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Hugh Eric Allan Johnson (born 10 March 1939, in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
) is an English journalist, author, editor, and expert on wine. He is considered the world's best-selling wine writer. A wine he tasted in 1964, a 1540 ''Steinwein'' from the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
vineyard
Würzburger Stein Würzburger Stein is a vineyard in the German wine region of Franconia that has been producing a style of wine, known as ''Steinwein'' since at least the 8th century. Located on a hill overlooking the Main river outside the city of Würzburg, t ...
, is considered one of the oldest to have ever been tasted.G. Harding: ''"A Wine Miscellany"'', p. 22, Clarkson Potter Publishing, New York 2005 .H. Johnson: ''Vintage: The Story of Wine'', p. 284, Simon and Schuster 1989. . He is also a keen gardener, who has written books and columns on gardening for many years.


Early life

He was born the son of Guy F. Johnson CBE and Grace Kittel, educated at
Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
and read
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
at
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
.


Career

Johnson became a member of the Cambridge University Wine and Food Society while an undergraduate in the 1950s. On describing his introduction to wine-tasting Johnson has recalled: Johnson has been writing about wine since 1960, was taken on as a feature writer for
Condé Nast Publications Condé is a French place name and personal name. It is ultimately derived from a Celtic word, "Condate", meaning "confluence" (of two rivers) - from which was derived the Romanised form "Condatum", in use during the Roman period, and thence to t ...
upon graduation, and started work on ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' and '' House & Garden'', becoming in 1962 editor of ''Wine & Food'' and in the same year wine correspondent of ''The Sunday Times'', of which in 1967 he became Travel Editor. From 1968 to 1970 he edited ''Queen'' magazine in succession to
Jocelyn Stevens Sir Jocelyn Edward Greville Stevens, (14 February 1932 – 9 October 2014) was the publisher of '' Queen'' magazine and a London newspaper executive. Education and career Stevens attended Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, and Sandhur ...
. He has published a wide array of books, starting with the publication of ''Wine'' in 1966. ''
The World Atlas of Wine ''The World Atlas of Wine'' by Hugh Johnson and (since 2003) Jancis Robinson, MW, is an atlas and reference work on the world of wine, published by Mitchell Beazley. It pioneered the use of wine-specific cartography to give wine a sense of plac ...
'' (1971) was considered the first serious attempt to map the world's wine regions, described by the director of the INAO as "a major event in wine literature". Since its launch in 1973 Johnson has been President of the Sunday Times Wine Club, part of Laithwaites, now the world's largest mail-order wine merchant. From 1986 to 2001 he was a Director of the Bordeaux First Growth Chateau Latour and in 1990 was a co-founder of the Royal Tokaji Wine Company in an attempt to rebuild the foundering
Tokaji Tokaji ( hu, of Tokaj ) or Tokay is the name of the wines from the Tokaj wine region (also ''Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region'' or ''Tokaj-Hegyalja'') in Hungary or the adjoining Tokaj wine region in Slovakia. This region is noted for its sweet wines ...
industry after Communism. In 1986 he started the Hugh Johnson Collection, which sold (until 2010) wine glasses and other artefacts related to wine, mainly in the Far East, with a shop in
St James's Street St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centu ...
, London. His book ''Vintage: The Story of Wine'', an authoritative 500-page compendium, was first published in 1989 by Octopus, and re-edited in 2004 as a fully illustrated edition published by Mitchell Beazley. It also was made into a 13-part TV series for Channel 4 and Boston P.B.S., first airing in 1989. Since 1977 he has compiled his annual ''Pocket Wine Book'', selling many million copies in up to 14 languages. In 1973 Johnson wrote ''The International Book of Trees''. In 1975 he became Editorial Director of the journal of the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (N ...
(''The Garden'') and its columnist, "Tradescant". "Trad's Diary", now in its 44th year, appears online and in ''Hortus'' magazine. In 1979 he published ''The Principles of Gardening'' and in 2010 a new rewritten edition of ''Trees''. "Trad's Diary" has been anthologised three times, as ''Hugh Johnson on Gardening'' (1993), ''Hugh Johnson in the Garden'' (2009) and 'Sitting in the Shade"(2021). He was selected ''Decanter'' Man of the Year in 1995, and was promoted Officer in the French Order Nationale du Mérite in 2004 and Officer of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) in 2007 "for services to wine-making and horticulture". He was awarded the
Veitch Memorial Medal The Veitch Memorial Medal is an international prize issued annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Goal The prize is awarded to "persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement ...
of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2000. Johnson is known as one of the wine world's most vocal opponents to awarding numerical scores to wine. In the autobiography ''A Life Uncorked'', he also expressed regret over the wine critic Robert Parker's influence on the world of wine, which has in his view moved winemaking in many regions towards a more uniform, bigger and richer style. In 2005 Johnson stated, "Imperial hegemony lives in Washington and the dictator of taste in Baltimore".


Selected publications

* ''Wine'' (1966) * ''
The World Atlas of Wine ''The World Atlas of Wine'' by Hugh Johnson and (since 2003) Jancis Robinson, MW, is an atlas and reference work on the world of wine, published by Mitchell Beazley. It pioneered the use of wine-specific cartography to give wine a sense of plac ...
'' (1971, eight editions; since 2004 co-authored with Jancis Robinson) * ''Trees – A Lifetime's Journey through Forests, Woods and Gardens'' (2010) * ''Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book'' (1977, since published annually) * ''The Principles of Gardening'' (1979), Mitchell Beazley Publishers (UK)/Simon & Schuster, Inc. (US) * ''Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion'' (1983, six editions) * ''The Story of Wine'' (1989), and illustrated re-edition (2004), Mitchell Beazley/Octopus, London, UK, 2020 edition, Academie du Vin Library, London, UK * ''The Art and Science of Wine'' (1992, co-authored with James Halliday) * ''A Life Uncorked'' (2006, autobiography, anecdotes and opinions), republished with additions as 'My Life and Wines' Academie de Vin Library 2022). * ''Hugh Johnson's Wine Guide 2012'', iPhone app (2010) * 'Sitting in the shade' (A third anthology of Trad's Diary, 2021)


Television

* ''Vintage: A History of Wine'' (1989)


See also

*
List of wine personalities Instead of common selection criteria for the entire list, notability of people involved should be checked against the description of each sector. Sectors are arranged from cultivation through processing, starting from vineyards to consumption ad ...


References

a.   Robert Parker resides in Monkton, a small town in Baltimore County, Maryland. ;Footnotes {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Hugh 1939 births Living people Writers from London People educated at Rugby School Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Wine critics Wine writers English non-fiction writers English male non-fiction writers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Veitch Memorial Medal recipients James Beard Foundation Award winners English garden writers