Fascinating new wine books from Mitchell Beazley

A few years ago on London’s LBC Radio, I asked Sarah Kemp, the publisher of Decanter magazine, who, in her opinion, was the best wine writer. Her immediate response was ‘Hugh Johnson’ and her statement is largely borne out by public support. The dust jacket of the 2001 edition of his ‘Pocket Wine Book’ reads, ‘It was first published in 1977 and now sells over 400,000 copies a year. In all, over six million copies have been sold around the world, more than any other wine book in history’.


It is, quite simply, the standard reference book of the wine world, but to use the word ‘standard’ does not do it justice because the volume and variety of its content are extraordinary. It is a remarkable, not-so-mini directory of wine information, covering the entire world. Take a few random examples: on page 41 we read that Henri Bourgeois is a ‘leading Sancerre grower / merchant in Chavignol’; on page 163, four very brief successive items give a straightforward explanation of the Rioja region; page 207 covers ‘The Old Russian Empire’; and page 253 advises that Grant Burge Wines from Australia’s Barossa region supply ‘silky-smooth reds and whites’.

There are vintage charts and wine and food pairings, a guide to grape varieties and most wisely, at the beginning, a page on ‘how to use this book’.

Some real idea of the team effort behind the guide can be found opposite the contents page, where a total of 60 fellow contributors are acknowledged. These include leading New Zealand wine writer, Michael Cooper, Mr Romanian Wine Dan Muntean, and South Africans, John and Erica Platter. In other words, Hugh Johnson draws on national experts from around the world.

The book remains a must for serious wine drinkers, improvers and beginners. It is difficult to fault; indeed it took a journey to the Pacific Northwest to raise the smallest doubt. Here, one must query why Domaine Drouhin, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, with its heavily priced and occasionally disappointing wines, is given **** while the neighbouring King Estate, which now produces some stunning single estate Pinot Noirs and good volumes of the most attractive Pinot Gris, is awarded a mere