Noble Rot meets Jancis Robinson HER ROYAL VINENESS

Words by Dan Keeling

Portraits by

Jancis Robinson, Brawn, London, 15 January 2019 Juan Trujillo Andrades

44 Noble Rot Noble Rot 45 BE. MW. MA from Oxford University. Cumbria and studying at Oxford University, Dan Keeling You were passionate about food anyway, so we always used to say that there Officier du Mérite Agricole. Financial Jancis’ first job was in a travel company before getting into . Did you think about was a dumb-waiter service by actors playing OTimes wine columnist. Founder of [Thomson Holidays, a tour operator] before following a career in food? dumb waiters. Britain’s most trusted vinous website, as well joining the now defunct magazine Wine & as author of numerous books, and recipient Spirit. Since then she has worked as an editor Jancis Robinson Yes, I had three years DK And a celebrity clientele? of countless awards. Jancis Robinson is one or columnist on various magazines and working in travel, then one year dropping out of the wine world’s greatest achievers, a feat national newspapers, including The Sunday in the Luberon, getting over the fact that, JR Oh God, yes, Princess Di was there with made even more impressive by the fact she Times, and written and presented The Wine back in the early 1970s, food and wine were bodyguards. Mick Jagger came, and one has done it all while raising three now Programme and Jancis Robinson’s Wine regarded as completely frivolous subjects of the waitresses kept the cup and said, grown-up children with fellow Financial Course on television in the 1990s. that you wouldn’t waste an Oxford “I’m never going to wash this cup.” Ella Times columnist husband, and ex-owner With her website JancisRobinson.com University education on. When I came back Fitzgerald. Elena Salvoni, the maîtresse d’, of Soho’s L’Escargot, Nick Lander. Indeed, (now counting members in 100 countries) to London, having been surrounded by had a roster of regulars she brought with over-delivery is such a Robinson trait it approaching its 20th anniversary, the Jancis French people for whom eating and drinking her, too. She came from Bianchi’s around the poses the question: how does she find the effect – inspiring generations of readers to was what life’s all about, I was looking for corner; Nick said it was because she felt time to fit everything in? embrace the joy of wine – is unique. “My jobs in food just as much as in wine. In the sorry for him because he had opened it with We meet for lunch at east London’s books have made me friends around the mid-70s, there was such a thing as director’s no experience whatsoever. He started off bastion of French/Italo cooking, Brawn, world,” she says, sipping a 1985 Valentini lunches [catering for company executives], importing some pretty ordinary California sandwiched between her reviewing at Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. “It’s very nice that and there were young girls who cooked varietals in 1980, and he realised how difficult a Burgundy en primeur tasting and going to there are so many wine lovers who feel they them, and I was even thinking of doing that. it was to make money selling wine, so the dentist (honestly, no time is wasted). know me because they’ve read them – it’s I remember somebody who did do director’s thought it would be a good idea to have a Over the course of the next two hours our such a great reward. Not long ago, a girl was lunches saying to me, “Just do a kipper pâté little wine bar and cut out the middle man. conversation veers between art, fashion and sitting next to me at one of my book launches once a week and you’ll end up on budget.” An architect friend of his said, “I’ve found the even football, but it’s when discussing her in China, waiting for us to have our photo perfect place, but it’s not a little wine bar.” appetite for discovering new things about taken together. She threw her arms around DK Writing about wine is a bit different from The two of them, before he met me, fell madly wine that it becomes obvious what has kept me, gave me a big hug, and said, ‘I love you!’ cooking lunch, isn’t it? in love with a beautiful town house on Greek her writing essential some 43 years after It was so sweet.” Street with about 400 covers. I think if I’d becoming a journalist. Growing up in JR I feel so lucky to be the mother of a been around, I would have poured cold water restaurateur [Will Lander of Quality Chop on the sheer ambition of it. House, Portland and Clipstone], and married to a restaurateur and restaurant critic, too. DK Did you put together the wine list? I remember just after Nick sold L’Escargot, which he had to do because he was so ill, JR I certainly helped by writing it. Initially, I needed to ring home to see if one of the the idea was to have an all-American list. children was OK. Having had the run of it – a So, soon after we met, I joined Nick in big restaurant over three floors – it was such California and we went on a buying trip. a shock to me when I asked the receptionist if I think the first Oregon and Washington I could make a call and they said, “Yes, the wines in Britain were for the L’Escargot list. public telephone is upstairs.” It was great fun, but there was one time when a party of six Frenchmen came in, DK How many years did you guys ordered their food, looked at the wine list, own L’Escargot? stood up and walked out! We realised that there are certain sorts of wine that America JR Not that many. I met Nick in November just doesn’t produce, like the equivalents of 1980, when he was renovating it. It opened Chablis, and Muscadet, which were in June 1981 and he sold it in 1988. But it was very, very popular then. So then we started quite a place then. Well, especially then, adding those particular ingredients. I think because, whereas today London is teeming we always had Champagne. with restaurants and you never have one restaurant that everybody agrees is the DK What are your favourite restaurant wine place, L’Escargot really was the bee’s lists today? knees. We had quite a lot of out-of-work actors working there, at the beginning JR I love Zuni Café in San Francisco, both for Jancis Robinson and Dan Keeling at Brawn, London, 15 January 2018

