Wine Advisor: Vintage Hugh Johnson

[Robin Garr]

Vintage Hugh Johnson

<table border="0" align="right" width="85"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/hugh2008.jpg" border="0"></td></tr></table>As Hugh Johnson approaches his 70th birthday, who could blame him for slowing down a little? For more than 30 years this British scribe has been perhaps the world's most prolific wine writer - and certainly one of its most amiable. His wine books could literally fill a six-foot shelf, and that's not counting his substantial writing on gardening and other topics.

So it's no surprise that, in recent years, Johnson has begun sharing some of the load, in particular sharing much of the responsibility for his excellent "World Atlas of Wine" to his equally estimable British counterpart, Jancis Robinson.

So it was with both happiness and some nostalgia that I unwrapped the new, 2008 edition of Johnson's annual "Pocket Wine Book" this week.

As I wrote in a review last spring of his chatty biography, "Hugh Johnson: A Life Uncorked," I feel a deep affection for Johnson, whose little pocket wine encyclopedia - it must have been the 1978 edition - was my first introduction to serious wine. As this prolific scribe added book after book to his collection, I read them as quickly as he turned them out, and it's no exaggeration to say that his approach and his style molded the way I think about wine.

The 2008 Pocket Wine Book is the 31st annual edition, and I must have had 25 of them or more. It has grown a little thicker over the years, and somewhere along the way saw its name change from "Wine <i>Encyclopedia</i>" to "Wine <i>Book</i>."

Frankly, it doesn't usually change all that much every year, but I invariably order the new one all the same - at $10 plus change from Amazon.com, it's hardly a financial burden, and it's worth the toll to me simply to have Johnson's thoughts on the most recent vintages and to read his brief, thought-provoking essays that introduce each edition. This year's topic, by the way, "Point Scoring," explaining why he has never embraced, and never will embrace, the 100-point scoring system.

Additional features new this year include a short article about Italian wine, with short bios and photos of a gallery of top wine makers and disussion of Italian wine and food; he declares 2006 "a great year ... a five-star vintage" in Italy.

Another new, short feature, "Big Brand Review," offers his brief notes on about 30 modest wines from industrial-scale producers around the world, including "The Best" (Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo and Jacob's Creek Shiraz/Cabernet, for example); "Passable" (Kumala Western Cape Colombard/Chardonnay), and a few singled out as "Poor" (including Yellow Tail Merlot, dissed as "dreadful vanilla ... wine for Coke drinkers"). The usual sections on vintages, varieties, serving temperature, buying advice and wine-and-food matching are all present and accounted for.

Most important, though, is the heart and soul of the book, nearly 250 fine-print, pocket-size pages packed with information on more than 6,000 wines, presented in concise, simply coded form that make it possible to look up virtually any wine you'll find in a restaurant or wine shop, with brief comments and background information, suggestions as to good vintages and those currently drinking well, along with his one- to four-star "general quality rating," an evaluation that expresses his opinion of the producer, not the specific wine.

Just for fun, let's have Johnson tell us about today's featured wine (posted in Wine Focus), a modestly priced Shiraz from Western Australia that I chose for this month's Wine Focus in our online forums.

So, on page 245, under "Australia":

"<b>Plantagenet</b> Mount Barker, WA r w (sp) <b>***</b> (Reds) <b>95 98'</b> 01' 03 (05') The region's elder statesman: wide range of varieties, especially rich CHARD, SHIRAZ and vibrant, potent CAB SAUV."

And, checking the region's vintage conditions on Page 236:

"<b>WESTERN AUSTRALIA (WA)</b> <b>2004</b> ... mild weather, long autumn. Good flavours, some lacking intensity."

It's a bit cryptic, yes, but a simple "key to symbols" on the book jacket and on Page 11 explains it all. Plantagenet, located in the Mount Barker region of Western Australia (WA) makes red, white and sparkling wines and wins Johnson's three-star quality rating, "well-known, highly reputed." He considers Plantagenet's 1995 and 1998 reds good vintages and ready to drink, the 2001 and 2003 to be held, and the 2005 provisionally recommended based on early tasting. The tick mark after 1998, 2001 and 2005 indicates that he considers these wines "particularly successful for the wine in question."

Note that this is not an unabridged encyclopedia. It doesn't detail, for instance, that Hazard Hill is a low-budget label from Plantagenet and likely won't reward aging. Still, this is a lot of information to pull out of a few lines of small print, and I can tell you that I rarely travel without keeping the Pocket Wine Book handy.

