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Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover
A classic book about the pleasures of wine by the editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine
Even the French admit that Jancis Robinson is the "undisputed mistress of the kingdom of wine" ( Le Figaro ) and her is vintage memoir of a life in wine. Internationally renowned for her work in both television and print, she is the editor of the bestselling Oxford Companion to Wine and has won more than two dozen major awards around the world. Tasting Pleasure is her compelling account of a passion that began while studying at Oxford University.Writing with Julia Child's authority, Elizabeth David's intelligence, and M.F.K. Fisher's verve, Robinson takes us on a journey through the world's finest cellars, most beautiful vineyards, and best restaurants. As she explores the universe of the grape--from Bordeaux to Australia and South Africa to California--we meet scores of colorful, wine-loving characters, including Philippe de Rothschild, Julian Barnes, Francis Ford Coppola, and Julio Gallo.There are many books about producing and rating wine; this one is about enjoying it. Witty, revealing, and knowledgeable, in Tasting Pleasure Jancis Robinson has distilled twenty years in the wine world into a hugely entertaining read.
Even the French admit that Jancis Robinson is the "undisputed mistress of the kingdom of wine" ( Le Figaro ) and her is vintage memoir of a life in wine. Internationally renowned for her work in both television and print, she is the editor of the bestselling Oxford Companion to Wine and has won more than two dozen major awards around the world. Tasting Pleasure is her compelling account of a passion that began while studying at Oxford University.Writing with Julia Child's authority, Elizabeth David's intelligence, and M.F.K. Fisher's verve, Robinson takes us on a journey through the world's finest cellars, most beautiful vineyards, and best restaurants. As she explores the universe of the grape--from Bordeaux to Australia and South Africa to California--we meet scores of colorful, wine-loving characters, including Philippe de Rothschild, Julian Barnes, Francis Ford Coppola, and Julio Gallo.There are many books about producing and rating wine; this one is about enjoying it. Witty, revealing, and knowledgeable, in Tasting Pleasure Jancis Robinson has distilled twenty years in the wine world into a hugely entertaining read.
342 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
17 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Jancis Robinson
52 books116 followersJancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com. She also provides advice for Queen Elizabeth II's wine cellar.
Robinson studied mathematics and philosophy at Oxford University and worked for a travel company after leaving university. Robinson started her wine writing career on December 1, 1975 when she became assistant editor for the trade magazine Wine & Spirit. In 1984 she became the first person outside the wine trade to become a Master of Wine. She also served as British Airways's wine consultant.
As a wine writer, she has become one of the world's leading writers of educational and encyclopedic material on wine. The Oxford Companion to Wine, edited by Robinson, is generally considered to be the most complete wine encyclopedia. In addition, The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson is one of the leading wine atlases. In 1995, Jancis Robinson appeared in a 10-episode wine course on BBC 2 television. This series has later been reissued on DVD. A book titled Jancis Robinson's Wine Course was written to accompany the series and has gone through several editions.
She has an honorary doctorate from the Open University, and was made an OBE in 2003, among numerous other awards for her writing. Her accolades include multiple Glenfiddich Awards and André Simon Memorial Awards, and Decanter's "1999 (Wo)Man of the Year".
Robinson studied mathematics and philosophy at Oxford University and worked for a travel company after leaving university. Robinson started her wine writing career on December 1, 1975 when she became assistant editor for the trade magazine Wine & Spirit. In 1984 she became the first person outside the wine trade to become a Master of Wine. She also served as British Airways's wine consultant.
As a wine writer, she has become one of the world's leading writers of educational and encyclopedic material on wine. The Oxford Companion to Wine, edited by Robinson, is generally considered to be the most complete wine encyclopedia. In addition, The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson is one of the leading wine atlases. In 1995, Jancis Robinson appeared in a 10-episode wine course on BBC 2 television. This series has later been reissued on DVD. A book titled Jancis Robinson's Wine Course was written to accompany the series and has gone through several editions.
