The Village Murder Casebook

Case file · Series 17, Episode 4 · Season 17, Episode 4

A Vintage Murder

A sparkling-wine launch turns poisonous before a critic is murdered among the vines of Midsomer Vinae.

The 60-second case card

Should I watch this one?

The vineyard setting pairs a public product launch with a case fermented from a much older loss.

Best for
Winery · Poisoning · Old tragedy
Mood
Classic
Team
DCI John Barnaby with DS Charlie Nelson
Spoiler guidance
Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. Check the linked provider advisory for further viewing information.

Why it matters

The vineyard setting pairs a public product launch with a case fermented from a much older loss.

The Carnarvon Estate Winery launches its latest sparkling wine just as critic Nadia Simons delivers a damaging review. Guests then collapse after drinking from glasses laced with slug poison, and the apparent publicity attack becomes a murder inquiry when Nadia is killed at the winery.

Barnaby and Nelson investigate the Carnarvon family, winery staff and campaigners blamed for threatening the business. Dr Kate Wilding's forensic findings help connect the present attacks to the unresolved death of a young woman, forcing the detectives to look beyond commercial sabotage.

  • Winery
  • Poisoning
  • Old tragedy
Break the seal: reveal the finding

Who was the killer in A Vintage Murder? (spoiler)

The poisoned launch is staged to suggest an attack on the winery, but the later murder exposes a more personal reckoning. Barnaby connects the victims to the earlier death and identifies who has been using the estate's public feud as cover.

More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information

Credits, context and checked facts

Production and cast

TV series
Series 17
Episode number
Episode 4
Written by
Lisa Holdsworth
Directed by
Nick Laughland
Listed transmission date(s)
18 February 2015
Reported filming period
August 2014
Detective
DCI John Barnaby
Partner
DS Charlie Nelson
Pathologist
Dr Kate Wilding · Tamzin Malleson
Principal setting
Midsomer Vinae
Casebook tone
Classic

Sources accompany the production credits and filming links.

Fictional settings and real filming places are listed separately. Filming links include 0 mapped areas; 1 exact site.

Credits and archive connections

  • Writer credits4 episodes credited to Lisa Holdsworth
  • Director credits9 episodes directed by Nick Laughland
  • Release positionCase 104 of 144
  • Story characterClassic · Winery · Poisoning
  • Location evidence1 exact screen-use match
Kate Wilding's final case

This is Tamzin Malleson's last regular appearance as pathologist Dr Kate Wilding.

A real vineyard

Stanlake Park Wine Estate at Twyford represents the winery in fictional Midsomer Vinae.

Sources for the production file

Published episode chronology and credits ↗Official ITV programme page ↗Filming-location reference index ↗

Credits follow the linked chronology. Dates can differ between territories. Consult original credits for story, teleplay and adaptation wording. External synopses may contain spoilers.

Selected episode credits

A Vintage Murder cast

These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.

The performers behind this case

Core cast

Follow the cast links for full actor and character guides.

Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.

Forensic team

Dr Kate Wilding

Credit
Resident pathologist
Played by
Tamzin Malleson
Meet the Casebook pathologists →

Spoiler-controlled deaths

Deaths recorded in this case

3 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.

Break the seal: reveal the list of deaths
  1. Nadia Simons

    Murder · Suffocation

    Performer check
  2. Louis Paynton

    Murder · Fall

    Performer check
  3. Jessica Tyler

    Accidental, natural or other · Vehicle or machinery · historical or before the main case

    Performer check
    • Jessica Tyler: not listed in the current published cast recordThe historical child victim is named in the episode synopsis, but no Jessica Tyler performer appears in the current published cast record; Judy, Tina and Roger Tyler are different characters.
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Series 17 · episode 4 · checked 15 September 2026

Who was the killer in A Vintage Murder? (spoiler)

Judy Tyler

Judy deliberately drove at Nadia Simons and later killed Louis Paynton because she believed both were responsible for her daughter Jessica's death and its concealment. The resolution establishes that therapist Elspeth Rice had accidentally struck Jessica and hidden the car, while Diana Carnarvon's non-fatal launch sabotage and Kevin Fisher's abduction of Tina remain separate offences.

Verified motive

Judy acted from grief and mistaken revenge after Elspeth shaped her belief that Nadia had killed Jessica and that Louis had helped conceal it. Seeing Nadia at Jessica's memorial changed Judy's fear into anger; she then killed Nadia and Louis in the belief that she was avenging and belatedly protecting her daughter.

Verified decisive clue

Archive case 104 · checked 25 September 2026The car recovered from the pond where Jessica died

Recovering Elspeth's car exposes her accidental collision with Jessica and the concealed truth behind Judy's revenge. Judy admits driving at Nadia and killing Louis because she believed they caused or covered up her daughter's death. Elspeth's dangerous driving and concealment, and Kevin's abduction of Tina, remain separate offences.

Search the complete deaths index →

Real place → fictional identity

Where was A Vintage Murder filmed?

Twyford, Berkshire

Stanlake Park Wine Estate

Used as: The working vineyard and winery represent the Carnarvon estate at Midsomer Vinae.

Sources accompany the identified filming places.

Wider filming areas

Places connected to this file

Location research remains open.

No real filming place is confirmed for this case.