About Peter Stafford-Bow
Peter Stafford-Bow was born into a drinking family in the north of England in the late twentieth century.
A precocious, self-taught imbiber, he dropped out of university to pursue a career in alcohol. After managing several downmarket London wine merchants, he became a supermarket buyer, a role which kindled his life-long love of food, other people’s hospitality, and general gadding about.
After periods living in East Asia and South Africa, Stafford-Bow returned to the UK to pursue a literary career. He has written four successful novels; Corkscrew, Brut Force, Firing Blancs and Eastern Promise. His fifth title, Black Odesa, will be published in June 2026.
He lives in London with a wealthy heiress, an extensive wine collection and his pet ferrets, Brett and Corky.
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Media centre - reviews and interviews
BLACK ODESA
Published 1st June 2026 by Vinfare
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-7393999-2-4
ASIN (Kindle):
Publication date 1st June 2026
Please use contact form if you require review copies
Where are they now? Peter Stafford-Bow: the wine buyer who survived.
Anthony Rose, The Drinks Business
Apr 01, 2026
EASTERN PROMISE
Published by Vinfare 2023
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-7393999-0-0
ASIN (Kindle): B0C62CPCXN
“Stafford-Bow’s satires are well-observed, irreverent, ribald and wicked.”
Simon Woolf
"I am now more convinced than ever that Stafford-Bow is one of the finest wine writers of our age. It’s not easy to write fiction that simultaneously delivers a rollicking narrative, cocks a snook at the establishment, is uncomfortably accurate and up-to-date, tackles deeply embedded and currently relevant but also contentious issues, and is bitingly funny."
Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com
September 26. 2023
"If there’s one wine book to read this year, this is it."
Miquel Hudin
September 6, 2023
“An utter delight from start to finish.”
BOOK REVIEW: Eastern Promise by Peter Stafford-Bow
Laura Hadland, The Extreme Housewife
Sep 24, 2023
“...a fast-paced, racy affair that will have you turning pages faster than the current UK government changes its policy narrative.”
Book Review: Peter Stafford-Bow – Eastern Promise
Simon Woolf, The Morning Claret
Sep 06, 2023
“The details are delicious, and just ruminating extends the pleasure.”
Peter Stafford Bow: One of the Most Brilliant Fictional Wine Writers
Jo Diaz, Juicy Tales
Aug 26, 2023
Peter Stafford-Bow: Felix Hart and his new wine adventure
Richard Siddle, The Buyer
Jun 25, 2023
The Inspiration Behind The Felix Hart Novels by Peter Stafford-Bow
The Table Read Magazine
Jun 11, 2023
FIRING BLANCS
Published 2020
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-913036-23-2
ASIN (Kindle): B08HD8PGCP
'Fast moving and funny' - Tim Lott
“…this is his best. Shades of Evelyn Waugh here in its humour and satirical thrust."
Tony Aspler
“Honey-traps, blackmail, embezzlement and fine wine? It can only be Felix Hart…”
Nick Breeze on Secret Sommelier.com
June 28, 2020
“Just like its two predecessors, Firing Blancs rattles along as fast as a bullet”
Simon Woolf on The Morning Claret
July 13, 2020
“Thank goodness for Peter Stafford-Bow, who is currently the only author I know who’s really made this combination not just sing, but positively cavort naked around the room.”
Book review: Peter Stafford-Bow – Firing Blancs
Simon Woolf, The Morning Claret
Jul 13, 2020
“…a drink-splutteringly good read.”
The Wine Tipster Reviews: Firing Blancs by Peter Stafford-Bow
Neil Phillips, The Wine Tipster
Jul 1, 2020
“Honey-traps, blackmail, embezzlement and fine wine? It can only be Felix Hart…”
Nick Breeze, Secret Sommelier.com
Jun 28, 2020
“It’s a fast-paced romp from one amusing set piece to another but, as companies today fall over themselves to demonstrate their ethical credentials, also a timely satire on the cynicism of woke capitalism.”
Booze interview: Peter Stafford-Bow (Firing Blancs)
Henry Jeffreys, Henry's World of Booze
Jun 19, 2020
BRUT FORCE
The further, staggering adventures of a professional wine buyer.
Published 2018
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-91-261580-3
ASIN (Kindle): B08M663C79
''It's an insane novel. It's clever ... and brilliantly conceived."
- Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com
"I freakin' love this book. I love the series."
Joey Casco on The Wine Stalker.net
December 18, 2019
"...a humour and swagger that combines elements of Wodehouse and MacDonald Fraser..."
Nick Breeze on Secret Sommelier.com
December 9, 2018
“...incredibly entertaining, lively, fun, and one of the best fiction books I’ve read in a very long time.”
A book review of “Brut Force”
Miquel Hudin
Aug 5, 2020
“...a very enjoyable romp... the entertainment value is super.”
Peter Donnelly on The Reading Desk.com
Mar 14, 2019
“...a very entertaining novel and still full of surprises.”
Book Review: Brut Force by Peter Stafford-Bow
Red Wine Please!
Jan 28, 2019
"Boasting casual storytelling mastery and the sharp-tongued wit of Tom Robbins, Peter Stafford-Bow presents an incredibly amusing and unpredictable tale. For wine lovers or those who simply love a great story, this is a mad ramble through the tangled world of wine, taking readers across two continents and countless adventures of one exceptional character, Felix Hart. Corkscrew is a strange cross between a thriller and a farce, but Stafford-Bow pulls it off with panache – and a self-aware smirk on his face." ★★★★½
John Staughton, Self-Publishing Review - full review here
October 3, 2016
CORKSCREW
The highly improbable but occasionally true tale of a professional wine buyer
First published 2016. Published by Vinfare 2026.
ISBN (paperback) : 978-1739399948
ASIN (Kindle): B08KHN58R9
'One of the funniest novels I've ever read. I honestly didn't want this book to end.'
- Joey Casco