She has an honorary doctorate from the Open University, and was made an OBE in 2003, among numerous other awards for her writing. Her accolades include multiple Glenfiddich Awards and André Simon Memorial Awards, and Decanter's "1999 (Wo)Man of the Year".
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 11, 2016
Witty, charming, full of fascinating anecdotes. I love this insider's glimpse of the wine world from a woman's perspective.
August 2, 2017
The combination of deep intellect, poetic sensitivity and a profound palate makes Jancis Robinson perhaps the greatest human to ever write sentences about wine. Thomas Jefferson and Ernest Hemingway have some great quotes, but their wine knowledge doesn’t even come. Hugh Johnson (friend and mentor to Robinson), has the knowledge and palate but he can’t compete with Robinson’s linguistic artistry.
The long-time British wine writer, and first woman to earn the prestigious Master of Wine title, has been churning out essays and wine books for decades, and she’s still going strong. Her BBC series about wine and her cadre of wine books were the basis for my early wine studies, and I continue to learn from her about far more than just vintage variation or fermentation techniques. She’s a skilled orator, a beautiful writer, and a passionate defender of maximizing pleasure through wine appreciation.
Recently, I went back and read one of her books called “Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover.” Composed of musings, travelogues, wine tasting notes, and random wine-related thoughts, this book was first published in 1997. Some parts do come across as dated, but reading it 20 years later, I found it fascinating how much her thoughts on wine were still very relevant today. Even though the global wine industry has shifted dramatically in the past two decades, many of her thoughts about appreciating wine seem timeless.
Some of the book reads a little too much like an overly-detailed diary, and some parts are skippable, but there are little nuggets of wine appreciation wisdom I thought I’d share.
Why “taste” wine as opposed to just drinking it?
“The most common sort of conscious wine tasting (as opposed to just drinking, which anyone can do) is the most admirable one, tasting for the purposes of pure pleasure… It also makes perfect sense because just throwing something as heavily taxed as wind down the gullet — as a surprising number of people do — is a waste of someone’s money.”
On wine connoisseurship and the preeminence of pleasure
“I am very aware that these strange connoisseur creatures, who clearly allow their conduct to be swayed by previous experience, may sound a bit precious, perhaps suspiciously snobbish. But the difference between them and, say, a stickler for protocol or etiquette, is that they do what they do for the entirely sensible, selfish and laudable reason of maximizing pleasure. There is nothing whatever wrong with wine lovers who simple pour wine with careless gusto down their throats. There are times when that and only that will do. But those who will not meet a wine halfway, and who consistently ignore the story each wine has to tell, deprive themselves of a large part of the potential associated with each bottle. As I was to learn, a wine is more than just a liquid.”
The long-time British wine writer, and first woman to earn the prestigious Master of Wine title, has been churning out essays and wine books for decades, and she’s still going strong. Her BBC series about wine and her cadre of wine books were the basis for my early wine studies, and I continue to learn from her about far more than just vintage variation or fermentation techniques. She’s a skilled orator, a beautiful writer, and a passionate defender of maximizing pleasure through wine appreciation.
Recently, I went back and read one of her books called “Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover.” Composed of musings, travelogues, wine tasting notes, and random wine-related thoughts, this book was first published in 1997. Some parts do come across as dated, but reading it 20 years later, I found it fascinating how much her thoughts on wine were still very relevant today. Even though the global wine industry has shifted dramatically in the past two decades, many of her thoughts about appreciating wine seem timeless.
Some of the book reads a little too much like an overly-detailed diary, and some parts are skippable, but there are little nuggets of wine appreciation wisdom I thought I’d share.
Why “taste” wine as opposed to just drinking it?
“The most common sort of conscious wine tasting (as opposed to just drinking, which anyone can do) is the most admirable one, tasting for the purposes of pure pleasure… It also makes perfect sense because just throwing something as heavily taxed as wind down the gullet — as a surprising number of people do — is a waste of someone’s money.”
