Chapter 24
Watching the outburst among the wine judges, Caterina hardly dared move.
Victor Devereaux was exasperated. He pounded on the podium, demanding attention. “All decisions are final,” he said, raising his voice. “You had time to make your decisions.”
“Il n’est pas possible,” someone from the audience said. “An American wine has never earned such accolades. There must be an error or miscalculation.”
Caterina clutched Santo’s hand. She and Santo had earned this.
“Non, non, non,” Odette insisted. “These entries were carefully concealed and tracked, and all votes verified. There is no mistake.”
Victor held up his hands to quiet the crowd. “Let us welcome a pair of fine young winemakers into our club.”
“But they’re novices,” Monsieur Morel said, flinging his hands up.
“Unbelieva
