NORTHFIELD — Cameron’s Winery and the Grape Escape book club hosted by New Hampshire author Kenzie Reed will pair the latest charcuterie and homemade wines with new wine-themed books each month.
The first Grape Escape book club will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9 at Cameron’s Winery, 1046 Millers Falls Road in Northfield. Wines, ciders and charcuterie will be available for purchase on site while book club members discuss their romance, fiction or romantic comedy books.
Even if you haven’t read the book ahead of time, Reed said interested persons are welcome to come along, have a drink, eat some charcuterie and listen to the discussion.
“For those who have read beforehand, I’ll have some book club questions,” Reed said.
The first book, which will be discussed Sept. 9, is “The Merlot Murders” by Ellen Crosby. The book is available at the Dickinson Memorial Library in Northfield.
Cameron’s Winery, which opened in 2012, relocated this year from Main Street to a newly restored barn on Millers Falls Road in Northfield. The winery sells a variety of wines, including reds, whites, fruit wines and ciders. There is a cheese and charcuterie market on site, along with indoor and outdoor seating and dining.
“I’m a voracious reader and a wine lover, and this just seemed like a really fun way to combine my two passions,” Reed said. “We’ll be reading mystery, romance and literary fiction with wine themes.”
The idea for The Grape Escape book club came about when Reed was visiting Cameron’s Winery with a friend one day for a glass wine and charcuterie snack. Leslie Cameron, who co-owns the winery in Northfield with her husband Paul Cameron, struck up a conversation with Reed.
“… We were talking about the fact that I was an author, and somehow the idea of a book club came about,” Reed recalled. “I thought — how about a wine-themed book club, that would be fun.”
Reed is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of romantic comedy who lives in New England and “is addicted to happily ever afters.” She said her bookcases appear to “have multiple personality disorder” as her taste in books ranges from romance to science fiction to thrillers.
“I write romantic comedies, and one of my books was set in a winery. The research I did for that was some of the most fun research I’ve ever done,” Reed said with a chuckle. “I read a bunch of books about wineries… and I made pinot grigio at home. I really immerse myself when I’m doing research.”
Those interested in joining the book club discussion are encouraged to contact Cameron’s Winery for an expected head count. While Dickinson Memorial Library will have some copies of the book club titles available, they can also be found online, or readers can inquire about ordering the titles through their local bookstore.
While the book club will begin meeting the second Thursday of each month, this schedule is subject to change as the holiday season approaches, and is weather dependent.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.