Robert Owen Clarke (born 1949), known as Oz Clarke, is a British wine writer, actor, television presenter and broadcaster.

Early life

Clarke's parents were a chest physician and a nursing sister. He is of Irish descent and was brought up

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. His mother was born in

Graiguenamanagh Graiguenamanagh or Graignamanagh () is a town on the River Barrow in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Part of the settlement, known as Tinnahinch, is on the County Carlow side of the river, and Carlow County Council refers to the whole village as "Grai ...

. He was brought up near

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

with a brother and a sister. Clarke became a chorister at

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

and subsequently won a choral scholarship to

The King's School, Canterbury The King's School is a public school in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's oldest public school and is considered to be the oldest continuously op ...

. He later attended

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

where he studied theology and psychology and became Common Room President. He played University hockey, was University punting champion, sang with Schola Cantorum, and acted with the dramatic society and the Oxford Revue at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

. He also captained the

wine-tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

team. He claims to have been given his chosen name, Oz, "in the school showers" when he was 13, because he played cricket like an Australian cricketer. The Australian cricket team was touring the UK at the same time. Prior to this, he answered to the name Robbie, or Robin formally. His goal was to educate British people about making wine approachable to the British public, and introduce them to the high quality wines that Australians and most of the Western World enjoys. Having grown up in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, Clarke played

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

for Babes of Kent schoolboys and supports Gillingham. He can be seen wearing a Gillingham scarf in '' Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas'', broadcast prior to Christmas 2009 and ''James May's Man Lab Christmas Special'', broadcast prior to Christmas 2011, both on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

Acting career

After Oxford, Clarke started a career as a full-time actor and singer. His first job was at

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

, followed by

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, Manchester and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. He then worked for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, the National Theatre, the Old Vic and

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

. In the West End, he appeared with Michael Crawford in '' Billy'' at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

, sang Sweeney Todd in ''Sweeney Todd'', played all the men in ''The'' ''Mitford Girls'' and General Peron in ''Evita''. It was during this acting period that he was drafted in to the newly formed English Wine Tasting Team, who won competitions against France, Germany and the USA, among others. This proved crucial for his career development. When a wine expert dropped out of the new BBC show ''

Food and Drink ''Food and Drink'' is a British television series on BBC Two. First broadcast between 1982 and 2002, it was the first national television programme in the UK to cover the subject of food and drink without cookery and recipe demonstrations. Hi ...

'', the acclaimed television producer Peter Bazalgette allegedly shouted, 'Get me the actor who knows about wine'. They did, and Clarke's career began to shift away from theatre towards wine, but not out of the entertainment business. He and Jilly Goolden became the voices and faces of wine in Britain for a generation. He played one of the first criminals apprehended by Superman in the 1978 film ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'', a terrorist in ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David Newman (screenwriter), David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment i ...

'', a Special Branch man in '' Who Dares Wins'' and Balthasar in Stuart Burge's 1984 film of ''Much Ado About Nothing''. He sang the baritone role – and Sam Gamgee's song – in the BBC adaptation of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' and recorded Stephen Oliver's ''A Man of Feeling'' for Granada TV. In December 2011, Clarke was one of the team in the

programme '' James May's Man Lab Christmas Special''.

Wine career

While performing in Sheila Hancock's ''Dandy Dick'', he joined the '' Sunday Express'' as their first wine writer. He then became wine correspondent of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

''. In 1982, Clarke won the last World Wine Tasting Championship, a

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

event that has not been repeated since then. Clarke has written several award-winning books, and is generally regarded as the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

champion who led Britain's wine revolution in the 1990s and 2000s, but he is also a passionate supporter of the

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

classics, in particular

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

. Clarke has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, including ''

'', the long-running

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Food show, for which he became well known in the UK for his stint as the wine expert alongside Jilly Goolden, and ''A Question of Taste'' and ''The Wine Programme'' for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

. He made three successful BBC TV series with

James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...

