episode-3-tainted-notes/
Episode 4: https://wineanddrama.com/chardonnoir-episode-4-bitter-finish/
