The Life and Wines of Hugh Johnson

The Life and Wines of Hugh Johnson is the wine writer's memoir, revised and expanded from his 2005 book Wine, A Life Uncorked.

Few people have done more to shape how English speakers talk about wine, and this edition carries the story forward two decades, with a new foreword by Eric Asimov. The structure follows his own drinking: Bordeaux and Burgundy first, then a stretch spent growing and making Sauvignon Gris himself in France, a journey to Georgia to see where viticulture began, and a survey of Cabernet from the Médoc to Martha's Vineyard. Fresh chapters cover the bottles still in his cellar today and his case for sparkling wine, taking in both the grandes marques and English fizz. Flexibound, 351 pages, Académie du Vin Library.

It suits readers who own the pocket guide and want the man behind it. Good company for anyone at the stage of wondering what a lifetime of drinking adds up to, and a safe gift when you do not know the recipient's taste well.