46 Noble Rot Noble Rot 47 the food and the wine list. There’s always school; high school – getting a bit something interesting. I like well put bigger; Oxford University – a big provincial together wine lists in California, or even in city; and then London. New York, because they introduce me to something new, because they have a different DK If you were broke and wanted to drink frame of reference and importers. I mean, the fine wine regularly, what would you buy? average classical restaurant wine list isn’t that thrilling, because it’s the same old to a JR It’s been great sport to knock Bordeaux, certain extent. At one stage, I was very keen but there are some fantastic values if you on living in California. I used to go at least choose the right vintages – 2009s, 2015s, once a year, and still have masses of friends things like that – in petit châteaux and Cru there. In California, it’s as though bugs don’t Bourgeois. It’s bizarre when you think how bite and the weather is perfect and overpriced the top end is, and how everything is so easy and the food is so good. underpriced the bottom end is. I’m certainly But now, with children and grandchildren, not going to head that way in 2013, but in the I wouldn’t think of moving – but certainly vintages where things are ripened. And also that would have been the place. Beaujolais – great Beaujolais is still not zooming up in price – and Garnacha. One to DK So you couldn’t see yourself living outside watch is a new young MW called Fernando London in the UK again? Mora, who is reviving his local area in Aragon and completely determined to put it on the JR No. I was brought up in a village of 40 map. He makes a little Campo de Borja, but people, so I’ve done that. I was pretty bored. most of his stuff is outside the DO. So that My brother was three years younger than me, would be a tip. I’m a big fan of Garnacha/ and I think there was only one other child in Grenache, actually – I like that rosy, slightly the village, so there weren’t even that many Pinot-y style. opportunities to play. And there were no shops. I just spent an awful lot of time DK Do you have a wine cellar at home? reading. Carlisle was the nearest town, and I would have to catch the bus because my JR Yes, about 2,000 bottles; it’s not an mother didn’t have a car until I was older. enormous quantity. I’m very undisciplined, The bus took about 25 minutes, and it came and buy in a slightly impressionistic way. very infrequently. Even Carlisle, when I was When we lived in Belsize Park, we had a growing up, had one shop that someone of my spiral cellar at the bottom of the garden, but age and interests would want to buy clothes tree roots punctured it so the spiral cellar in. Occasionally, maybe once a year, we’d go became very damp and the labels started over to Newcastle on the train, that lovely moulding. But in our new flat in King’s Cross little train ride across the narrowest bit of we had a custom-made, well, we call it a , and there’d be Fenwick and cellar, but it’s on the 14th floor. I’m so lucky Bainbridge’s. That seemed like the big city! with work that I get so many chances to taste great wine, that it’s really just DK Did you always dream of coming to about entertaining. London, or did you feel a north-south divide? DK What case has given you the most JR No, I never felt that. I was delighted to satisfaction, that really stands out? come to London and had an uncle who lived, amazingly, in Portland Place. At least once JR I’ve got some Henri Jayer ‘Cros a year, we’d stay with my grandmother in Parantoux’, which is pretty smart. Surrey, and en route we’d spend a night or two in Portland Place; I had a taste of the DK Will you drink it or sell it? big city. So, leaving was a nice gradual progression, it went: tiny village, local village JR But what do you do with the money? Just Bottom left: 1985 Valentini Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo. Bottom right: crab, calçots and almond