: '' Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'' in France and California, and '' Oz and James Drink to Britain''. The comedian Hugh Dennis was later brought into this concept as '' Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas'' was broadcast in 2009, and the later series, '' Oz and Hugh Raise the Bar'', was broadcast over the Christmas period in 2010. Clarke stated in ''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'' that he was banned from the

Champagne region The wine region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France is best known for the production of champagne, the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name. EU law and the laws of most countries reserve the term ...

of France in the 1990s for having made statements suggesting that champagne was deteriorating in value while rising in price. In November 2008 a survey by the wine industry consultancy firm Wine Intelligence was made public, having polled the views of more than 1,500 regular UK wine drinkers. Results show that Clarke was the most recognised wine critic in the UK. In 2009 he won the International Wine Challenge Personality of the Year award jointly with James May, in the same week as winning the Louis Roederer International Book of the Year for his book ''Bordeaux''. In 2010 he and James May won the TRIC Award for 'best documentary' (for ''Oz and James Drink to Britain''). He was also awarded an Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the

French Government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

. Oz Clarke's writing is now published by Pavilion Books, an imprint of

Anova Books HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is ...

. In December 2010, he launched his very first app for use on Apple's

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

and

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

, through Anova Digital: ''Oz Clarke's Best Wines 2011'' and ''Oz Clarke's Xmas Wines''. In October 2018 his new book ''Red & White'' was published by

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emil ...

and he embarked on promotional book tour

Personal life

He is a cousin of Irish journalist and broadcaster

Olivia O'Leary Olivia O'Leary (born 1949) is an Irish people, Irish journalist, writer and current affairs presenter. Education Educated at St Leo's College, Carlow and at University College Dublin (UCD), she worked with the The Nationalist (Carlow), ''Natio ...

. In a 2019 interview, Clarke revealed he was married, with a 3-year-old daughter, his only child.

Selected bibliography

* ''The Essential Wine Book'' (1988) * ''Oz Clarke's Wine Guide'' ormerly ''Webster's Wine Guide''(published annually since the late 1980s, retitled ''Oz Clarke 250 Best Wines Wine Buying Guide'', 2008–present) 2011 edition: * ''Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Book'' (annually since 1993) Pavilion Books (2007–present) 2011 edition: * ''Oz Clarke's New Classic Wines'', Simon & Schuster (1991) * ''Oz Clarke's New Encyclopedia of French Wines'', Simon & Schuster (1991) * ''Oz Clarke's Australian Wine Companion'', Little, Brown & Co (2004) * ''Clarke and Spurrier's Fine Wine Guide'', Little, Brown & Co (1998 and 2001) * ''Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Wine'', Little, Brown & Co (1999 and 2003) * ''Oz Clarke's Introducing Wine'', Little, Brown & Co (2000 and 2003) * ''Oz Clarke's Wine Atlas'', Little, Brown & Co/Pavilion Books (1995, 2002 and 2007) * ''Vinopolis World Wine Guide'', Little, Brown & Co (1999) * ''Z Cards: Wine & Food Matcher, Wine Vintages. Wine Tasting, Wine Finder'' (2001) * ''Oz Clarke's Grapes and Wines: A Guide to Varieties and Flavours'', by Oz Clarke & Margaret Rand (2001, 2003, 2008) * ''Sainsbury's Book of Wine'', Sainsbury's (1987) * ''Sainsbury's Regional Wine Guides'' Series, Sainsbury's (1988) * ''Sainsbury's Pocket Wine Guide'', Sainsbury's (1993) ASIN B000RYL20 * ''Oz Clarke's Wine Companion to... – Bordeaux, Tuscany, Burgundy, California'' (1997) * ''Microsoft Wine Guide'' (1995–2002, CD-ROM) * ''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'', with Julie Arkell, BBC Books (2006) * ''Oz Clarke Bordeaux'', Pavilion Books (2006) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2008'' Pavilion Books (2007) * ''Oz Clarke: 101 Best Whites and Roses 2008'' Pavilion Books (2008) * ''Oz Clarke: Grapes & Wines'' with Margaret Rand, Pavilion Books (2008) * ''Oz Clarke: 250 Best Wines 2008'' Pavilion Books (2009) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2009'' Pavilion Books (2008) * ''Oz Clarke: 250 Best Wines 2009'' Pavilion Books (2008) * ''Oz Clarke: 'Let Me Tell You About Wine' – A beginner’s guide to understanding and enjoying wine'', Pavilion Books (2009) * ''Oz and James Drink to Britain'', with James May, Pavilion Books (2009) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2010'' Pavilion Books (2009) * ''Oz Clarke: 250 Best Wines 2010'' Pavilion Books (2009) * ''Oz Clarke: Bordeaux – Second Edition'' Pavilion Books (2009) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2011'' Pavilion Books (2010) * ''Oz Clarke: 250 Best Wines 2011'' Pavilion Books (2010) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2012'' Pavilion Books (2011) * ''Oz Clarke: 250 Best Wines 2012'' Pavilion Books (2011) * ''Oz Clarke: Bordeaux – Third Edition'' Pavilion Books (2012) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2013'' Pavilion Books (2012) * ''Oz Clarke: My Top Wines 2013'' Pavilion Books (2012) * ''Oz Clarke: Pocket Wine Book 2014'' Pavilion Books (2013) * ''Oz Clarke: Grapes & Wines'' with Margaret Rand, Pavilion Books (2014) * ''Oz Clarke: The History of Wine in 100 Bottles'', Pavilion Books (2015) * ''Oz Clarke: Grapes & Wines'' with Margaret Rand, Pavilion Books- UPDATED EDITION (2015) * ''Oz Clarke Wine A-Z'' (2015)

