A Glass With: Jancis Robinson OBE MW

This weeks 'A Glass with' is with the queen of wine Jancis Robinson. She dues not just advice the Queen on her wine cellar but writes weekly for the FT and other publications. She written the infinite wine encyclopedia The Oxford Companion to Wine. She has joined up with Hugh Johnson in the war of the critics against the wine scorer Robert Parker. She also co-writing the infinite wine Atlas The World Atlas of Wine with Hugh Johnson. Jancis has now taken her knowledge to the net by becoming one of the first to explore what can be done on the web with the excellent jancisrobinson.com a must for any wine lover.

This is what she had to say to GoJ:

Tell us what are you up to?
See www.twitter.com/JancisRobinson!

Why wine?

Because it tastes so delicious – and is quite magical in that it can provide such a wide range of sensations and flavours yet depends on a single fruit.

How did you get involved in the wine world?

Long story. Had a seminal glass of Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses 1959. Spent a year in Provence. Got taken on as asst editor of a wine trade magazine to replace the first editor of Decanter. Did the Wine & Spirit Ediucation Trust courses at speed.

Who your wine hero?

Hugh Johnson and Gerald Asher for literacy. Robert Mondavi for openness. Edmund Penning-Rowsell for humility.

How much do you think you can pick up a decent bottle for?

Occasionally less than £5 or $10 but you have to look very hard.

How do you think Internet effects the wine world?

Vastly, mainly by giving consumers much greater power, thereby keeping us writers much more on our toes. No bad thing!

What is your desert island wine?

Madeira because it is refreshing if the desert island is hot, warming if it’s cold, and an open bottle can be eked out over months.

A Glass With: Tim Atkin MW

For the first of our 'A Glass With' I happy to say we have Tim Atkin. Tim is one of the top wine writers about with columns in The Observer, Off Licence News, Woman and Home, The World of Fine Wine, The Economist to name just a few. He is co-founder of the excellent The Wine Gang a online wine mag. As well as his writing and the odd TV appearance he chairs and judge one of the biggest and impotent wine tasting in world the International Wine Challenge. This is what he has to say to GoJ:

Tell us what are you up to?I've just about to make some wine for a kit, for a piece I'm writing about ethical drinking for The Observer. This is my first ever wine. I suspect it may be my last...

Why wine? Because it's fascinating. Wine is not just about the liquid - although that can be delicious. It's about geology, climate, politics, economics, sensory perception and, most important of all, people.

How did you get involved in the wine world? I was given a job on Wine & Spirit magazine by Joanna Simon. I knew nothing about wine, but spoke good French having done a degree in modern languages. That was my big break. In those days we were still sticking bits of paper down on layout boards. Computers were in their infancy.

Who your wine hero? I have several. Paul Draper of Ridge, Eben Sadie in South Africa, Paul Pontallier at Chateau Margaux, Peter Lehmann in the Barossa Valley, Sylvain Cathiard in Burgundy, Tim Finn at Neudorf. Basically anyone who cares about great wine.

How much do you think you can pick up a decent bottle for? Depends what you mean by decent. It's getting harder to find anything I'd want to drink under £5, thanks to the chancellor

How do you think Internet effects the wine world? It's a great source of information. It keeps wine writers on their toes. And it allows punters a say . All three things are positive.

What is your desert island wine? 1961 Chateau La Fleur Petrus