‘The enthusiasm people have for both wine and crime makes me feel like this genre I created may actually have legs,’ says Olly Smith, special guest on Episode 271 on The Drinking Hour. The wine expert and TV personality best known for pouring his selections on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen has just released his debut novel, Death by Noir, a wine-inspired crime fiction set in East Sussex. The story, the first in a series, follows eccentric wine shop owner Barclay Flint, who sets out to solve the mystery disappearance of his winemaking friend. Fiction may sound like a departure for Smith, but he tells podcast host David Kermode about how he first made his name as a scriptwriter for children’s TV.
The pair discuss how Smith weaves some of his favourite bottles into the book, how English wine forms the backdrop for the action, and how he leaned on the world’s leading winemakers for his research. The conversation moves from Slow Horses and the small screen to Bonfire Night and Breaky Bottom – exactly what you’d expect from a chat with the acclaimed raconteur and bon viveur.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here.