If you'd like to order "Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book" from Amazon.com, the following link offers it for $10.17, a 32 percent saving from the $14.95 list price. Orders placed using this exact link will return a small commission to WineLoversPage.com.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1845333209/robingarrswineloA/

To read Amazon.com reviews and, if you wish, purchase the other Johnson books mentioned in this column:

"<B>World Atlas of Wine</B>" (with Jancis Robinson):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1845333012/robingarrswineloA/

"<B>Hugh Johnson: A Life Uncorked</B>":
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520248503/robingarrswineloA/

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Nice review, Robin, thanks. I bought my copy together with Springsteen's new album, yesterday. Speed read through the book -- listened to the songs -- a wonderful experience.

Thanks for the post. It's as if we shared yesterday's experience.

Regards, Bob

Robin,
I recall reading somewhere in the past few years that Johnson no longer has any connection to the book that carries his name, that he sold off the rights to Mitchell Beazley. Confirm or deny? Not that it really affects the quality of the product, which I also think is high enough to warrant a yearly purchase (or, in my case, a yearly Xmas suggestion to baffled relatives).

Mark Lipton

[Robin Garr]

I recall reading somewhere in the past few years that Johnson no longer has any connection to the book that carries his name, that he sold off the rights to Mitchell Beazley. Confirm or deny? Not that it really affects the quality of the product, which I also think is high enough to warrant a yearly purchase (or, in my case, a yearly Xmas suggestion to baffled relatives).

Mark, he's certainly pulling back and easing toward retirement, but I'd be surprised if this is fully true. The introductory essays and commentaries carry his byline or signature and are written in the first person. He does give credit under "acknowledgements" to about three dozen "kind friends ... for help with research or in the areas of their detailed knowledge," but if his hand is not heavily on it, then there's serious fakery going on, and I'd prefer to believe that's not the case.

Mark, he's certainly pulling back and easing toward retirement, but I'd be surprised if this is fully true. The introductory essays and commentaries carry his byline or signature and are written in the first person. He does give credit under "acknowledgements" to about three dozen "kind friends ... for help with research or in the areas of their detailed knowledge," but if his hand is not heavily on it, then there's serious fakery going on, and I'd prefer to believe that's not the case.

I'll have to see if I can recall where I read that. As far as his imprint goes, since it doesn't change much year to year, it's entirely possible that much of the writing is still his, despite a lack of involvement in recent years. I agree, though, that the synopsis of the year past in the beginning of the book certainly smacks of his influence.

Mark Lipton

I'd be staggered if Johnson wasn't writing the book while listed as the author. I very much doubt it.

Mark, as to the little encyclopedia, I'm sure Johnson is the main author with help from lots of people.

In a past issue[s] -- like Robin I have many different copies -- he wrote that his technique is to mark up his copy with notes as he learns new things about a winery or a region -- by the end of the writing year he has dozens and dozens of notes. Those are then consolidated by others, and he re-reads the new version.

He said that he gets an enormous correspondence with suggestions for additions and deletions to these entries over the course of the year, and he also wrote that by the time we read his work, he was well into revising it for the next edition.

The front and end pieces sound very much like his work. Nonetheless, overall, there probably isn't more than 10% changed in the main encyclopedia sections.

As I noted elsewhere, in the Atlas6 he credits Robinson and others all of the travel and the research and most of the writing.

Regards, Bob

... I feel a deep affection for Johnson, whose little pocket wine encyclopedia - it must have been the 1978 edition - was my first introduction to serious wine.

Robin, I also fondly remember that book appearing. It was about the first compact reference in the US listing a large number of wines.

It's still on my quick-reference wine-book shelf. 1978, ISBN 0671230182. I can even remember quirks in the wine-food pairing section. For some foods it recommended "no wine" but for pecan pie, it said "This can be so sweet it leaves you gasping for black coffee. But if you must have a wine, ..." (That's from memory from many years ago. I don't even remember the wine it recommended. I'll take the coffee, myself.)

Not too popular on Squire Squires board though. They took major umbrage about his 'A life uncorked' as he had the gall to criticise souped up wine and the Americans who hyped it up...

A very handy book, but not one to buy every year and usually easy to find at ~ half price. Very useful for obscure stuff as the coverage is immense for such a little book.

regards

Ian

I feel a deep affection for Johnson, whose little pocket wine encyclopedia - it must have been the 1978 edition - was my first introduction to serious wine.

This triggered a memory of my earliest introduction to wine. I am born and bred South African (in Cape Town), so grew up surrounded by the winelands of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Worcester, to name a few. However it was not until I read a little pocket wine encyclopedia by one of South Africa's wine writers, John Platter, that I developed a passion for wine. His little guide has been published since 1980 (almost as long as Hugh Johnson!). I collected almost every edition and kept them close at hand as I did my tastings.

It was thanks to John Platter and another great South African wine & spirits writer, Dave Hughes, that I went on to complete most of the Cape Wine Academy courses, growing my knowledge of wines of the world.

I wonder if every wine-producing country has their own version of this annual pocket size wine encyclopedia?

