A Life Uncorked

by Hugh Johnson

Hugh Johnson, the preeminent wine writer of our time, now brings to his fans around the world his first major new book in a this stylish, intimate, and delightfully opinionated autobiographical tour through the world of wine. A Life Uncorked weaves Johnson’s wide-ranging ruminations, memories, and observations on his remarkable life together with information on every aspect of wine—from its technical production to its cultural significance. In luminous, utterly engaging prose, he taps into his enormous experience to consider topics such as tasting, cellaring, choosing, understanding, comparing, and buying wine, as well as wine’s more ephemeral and personal pleasures, lures, and mysteries.

At the heart of A Life Uncorked is the idea that wine is more than a drink; its characteristics link it directly to memory, to locations around the world where grapes are grown and wine is made, and to the dining rooms, restaurants, bars, and gardens where we consume it. Johnson takes us to all of these places and many more in this delightful and revelatory memoir. Peppered with anecdotes throughout, A Life Uncorked simultaneously educates and entertains with its absorbing perspective on the complex and fascinating world of wine from one of its most well-known and well-liked aficionados.

Genres: Wine

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2006

About the author

Hugh Johnson, younger son of a London lawyer, began his life-long passion for wine in all its variety as a member of the Wine & Food Society at Cambridge University, where he gained an Honours Degree in English literature. When he left King's College in 1961 he became a feature writer for Vogue and House & Garden, writing, among other articles, travel and wine columns for both magazines and their sister-papers in New York.

In 1963, as a result of his close friendship with the octogenarian André Simon, the founder of The International Wine & Food Society, he became General Secretary of the Society and succeeded the legendary gastronome as editor of its magazine Wine & Food. At the same time he became wine correspondent of The Sunday Times and started work on his first book, Wine, whose publication in 1966 established him as one of the foremost English gastronomic writers. There are now over 800,000 copies in print in seven languages and the book is still regularly reprinted. After a year as Travel Editor of The Sunday Times he became editor of Queen Magazine, in two years doubling the circulation of the fashionable glossy. It was 1969 when James Mitchell of the newly-founded publishing house Mitchell Beazley invited him to write The World Atlas of Wine. The research involved took Hugh Johnson all over the world; the result was a best-seller that might justly claim to have put wine on the map. Its publication was described by the Director of the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine in his Foreword as "un événement majeur de la littérature vinicole".

Reviews

[Brodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although he has been to some of the most amazing places in the world, feasted with some of the most interesting people in the world and tried some of the rarest wines in the world this guy is the most boring person on Earth. This is what happens when you send a stuffy English writer into the world of wine. I suppose if I was a wine writer's publisher I would favor an uptight dandy over a boisterous drunkard but the latter could have wrote a better memoir.

[Les Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather long, but lots of interesting stories and education. Would have been better in physical form vs an ebook.

[Rob Cantrall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever keep reading a book because the writing was interesting, even though the topic was not? This is that book for me. It's partly memoir, organized into sections of White, Red, and so forth, which are further subdivided into regions and the like. Not as much in the way of compelling characters and interesting stories. Frankly, what stood out to me was more the snobbery of wine tasting, as Johnson describes these elaborate dinners and clubs he attends, where they pour 1961 that or 1895 this without any mention of the extravagant cost, etc. Rather offputting, really. That said, the writing is very good, so it all depends on what you want to get out of it.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memoirs toe a fine line between intriguing and coming across as self-important. Unfortunately, this one reads more like a personal memoir rather than one aimed at providing perspective for the reader. Johnson is too France-centric for my taste (very classic English). However, there were some shining moments in this book that saved it from itself.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing, because his "technical" writings about wine (the Atlas, etc.) are superb. This seembed boring, rambling and exceedingly stuffy.