- Unknown Binding: 264 pages
- Publisher: Nelson (1966)
- Language English
- ASIN: B001NMVJLS
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you are expecting an autobiography of Hugh Johnson, you'll be disappointed - this is his jottings/ramblings on wine and anything biographical is almost coincidental. It is not his life story. It is, of course, beautifully written and from this aspect streets ahead of his competitors. This is not a book full of gobs of blockbuster fruit flavours, but of understated, evocative prose. But at times it does teeter on the brink of becoming pompous - all those black tie dinners with the wine aristocracy drinking impossibly ancient bottles, and endless comments on the very old bottles he has in his almost medieval cellar at his mansionly home. On the subject of Robert Parker he is also pretty outspoken, and perhaps needlessly so, and it begins to smack a little of jealous snobbery. If the wine world is full of sheep, perhaps not all the blame should be heaped upon the anointed leader. But just as the book becomes a bit too crusty, he gets back to the real business, and there is nobody who writes better about wines and travels amidst the vineyards.
Format:Hardcover
This edition of Hugh Johnson's biography falls inconveniently between two types of book : too big for the library shelf but too small for the coffee table ! Gloriously illustrated, very well written in a semi-colloquial style, it is like being taken by a favorite Uncle round his favoured haunts. There is far more about wine than there is about HJ himself although the reader may glean much information about the author inasmuch as he wears his preferences on his sleeve; for example the pleasure that a particular wine may bring in pleasant circumstances - drinking in congenial company out in the garden under an apple tree, or at a restaurant table in view of the sea - often bears no relationship to cost or ranking. This is extremely good news for most of us who do not have cellars to age wine for decades, nor the inclination to overspend on first growth clarets and "Grand Cru" Burgundies. He also declares a penchant for crisp white wines, and in particular believes that Reisling has been much under-rated over the years. This is surely a matter of one man's opinion.
I do not feel qualified to comment on his criticisms of Robert Parker's percentages of perfection. Perhaps they do represent a lazy man's best chances of obtaining good wine, although seldom best value for money. Like Johnson, I would always look further afield, hoping to find something special that Parker's steamroller overlooked. I believe there is always an element of personality in any assessment of wine, however scientific the approach may be, and that simply working from the average does not always help an individual to find his or her best choice.
This book is an excellent companion for wine-buffs of whatever distinction, but if I had to have but one volume in the same price range to keep me informed it would not be this but the latest edition of Hugh Johnson's outstanding "Wine Atlas of the World" written in collaboration with Jancis Robinson. Actually... I believe it is worth owning both !
I do not feel qualified to comment on his criticisms of Robert Parker's percentages of perfection. Perhaps they do represent a lazy man's best chances of obtaining good wine, although seldom best value for money. Like Johnson, I would always look further afield, hoping to find something special that Parker's steamroller overlooked. I believe there is always an element of personality in any assessment of wine, however scientific the approach may be, and that simply working from the average does not always help an individual to find his or her best choice.
This book is an excellent companion for wine-buffs of whatever distinction, but if I had to have but one volume in the same price range to keep me informed it would not be this but the latest edition of Hugh Johnson's outstanding "Wine Atlas of the World" written in collaboration with Jancis Robinson. Actually... I believe it is worth owning both !
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As close to an autobiography as you'll get from Johnson. Born into money and privilege, his adventures in wine-making are of interest, but otherwise it's mostly mild conceit.
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