Imagine how different our lives might have been without these wine writers. Thanks for this post reminding me.

For those interested in this annual guide:
"The John Platter South African Wine Guide is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and authoritative chronicle of who's who and what's what in South African wine country. It packs everything you need to know about the South African wine scene into an informative and entertaining pocket book. The guide's annual editions introduce hundreds of new wines, cellars and directions, as well as culinary, recreational and touristic hotspots throughout the Cape winelands."

It also includes a list of 5 star wines, useful as a starting point for good examples of South African wine.

"For a 5 Star rating in the annual John Platter South African Wine Guide, the full panel of tasters is presented with a selection of top South African wines, each considered by at least one of the tasters to be "superlative, a Cape classic” (18.5 points or more using the 20-point system), and a vote is then taken in determining which are deserving of the book’s ultimate accolade."

The 2008 edition will be available from November 2007 from the website, http://www.platteronline.com. (Nope, I'm not affliated in any way.)

Welcome Natalie, hope to see more of you.
Platters book/guide is a good one, have 2 old ones here. Problem is there is a terrible selection of SA here in my area/country(?) so many of the wines are n/a. There is not even a decent Pinotage around...who said thank goodness (grin)?
Maybe you could find time to list us your fave wineries? How is Syrah/Shiraz doing and what importance does local terroir play in wine production?
Whites, I am a big fan of the Fairview Viognier plus Rudera Chenin Blanc.

Thanks for your welcome. I hope to participate more as I read more and learn the ropes.

Unfortunately I am in a similar boat to you. I moved to the US (Virginia) a few years ago and have found the selection limited, relatively expensive and of varying standard. I am quite "out" of the South African market now, so much of my knowledge is dated.

I am a rather traditional wine drinker, so my favorite wineries are some of the bigger wineries with the bigger price tags. I guess at least that means that might have an export selection.
Without thinking too much, I'd throw out names like Beyerskloof, Buitenverwachting, Fairview, Graham Beck, Kanonkop, Mulderbosch, Neil Ellis, Rust en Vrede, Simonsig, Spier, Thelema, Villiera, Zevenwacht. Really depends on the occasion and what I'm drinking! For example if I want a super Cap Classique (sparkling wine) I'd look immediately to Jeff Grier of Villiera.

On Pinotage, it is an acquired taste - cherries, plums, spice, berries, intense plummy fruit.
If you can ever get hold of any try a Beaumont, Groot Constantia, L'Avenir, Neethlingshof, Nederburg, Spier - buy one that's had a couple of years to mature. No guarantees but those are some good examples. As much as I am personally proud of our very own Pinot Noir / Hermitage varietal, I tend to prefer more full-bodied wines myself.

I found this article from 2005 that might sum up South Africa Shiraz better than I can: http://www.winemag.co.za/content/online ... asp?in=776
I'd recommend trying Shiraz from: Allesverloren, Alto, Avontuur, Backsberg, Fairview, Groot Constantia, La Motte, Muratie, Raka, Spier, Zevenwacht. Some years were better than others and it would depend on what style you enjoy most.

Our local Wine Magazine (http://www.winemag.co.za) rated the following wines best for 2007 in its annual Shiraz Challenge.
WINNER RATED 4½ STARS: Bon Courage Inkará Shiraz 2005
ALSO RATED 4½ STARS: Cloof Crucible Shiraz 2004
RATED 4 STARS:
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2004
Boschrivier Shiraz 2004
Brampton Shiraz 2005 (Rustenberg)
Fairview Shiraz 2005
Hartenberg The Stork Shiraz 2004
Joostenberg Shiraz Viognier 2005
Koelfontein Shiraz 2005
Lomond Conebush Syrah 2005
Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2005 (Boekenhoutskloof)
Quoin Rock Simonsberg Syrah 2005
Saronsberg Provenance Shiraz 2005
Savanha Shiraz 2005 (Spier)
Woolworths Darling Cellars Reserve 2004

Local terroir is a question that could fill its own forum. South Africa's wine regions, although not that geographically far apart, are as diverse as they are similar. Climate and soils vary immensely, so this had a huge impact on wine selection and production.

The Fairview Viognier is an excellent choice, great winery too! I do not know the Rudera Chenin Blanc, but I believe it is well rated. Chenin Blanc is widely planted in SA, often used in blends and is even used as one of the primary grapes in brandy production.
Something that might interest seeing as you mentioned both. I've never had it but sounds like a fun blend.
LA MOTTE PIERNEEF SHIRAZ/VIOGNIER 2005 http://www.wine.co.za/Directory/Wine.as ... CERID=1118

You could try contacting a group like Southern Hemisphere Wine Center (http://www.southernwines.com) to find out if they ship your way. I have never tried them but heard that can provide a fair selection.

Til next time.