But this book is not just about Hugh Johnson and his written work. It is about the evolution of wine production, tasting and drinking over the last sixty years. It is about the fundamental shift in our understanding of wine, and our subsequent enjoyment of it. From early tastings in Bordeaux - where even the wine served at Communion is St-Emilion - through a prophetic 1975 assessment of California, to a 2014 discussion of the ever-increasing ABV strength of wine, this book provides a fascinating overview of the development of wine during a period of enormous change.

Kamptal, Austria Lamm is one of the best vineyards in Austria for Grüner Veltliner, and Schloss Gobelsburg never puts a foot wrong. This is silky, graceful, deep and delicate, ligree and rm, full of quince and salt. 1ÖTW, by the way, indicates that the vineyard is a “ rst growth” in the vineyard classi cation of the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter association. Various English wines. A wide range of wines from all over (it’s my job and always interesting). Sicily. Roussillon. Greece. Tasmania…. a b Sale, Jonathan, The Independent (17 January 2008). "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Hugh Johnson, the world's bestselling wine author". {{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) What do we recommend that you try this year? The world is your oyster; but the following ten wines are ones that we currently love. Some are new discoveries, some are rediscoveries and some are old friends. All are pearls. Red wines Johnson is known as one of the wine world's most vocal opponents to awarding numerical scores to wine. In the autobiography A Life Uncorked, he also expressed regret over the wine critic Robert Parker's influence on the world of wine, which has in his view moved winemaking in many regions towards a more uniform, bigger and richer style. [7] In 2005 Johnson stated, "Imperial hegemony lives in Washington and the dictator of taste in Baltimore". [a] [8] Selected publications [ edit ]Scattered throughout the book you’ll find boxes on The New Fine Wines, in which the book’s contributors put together their own lists of outstanding examples that break with tradition and will make you sit up and take notice – for all the right reasons. . . . Toro used to be the home of huge tannins and far too much oak, but when Vega Sicilia moved in it showed that things could be done differently. This is from Vega Sicilia’s estate: it smells of cocoa, plums, spice and roses, and is fresh, tense and nicely grippy on the palate. “Precise” and “detailed” are words I never thought I’d use for Toro. Bravo. Cuvée Reynolds Stone Brut, Breaky Bottom, Sussex, England
Reynolds Stone was a wood engraver and letter cutter who designed the original Breaky Bottom label, as well as the royal coat of arms on every British passport. All Peter Hall’s wines are named after artists and musicians, and they come from a tiny vineyard hidden in the South Downs, where Peter Hall has been making wine since 1974. The 10 vintage is saline, tense and compelling. He was born the son of Guy F. Johnson CBE and Grace Kittel, educated at Rugby School and read English at King's College, Cambridge. [5] Career [ edit ] Hugh Johnson, younger son of a London lawyer, began his life-long passion for wine in all its variety as a member of the Wine & Food Society at Cambridge University, where he gained an Honours Degree in English literature. When he left King's College in 1961 he became a feature writer for Vogue and House & Garden, writing, among other articles, travel and wine columns for both magazines and their sister-papers in New York.

Hugh Eric Allan Johnson OBE [1] (born 10 March 1939, in London) is an English journalist, author, editor, and expert on wine. He is considered the world's best-selling wine writer. [2] A wine he tasted in 1964, a 1540 Steinwein from the German vineyard Würzburger Stein, is considered one of the oldest to have ever been tasted. [3] [4]The must-have book for all wine enthusiasts and collectors, from the world's leading writer on wine, Hugh Johnson. my room-mate Adrian Cowell, committee member of the University Wine & Food Society came in after dinner with two glasses and said, "Come on, Hugh, are they the same? Or different?" Both were, I am sure, red Burgundy, but one was magic and one was ordinary. This caught my imagination. It was my Damascene moment. [2] [6] Lechmere, Adam, Decanter.com (8 January 2007). "Hugh Johnson honoured with OBE" . Retrieved 13 March 2020. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) A Life Uncorked (2006, autobiography, anecdotes and opinions), republished with additions as 'My Life and Wines' Academie de Vin Library 2022).