Who better to supply us with our first comprehensive historical survey than the wine writer with the magic pen, Hugh Johnson? - Jancis Robinson MW
Hugh Johnson has led the literature of wine in many new directions over a 60-year career. His classic The Story of Wine is his most enthralling and enduring work, winner of every wine award in the UK and USA. It tells with wit, scholarship and humour how wine became the global phenomenon it is today, varying from mass-produced plonk to rare bottles fetching many thousands. It ranges from Noah to Napa, Pompeii to Prohibition to Pomerol, gripping, anecdotal, personal, controversial and fun. This new edition includes Hughs view on the changes wine has seen in the past 30 years.
In his Foreword the celebrated historian Andrew Roberts writes: "The genius of The Story of Wine derives from the fact that it is emphatically not a dry-as-dust academic history there are dozens of those but an adventure story, full of mysteries, art and culture.
Reviews
"The Académie du Vin Library is an important publication of wine literature every work is a must for wine lovers." - Weinseller Journal
Foreword,
Part One - Early wine history to Rome,
Part Two - Charlemagne to Glassmaking technology,
Part Three - Bordeaux Reborn to Georgian England,
Part Four - Napoleon to 19th Century South America,
Part Five - 20th Century and beyond
Hugh Johnson began acquiring his wine knowledge as a member of the Wine and Food Society at Cambridge University. When he came down from King's College in 1961 he became feature writer for Vogue and House & Garden, writing, among other things, wine columns for both magazines. In 1963 he became general secretary of the Wine and Food Society and succeeded the legendary gastronome André Simon as editor of Wine and Food. At the same time he became wine correspondent of The Sunday Times and started work on his first book Wine (1966), through which he established himself at the age of 27 as one of the subject's foremost writers. His rare talent for making the most complex subjects readable has led to a remarkable sequence of books.
After a year as travel editor of The Sunday Times he became editor of Queen, and in 1969 James Mitchell of the newly founded publishing house Mitchell Beazley asked him to write The World Atlas of Wine. First published in 1971, this book has been translated into 14 languages and sold over four million copies. He is the worlds bestselling wine writer.
In 2007 Hugh Johnson received an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list. His OBE was awarded for services to winemaking and horticulture. In April 2004 Hugh was honoured with the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite, one of the highest tributes bestowed by the French Government. The medal was presented to Hugh for his significant contribution to the appreciation and understanding of France and its wines.
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