Hugh Johnson (wine writer)

Hugh Johnson OBEcite web|last= Lechmere |first= Adam, "Decanter.com" |title= Hugh Johnson honoured with OBE |url= http://www.decanter.com/news/105229.html |date= January 8, 2007 ] (born 1939) is a British author and expert on wine. He is considered the world's best-selling wine writer.cite web|last= Sale |first=Jonathan, "The Independent" |title= Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Hugh Johnson, the world's bestselling wine author|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-hugh-johnson-the-worlds-bestselling-wine-author-770724.html |date= January 17, 2008 ] winepros.com.au. Cite web|last= "Oxford Companion to Wine"| title= Johnson, Hugh |url= http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=1632 ]

Career

Johnson became a member of the Cambridge University Wine and Food Society while an undergraduate at King's College, Cambridge in the 1950s, while reading English studies. On describing his introduction to wine-tasting Johnson has recalled:

Johnson has been writing about wine since 1960, was taken on as a feature writer for Condé Nast Publications upon graduation, and early worked with magazines such as "Vogue" and "House & Garden".cite web|last= Kissack |first= Chris, thewinedoctor.com |url= http://www.thewinedoctor.com/otherresources/johnson.shtml |title= Wine Books: Hugh Johnson ] He has published a wide array of books, starting with the publication of "Wine" in 1966 at a period he became the wine columnist of "The Sunday Times".The publication of "The World Atlas of Wine" in 1971, considered the first serious attempt to map the world's wine regions, became described by the sitting director of the INAO as "a major event in wine literature".

Over the years he has held the position as director of Château Latour, is the co-founder and a partner in The Royal Tokaji Company, and in 1986 founded the Hugh Johnson Collection Ltd. which sells stemware and other artefacts related to wine. Johnson is also a Horticulturalist with a special interest in trees. Since 2004 Johnson has acted as editorial adviser to "The World of Fine Wine" magazine.

He was selected the "Decanter" "Man of the Year" in 1995, and was awarded the Officer of the British Empire distinction in 2007.

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", Johnson 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. In 2005 Johnson stated, "Imperial hegemony lives in Washington and the dictator of taste in BaltimoreRef_label|A|a|none".cite web| last = Styles | first = Oliver, "Decanter.com" | title = Parker: I'm targeted and misunderstood | date = 2006-05-23 | page = 8 | url = http://www.decanter.com/news/82062.html | accessdate = 2006-06-01]

elected publications

* "Wine" (1966)
* "The World Atlas of Wine" (1971, several editions; since 2004 co-authored with Jancis Robinson)
* "The International Book of Trees" (1973)
* "Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book" (1977, since published annually)
* "Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion" (1983, several editions)
* "The Story of Wine" (1989)
* "The Art and Science of Wine: The Subtle Artistry and Sophisticated Science of the Winemaker", (1992, co-authored with James Halliday)
* "A Life Uncorked" (2006, autobiography, anecdotes and opinions)

Television

* "Vintage: A History of Wine" (1989)

See also

* List of wine personalities

References

a. Note_label|A|a|none Robert Parker resides in Monkton, a small town in Baltimore County, Maryland.;Footnotes