On wine connoisseurship and the preeminence of pleasure
“I am very aware that these strange connoisseur creatures, who clearly allow their conduct to be swayed by previous experience, may sound a bit precious, perhaps suspiciously snobbish. But the difference between them and, say, a stickler for protocol or etiquette, is that they do what they do for the entirely sensible, selfish and laudable reason of maximizing pleasure. There is nothing whatever wrong with wine lovers who simple pour wine with careless gusto down their throats. There are times when that and only that will do. But those who will not meet a wine halfway, and who consistently ignore the story each wine has to tell, deprive themselves of a large part of the potential associated with each bottle. As I was to learn, a wine is more than just a liquid.”
September 20, 2020
Funny and witty at times. I did learn about wine and the business behind it, which was the goal. It is a business that's full of love, science, greed and gluttony and she balances those perspectives nicely. A little hard to read as there was some old school English pretension there, but I enjoyed the challenge.
However I found myself cringing while reading about her copious alcohol consumption (she definitely didn't always spit) while pregnant with her numerous children- at a time where Fetal Alcohol Effects/Syndrome was well known. JR is clearly a wine lover, no matter what the cost- it made the book less enjoyable for me.
However I found myself cringing while reading about her copious alcohol consumption (she definitely didn't always spit) while pregnant with her numerous children- at a time where Fetal Alcohol Effects/Syndrome was well known. JR is clearly a wine lover, no matter what the cost- it made the book less enjoyable for me.
March 6, 2019
part memoir, part travelogue, all wine + robinson is an engaging raconteur, and her recounting of jaw-dropping tasting experiences & cast of wine world giants is so entertaining
🍷
“...those who will not meet a wine halfway, and who consistently ignore the story each wine has to tell, deprive themselves of a large part of the potential pleasure associated with each bottle. As I was to learn, a wine is more than just a liquid...wine is capable of reaching not just your throat and nose but your brain, your heart, and occasionally your soul too.”
🍷
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
🍷
“...those who will not meet a wine halfway, and who consistently ignore the story each wine has to tell, deprive themselves of a large part of the potential pleasure associated with each bottle. As I was to learn, a wine is more than just a liquid...wine is capable of reaching not just your throat and nose but your brain, your heart, and occasionally your soul too.”
🍷
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
October 12, 2021
Tem trechos muito divertidos.
September 30, 2024
I love Jancis but this one was sadly a slog
February 14, 2023
Such fun reviewing the life story of Jancis Robinson throughout the decades (60s-90s). So many people and iconic wines. A real immersion into the life of a famous wine writer and TV program host.
March 5, 2017
I received a free copy of this book through the Read It Forward program from Crown Publishing.
I just couldn't get into this one. A wine writer talking about her life experiences could be interesting and funny, but sadly Robinson didn't really come off as either in this book. She kind of rambles on about her life in a disjointed way that made it hard to follow the narrative of what she's talking about in a particular chapter. I found my attention wandering frequently and had to stop about a third of the way through because I didn't think it was going to get much better.
I just couldn't get into this one. A wine writer talking about her life experiences could be interesting and funny, but sadly Robinson didn't really come off as either in this book. She kind of rambles on about her life in a disjointed way that made it hard to follow the narrative of what she's talking about in a particular chapter. I found my attention wandering frequently and had to stop about a third of the way through because I didn't think it was going to get much better.
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August 7, 2011I loved this book, it is so charmingly written, so entertaining, lively, educational. I've enjoyed her columns and met her once many years ago at a wine tasting (where else ?). This book is a wonderful reflection on a life some of us may envy. It was written over 10 years ago and the wine world has continued to evolve, but reading this still feels fresh. For anyone who enjoys wine I'd recommend this book.
March 28, 2010
Robinson is a good writer, better than I expected, and this is lots of fun. Love the strange UK wine terminology.
September 13, 2012
Robinson is an excellent wine educator and her contribution tithe wine world cannot be disputed. These confessions were not as informative as her other books, but I guess it was the point in a way.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews