Some writers describe the beauty and poetry of wine, the way the flavors and aromas dance on our tongues and stimulate all our senses, sometimes with just a single sip.
Others wine writers explain the more technical aspects, from the weather and when the grapes were picked for a particular vintage to how the wine was blended or aged in the cellar.
Then there’s Hugh Johnson.
For more than half a century, the 81-year-old British wine writer has eloquently combined the best of both worlds.
In countless award-winning books, magazine and newspaper articles, he has captured the magic and wonder of different wines and wine regions.
He’s also helped raise the technical level of sophistication when it comes to wine writing.
If you have ever tasted or even heard of a particular wine or wine region, Johnson has almost certainly been there, tasted the wine and written all about it.
“You never stop learning,” Johnson said during a recent phone interview.
Recently, a new edition of Johnson’s book, “The Story of Wine,” was published by the Academie Du Vin Library.
The publishing house approach Johnson about reprinting his highly-entertaining, 1989 book about the history of wine “from Noah to now” as stated on the cover of the book. The book was also the source for a 13-part television series about wine starring Johnson on BBC 4 in the United Kingdom and PBS in the United States in 1989.
For the recent reprint of “The Story of Wine,” Johnson wrote a new introduction.
“Everything has changed since then so I cover briefly what has changed and sort of set down my point of view,” Johnson said. “I’m a happy man to see it out there.”
As for the story of Hugh Johnson, his interest in wine can be traced back even further.
“I came into wine gradually,” he said. “I drank wine with my father but it wasn’t great wine. The claret, the Bordeaux he always drank was a regular house wine... It was a wonderful, regular wine. It was something to be enjoyed. I think that’s so important.”
Johnson’s interest in wine grew while he was a student at King’s College in Cambridge, England. Soon after he graduated with a degree in English literature, he got a job as a copy writer for Vogue and House & Garden magazines in 1960. That same year, he wrote his first wine column, an article about what wines to drink with turkey for the 1960 Christmas issue of Vogue magazine.
Two years later, he become editor of Wine & Food magazine and The Sunday Times in London’s wine writer. Then in 1966, Johnson wrote his first wine book, simply titled “Wine.”
“I really wanted to write the book that I couldn’t find,” Johnson said, “which was a book about enjoyment, the lovely places wine comes from, something untechnical, not too much history, an easy to read book and I was astonished by how well it went.”
The book won the James Beard award and became Johnson’s first bestseller.
“It was huge in the beginning,” Johnson said. “I just got my timing right. It’s all a matter of timing, isn’t it?”
At the time, knowledge about wine was quite limited compared to today.
“Nobody in those days was quite as interested (in wine) as they are now,” Johnson said. “It was one of the elegant extras of life. Rather more than that, we loved it as we all do.”
“Nobody had much technical knowledge,” Johnson added, “not even in the wine trade. You’d be amazed how ignorant people in the wine trade used to be.”
“They knew nothing,” he continued. “You’d be absolutely amazed. They were good salesmen, but they couldn’t answer any technical questions because nobody asked any technical questions. I can tell you that the first time anyone started even to really talk about grape varieties was in the 60s and 70s. If you asked, what are the grapes in Chateau Lafite, they’d just say there’s Cabernet and Merlot. If you asked how much, they would say it depends on the vintage. They wouldn’t have the exact, expert knowledge they have now.”
Then again, Johnson’s not entirely sure if that’s a great thing. While he appreciates the increased emphasis on the technical aspects of winemaking, he thinks something has been lost over the years as well.
“I think there was more enjoyment when there was less technicality,” Johnson said. “It’s so easy for people to become geeks or nerds these days and to become boring frankly. The old fashioned wine bore was somebody who told you what a great bottle they had last weekend. The modern wine bore is a high tech wine bore.”
But one thing Johnson will not complain about is the overall improvement in the quality of wine since he first started writing about wine in the 1960s.
“It is infinitely better,” he said. “First of all, because of the technical knowledge – the scientific knowledge, the analytical knowledge, the weapons at the winemaker’s disposal. When I came into it, refrigeration and cooling of fermentation was a new idea and not everyone believed in it, not everyone could afford it. That kind of thing brought on an immense improvement in wine, which we’re the beneficiaries.”
So what advice does Johnson have for anyone interested in learning more about wine without becoming a bore? Trust your taste and simply taste different wines side by side.
“I think for somebody who’s really starting off, they have to get used to the fact that comparison is how you get into it,” Johnson said. “You have one glass of wine, you say, I quite enjoyed that. You have two together, then you’re going to say, which of those do you like better? Then you got to think about it and you got to make up your mind… So many people will open a bottle of wine, pour it for their friends, say cheers and then drink it without actually tasting it. I always think that’s such a waste.”
Another piece advice for people interested in learning more about wine – read Johnson’s books.
One of his best ones is “The World Atlas of Wine,” the landmark, 1971 book about every major wine region in the world, which also featured detailed maps of each wine region.
Since then, he’s written many more books, but he might be best known for his annual pocket wine book, which has sold millions of copies since this information-packed wine guide was first published in 1977.
The 2022 pocket wine book will be the last one Johnson is personally involved with, he said.
“I’m slowly giving that up,” Johnson said. “I’ve done it 44 times. When you see the next edition, you’ll see that I’m handing it off formally.”
But that doesn’t mean Johnson is retiring from writing.
“I don’t think a writer of my age retires,” Johnson said. “I’ll go on writing but a really big job like the pocket wine book, doing the same thing every year, I’ve just decided that I can put my time to better use doing newer things.”
Currently, Johnson is finishing revising a new book about gardening, one of his other lifelong passions.
“I’m constantly writing about gardening,” Johnson said. “I don’t think many people know that. I’ve been writing about gardening almost as long as I have been about wine, trees in particular.”
As for wine, Johnson still enjoys learning about new and familiar ones.
He remains a fan of classic wine regions like Bordeaux and Champagne, including his personal favorite Champagne, Pol Roger, which Winston Churchill famously drank every day.
“I still think the regions that started it all off have never been seriously overtaken,” he said, adding, “I’ve never varied far from the classics, I’m afraid. I think Bordeaux or red claret (as it’s called in England) to me is ground base. That’s the kind of red wine I like. I’m very old fashioned in that regard.”
But Johnson remains open to learning more about new wine regions. When it comes to sparkling wine, for example, he’s a big fan of ones from England.
“They’re quite good,” he said. “Some of them are better than mainstream Champagnes. There’s no doubt. They’re different sure, but a different spin on the same grape varieties and beautiful quality… I’ve got about 20 favorites already.”
Introducing the public to less well-known wines and wine regions has been Johnson’s lifelong work and passion.
“I was one of the first people to recognize that any wine is worthwhile from Chile, even from Australia, believe it or not,” Johnson said. “When I first went to Australia, nobody in Britain took the wine seriously at all. The same with California. I was one of those responsible for popularizing California wines in Britain.”
“Introducing new continents to public consciousness has been a really exciting thing,” he added. “I was enthused about these wines. I kept saying, you must taste this, especially South African white wines for example. And that doesn’t mean they’ve taken the place of French wines in my regard. It simply means I think they’re really good and people should try them.”
Excellent advice from one of the world’s most knowledgeable and passionate experts in wine.
Cheers!
Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s weekend section every Thursday.
Follow Ken Ross on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.
March 02, 2021 at 02:01AM
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