Augustus Poole, the most influential food and wine critic in the country, is also the most intensely loathed. He insists someone wants him dead. Still, he's been selected to receive a special award and is the keynote speaker at an elite epicurean banquet. Ex-AFT agent turned vintner Jack Donne has been coerced by fellow foodies to be Poole's bodyguard. Unfortunately the dead man isn't Poole, but rather the banquet's chef, who opened and imbibed the rare bottle of wine that had been a gift to Poole.