Honours and awards

* Youngest ever British Wine Taster of the Year 1973 * Captain of victorious England Wine Tasters Team 1980 * World Wine Tasting Championship winner, 1982 * ''Wine Magazine'' Book of the Year 1984 * Wine Guild of the United Kingdom Wine Writer 1984 (''Webster's Wine Guide''), 1989 (''Sainsbury's Book of Wine''), 1992 (''New Classic Wines'') * Winner of the International World Wine Tasting Championships, Los Angeles * Glenfiddich Drink Award 1983 (journalism), 1989 (journalism), 1992 (''New Classic Wines'') * André Simon Drink Book Award 1992 (''New Classic Wines'') * James Beard Wine & Spirits Award 1992 (''New Classic Wines'') * Julia Child Cookbook Award (Wine, Beer & Spirits) 1996 (''Oz Clarke's Wine Atlas'') * Le Prix Lanson 1997 (''Wine Guide'' CD-ROM) * Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Special Millennium Award 1999 (for outstanding contribution to wine education and communication during previous decade) * Jacob's Creek Silver Ladle 1999 (''Wine Guide'' CD-ROM) * Le Prix Lanson Wine Book of the Year 2002 (''Grapes & Wines'') * Special Millennium Award, Le Prix du Champagne Lanson 1999 * Le Prix Lanson Annual Wine Guide of the Year 2004 (''Pocket Wine Book'') * International Wine & Spirit Competition Communicator of the Year 2006 * Roederer International Wine Book of the Year 2009 for ''Bordeaux'' * International Wine Challenge Personality of the Year Award 2009: Oz Clarke and James May * Gourmand Award for Wine Literature 2009 (''Oz and James Drink to Britain'') * TRIC award for TV Arts/Documentary programme 2010 (''Oz Clarke and James Drink to Britain'' TV series) * Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole 2010 Clarke was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to broadcasting and journalism.

References

External links

Oz Clarke official site
*

Performing Artistes {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Oz Living people Wine critics English television presenters English people of Irish descent Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford People educated at The King's School, Canterbury 1949 births James Beard Foundation Award winners Officers of the Order of the British Empire Wine writers English journalists