Wine People

A Time Magazine “25 New Books You Need to Read This Summer”

“A riveting, behind-the-scenes portrait of a high-drama industry, from the chateau to the corner office…pour a glass and dive in.”—Oprah Daily

An intoxicating escape into the cutthroat world of wine and the complicated terrain of women’s friendship.

What happens when two ambitious young women, opposite in every way, join forces in a competitive male-dominated industry?

Wren and Thessaly collide when they land coveted jobs at a glamorous New York City boutique wine importer. Hardworking, by-the-book Wren comes from a modest background and has everything to prove while Thessaly hails from a family of prestigious California growers—but she is plagued by self-doubt. Thrown together at work, where they're expected to have exquisite palates, endless tolerance for alcohol and socializing, and the ability to sell, sell, sell, they regard each other with suspicion.

It’s only on an important European business trip—with everything on the line for both of them—that they unexpectedly forge an alliance that will change the course of their careers and personal lives.

With mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine, Wine People takes readers from France, Germany, and Italy to the Midwest and California Wine Country. An utterly entertaining page-turner that explores how close friends can both misjudge and uplift each other.

These book club discussion questions were provided by Zibby Books.

Book club questions for Wine People by Michelle Wildgen

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

When you first meet Wren and Thessaly, they seem very different (and aren’t really friends). What was your first impression of Wren? How about Thessaly?

While they are in France and Germany, Wren and Thessaly seem to be getting closer—or at least are more open to admitting that they are in competition. Was this a surprise to you? When they return to New York, do you think they are better friends or competitors?

After returning to New York, Thessaly meets Nick, an emergency medicine resident. He seems deeply interested in her, which she likes. Their relationship builds around food and wine, though he doesn’t know much about wine. Do you think there is an imbalance in their relationship from the beginning, or do they seem like a good match? Why do you think Nick felt like such a revelation to Thessaly?

While Thessaly is spending more and more time with Nick, Wren is going out with the sales team and trying to show the people at work (particularly Jonathan) that she is capable of more than she’s done at the company thus far. When Wren and Jonathan go out to lunch, you learn more about their relationship and some of the things they’ve experienced together, but there’s also an air of uncertainty. What do you think Jonathan is hiding at this point? Is Wren wasting her time trying to make herself stand out at Lionel Garrett?

In Chapter 8, Thessaly has two experiences in which those close to her comment on her drinking—first with Wren and then with Nick. Did you notice initially how much Thessaly was drinking? Did it seem like a red flag to you? Why or why not? What did you think of Nick’s reaction to how much Thessaly drank at the boxing bar?

In Chapter 10, Thessaly and Nick go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. While Thessaly manages to show Nick that she’s not too hungover for the walk, her faculties aren’t all present, and she ends up stepping in front of a moving car. While her injuries are minor, her relationship falls apart quite quickly. Did you see Thessaly and Nick’s breakup coming? Do you think his response to her drinking, and the accident, were reasonable? Why or why not?

In Chapter 9, Jonathan and Wren return to Germany with Gavin for Hermann Fuchs’ funeral. Initially, Jonathan is upset that Lionel isn’t coming, but Gavin is actually very kind to Jonathan, who has lost a friend. Then, in Chapter 11, everything changes. When you got to Chapter 11 and learned that Gavin had left Lionel Granger and gone into business with Elke Fuchs, were you surprised? Why or why not? Were there clues in either Chapter 9 or in Gavin’s earlier interaction with Elke and Hermann? How do you think Gavin’s departure changed things for Wren and Thessaly?

Wren and Thessaly’s social dinner (pages 146-148) goes incredibly well, and their luck seems to continue in Verona. Did you think Wren and Thessaly would get promoted? Why do you think they work together so well?

After returning from Verona, Thessaly runs into Nick outside of a bookstore, and it does not go the way she had hoped. She ends up getting extremely drunk and calling on Wren for support. Does this moment change Wren and Thessaly’s relationship? Why or why not?

On page 165, Greg is announced as the new sales and operations director. Did this surprise you? Why or why not?

When we meet up with Wren and Thessaly again, they are in Madison, Wisconsin, and have started their own company, Passerine Imports. They have some disagreements, but running the company seems to be going well for them. And then comes Alice. When you first meet Alice, what do you think of her? Did you think she was going to be good for Passerine Imports? Why or why not?

On page 184, Wren’s alcoholic father shows up and Thessaly invites him to stay. He insists that he is sober, though that quickly seems to not be the case.Why was this such a tough experience for Wren? How do you think her childhood experiences with her father impacted how she built her relationship with Tessaly?

Thessaly begins pulling away from Wren, missing company events, including the one where Wren meets Martin, the beverage director for a large chain of steakhouses. After deciding they want to work with Martin, Wren and Thessaly give the account to Alice. When did you realize Alice might be hurting Wren and Thessaly’s company? Would you have handled things the way Wren did? Why or why not?

When Thessaly goes to Le Marche, things start to really fall apart. Ultimately, Thessaly chooses to stay and watch a portable bottling process instead of returning on her scheduled flight, missing an important conference. When she gets back to Madison, she discovers that Wren has made an important purchase that they hadn’t yet agreed on.Do you think there was one moment that led to Wren and Thessaly’s unraveling, or do you think it was a series of moments? How do you think this unraveling led to the end of the book?

Did you expect Wren and Martin to get together? Why or why not?

At the end of the book, Thessaly is finally pursuing her longtime dream of creating wine. What are the biggest moments that led Thessaly to finally make her own wine? What do you think held her back for so long?

Do you think Wren and Thessaly will be able to rebuild their relationship? How do you think their relationship will be different from here on out?

How did Wren and Thessaly change throughout the book, and how did your impressions of them change?

What did Wren and Thessaly mean to each other? How did they push each other to be better?

Wine People Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Wine People discussion questions