Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Neil Dudgeon, Gwilym Lee, Fiona Dolman, Tamzin Malleson, Sabrina Bartlett, Max Bennett, Claire Bloom, Mark Bonnar, Rosie Cavaliero, Wayne Foskett, Ruth Gemmell, Selina Griffiths, Tom Rhys Harries, Jaye Jacobs, Naoki Mori, Lloyd Owen.

There seems to be a fascination with the art of British wine making and the artistry of sensational jealous murder, it’s almost as if wine brings out the worst in those with evil nefarious intent and there is a subtle unsaid notion that the more natural drinks of the islands just leave you worse for wear, that there is no jealousy over a 40 year old Balvenie Malt apart from who gets the last amber drop.

The last in the current series of Midsomer Murders, sees the villagers of Midsomer Vinea at war. The disputes and grievances past, of scores unsettled and crimes not accounted for, have festered like a bad grape sitting unnoticed in a bottle of red and the rancid taste has got to be tasted at some point, the bottle has got to be able to breathe and let go of its vile genie.

Lisa Holdsworth’s A Vintage Murder is arguably one of those quiet gems that comes along too infrequently in the realm of Midsomer Murders, the slow pace beginning leading up to the frantic ending, the opening act not covered in some Macbeth like plot of mass assassination and macabre original death, just the invasive and deeply personal act of a hit and run mimicking a deeply unpleasant act from five years before.

By placing the death in more realistic avenue, the episode veers towards ground that doesn’t require a criminology degree in which to delve into and consult. Instead the viewer is not left behind and A Vintage Murder becomes just that, a case of truth wrapped up in the vapours of an opened case of wine. It is an episode that could quite easily be transferred to an Agatha Christie Poirot, as the layers needed to carry the plot off are interesting and stimulating.

With the cast including the superb Mark Bonnar, the criminally underused Ruth Gemmell and the welcome addition of Naoko Mori as the despicable wine taster, A Vintage Murder tickled the taste buds that many of its predecessors have not quite had the palate to appreciate.

In a series of very good highs and a very disappointing low, to finish off the run with a traditional good old fashioned investigation is to be applauded, Lisa Holdsworth should be asked to contribute more to the future of this long running programme.

Ian D. Hall