48 Noble Rot Noble Rot 49 buy more wine. I’ve only got the 1993, so it’s going to treasure them. A lot of the time not a bad year to have. I’ve never deliberately these wines are just being washed down sold wine, but have had wine extracted from unappreciative throats. my cellar by other people! Also, we enjoyed drinking a case of Le Pin 1983, but I can’t DK Has wine investment had a huge negative “I’VE ALWAYS SAID remember each occasion when I drank it, effect? because it was so early on in its reputation. THAT IT WOULD BE It cost around £100 for the case. JR I have to say that when, after 2009 and TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE 2010, all those wine funds went belly up, DK Many wine writers today don’t have I was rubbing my hands in glee. Because it’s TO BE A PROFESSIONAL the means to buy the hugely expensive just not what wine is for, and the idea that wines that they review. If they’re not people are buying wine without ever thinking WINE WRITER IN THE regularly drinking them – only tasting – of drinking it is so depressing. UK AND NEVER is this a problem for retaining TO HAVE LEFT THE a consumer perspective? DK Do you prefer communicating about wine through writing or presenting on television COUNTRY. YOU JUST GO JR Well, going on a slight tangent from that – and why? point, but I’ve had this discussion with a TO THE SUPERMARKET friend, Simon Loftus, who used to run JR Probably writing. My absolute number Adnams, who was telling a story about how one medium is the website, because I’m a TASTINGS AND he fell for wine when he had a chance to taste control freak, and it’s so quick as well. So MAJESTIC. BUT IT’S 1945 Mouton Rothschild as a young man. He there are no mediators. Well, we do copy was bemoaning the fact that nowadays young editing, but there’s no commissioning editor SO DULL!” people will never taste those iconic wines to satisfy, there’s no printing to be done. because they just can’t afford them. But There’s no film editing to be done. You can I don’t feel that that’s disastrous, because publish it straight away. You can say exactly in the old days the world of wine was very what you want to say. stratified and shaped like a pyramid, with Radishes and anchoïade, Cantabrian anchovies with rosemary oil just a few little pinnacle things that everyone DK Apart from the Financial Times had to taste at least once, but now it’s so wide, and notable exceptions, why do you think and there are so many great wines being so many national newspapers dumb down it’s all about money and shaving a penny had a subscription to Marxism Today, was made all over the world. Now, anybody their wine coverage? off here and there. that there is no dishonour or shame in asking getting into wine, whether they want to be questions. He always would say, “Oh, tell me. a writer or just an interested consumer, can JR I don’t know, but I can’t believe an DK Your friend Edmund Penning-Rowsell Oh, really? Oh, how interesting.” I don’t know titillate themselves with a far greater range editor says, “I’d like you to write only about used to write about wine for the Financial if you’ve perhaps been round the odd winery of sensations than was ever possible in the Jacob’s Creek, please.” It doesn’t make Times before you took over. Was he a mentor? with other people, and they’d die rather than 1960s or 70s, and there’s a certain feeling of, sense, does it? Not when you look at their ask a question. But otherwise you’re never well, let the oligarchs have the tippy-toppies coverage of everything else. I think, in some JR Definitely. And he was notable for going to learn. I’m not ashamed of asking really, it’s not going to prevent you from cases, it is because it’s easier for the writer. having a subscription to Marxism Today dumb questions. We learn something all the having an opinion about wine never to have You know, you need a lot more knowledge to until he died. time, don’t we? I learn something new every tasted this handful of great things. Even if write in detail about a region, about how day. was quite a mentor for you just look at Bordeaux, if you’ve never things are going in the market, than just to DK Is Marxism and a passion for expensive me, too. We spent quite a time together when tasted a First Growth, but you’ve had a churn out stuff about supermarket wines. fine wine compatible? I made a television programme about her. Pichon Baron, you’ve had the same sensation I’ve always said that it would be technically She could be difficult, and always had her way for much, much less money. I think it’s sad, possible to be a professional wine writer in JR I think so. I mean, anyone with any of doing things. She would have very strong for some reasons, that trophy wines have the UK and never to have left the country. disposable income has a choice about how to views – this kind of olive is great, but that become luxury products, but I don’t think it’s You just go to the supermarket tastings and spend it. It could be a ticket to the Emirates, kind of olive is not! the end of connoisseurship as we know it. The Majestic. But it’s so dull! And it’s got less or it could be a case of decent wine; they’re sad thing must be for the people who make and less interesting as the supermarket about the same price. I know a lot of quite DK What did you learn from her? these trophy wines; they must wonder what wine departments have. They used to be rabid socialists and they’re pretty keen on proportion of people who are going to drink quite competitive and really want to have their wine. Edmund was great, and the real JR I didn’t learn to be stroppy, because I’m them are really going to get them, really the best supermarket selection, and now thing I learned from him, because I’ve never not stroppy. Perhaps a certain amount of

