Frequently asked:
Q: Ela Zalewski asks people, including producers, what wine would they choose if they were stranded on a deserted island. Does she get that from you?
A: Yes, I ask that.
Q: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have a case of one wine, what would you choose?
A: The same as Ela: Champagne de Venoge Cordon Bleu Extra Brut and a way to chill it to proper serving temperature.
Q: Any favorite quotes?
A: “I don't drink fine wine and Champagne to celebrate. I celebrate every time I drink fine wine and Champagne.”
“That which is deemed impossible and fosters purpose anyway, concludes in the greatest success and most profound statement of self-expression.”
Q: Who wrote these?
A: I must have read the first one somewhere. I do not know who to give credit to, so if someone can write to me and tell me, I would be very happy to. The second one is mine.
Q: What would you do with mad money?
A: Besides buy many more bottles of luxury wine and the clothes, accessories and lingerie to fill a sizable walk-in closet, I would have a jeweler re-create Ela’s signature earrings – the ones she wears with everything and usually even sleeps in. Ela and I have a thing for pear shaped diamonds.
Q: At the top of your head, name three things you could not live without.
A: Fine wine and Champagne – I’m counting them as one, red lipstick and high heels.
Q: How do feel about negative criticism?
A: I would hope there wouldn’t be any, but that is unrealistic. In a way, negative criticism legitimizes your work too … It means that your work is not irrelevant.
Q: Are you concerned that the fact that your characters drink a lot of wine will not be well perceived?
A: They are having a lot of sex as well. They just have to do both responsibly. The underlying theme of this series is luxury wine. I wanted to give readers a fair amount of wine information, so I wrote it in wherever it fit … And the characters live in a world of extravagance and are in pursuit of pleasure.
Q: Do you think more people will be interested in Champagne and the wines of Bordeaux or wine in general, because of Ela and Torsten? A: Wouldn’t that be something. Q: Ela Zalewski and Isla Duncan have a penchant for Hervé Léger dresses. Do you own a Hervé Léger dress? A: Several.