50 Noble Rot Noble Rot 51 fastidiousness. We filmed her at The Walnut weren’t supposed to wear bikinis, so I had a Tree in Abergavenny, because that was one “I'M HOPING I strange period in my 30s where I didn’t wear of her favourite restaurants. TAKE AFTER MY a bikini, but I do now. I’m like one of those old women on French beaches. And I wish I’d DK How much do you honestly drink a day? GRANDMOTHER WHO been braver earlier about speaking French. WASN'T REALLY INTO It took me really until the mid-1980s – so JR Less than I did. Nick and I used to when I was in my mid-30s – just to jump pretty easily finish a bottle of wine between WINE, BUT WAS in and realise you’re never going to do it us every night. But not nowadays. I’m until you do it, and don’t be worried about afraid more and more when we go out, it’s MASSIVELY INTO GIN. making mistakes. quite rare for us to order a bottle of wine, WHEN SHE WAS IN HER but that’s partly because by-the-glass DK Bearing in mind climate issues, offers are so much better. With curiosity, 80S, SHE HEARD THAT politics and economics, if you were a young you want to taste lots of different things. TOO MUCH GIN WAS BAD wine maker, what region would you choose But I can’t remember the last dry day to set up in? I had, I’m afraid. It’s work, you see [laughs]. FOR YOU, SO SHE I’m hoping I take after my paternal JR I do love Italy. Not that I love all of Italy grandmother, who wasn’t really into wine, SWITCHED TO WHISKY – I wouldn’t live in the Po Valley. I don’t know but was massively into gin. When she was AND LIVED UNTIL SHE for certain, but it’d be nice to be somewhere in her 80s, she heard on what she would have around central Italy. Tuscany’s not bad, is it? called the wireless, that too much gin was WAS 98” bad for you, so she switched to whisky and DK What changes have you seen in the lived until she was 98. general public’s perception of food and drink? JR I don’t like the term . I don’t feel DK What about those mammoth tastings and that I’m a wine critic. I always say I’m a wine JR It’s been a huge change. What’s so funny is drinking sessions of Château d’Yquem put on writer, because I enjoy words. Yes, tasting I didn’t dare express a desire to work in wine by Hardy Rodenstock in the 80s? [See The notes are part of it, but I’d be really bored if and food when I graduated, knowing what my Jancis Robinson Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace.] all I did was be a tasting machine. It’s partly contemporaries would have said, and now all what I resent about Bordeaux en primeur. our friends say, “Ooh, your son’s a I dressed in a quite unconventional way. JR They’re too much. It’s a shame. I’d much I feel that we’re just performing monkeys restaurateur, ooh, how interesting.” It’s such I remember seeing the odd male wine-trade rather have four lovely wines that you could really. Every year on our forum, I ask, “Do a difference in status. I suppose it’s down to person slightly sniggering, but that didn’t savour all night than, “Right, here’s a flight you really want me to go and taste these television having glamorised the profession, worry me, because I didn’t respect them for of ten, quick, get rid of those and get the next young wines?” There are always a few people and wine has more of a status now, doesn’t it? doing that. I just knew I was being me. But flight of ten.” You know, those things the who say, “Yes, we want to know.” I do remember going to a tasting in the City American collectors used to do of collecting I understand that if people are building a DK I know you’re not in the wine trade per se, in the early-1980s with customers in suits. In something and then inviting people who had cellar, they want a steer, but it’s so imprecise. but it was very male-dominated when you those days, I didn’t have my laptop, but I had to drink the whole lot at one session. That’s started in the 1970s, wasn’t it? a clipboard or something, and I was writing not a way of enjoying wine. DK Who is the most intimidating person my notes on it for The Sunday Times, you’ve met? JR I never felt discriminated against. In fact, whereas everyone else was just having DK Does your job feel like work? rather the reverse, because I started off on a jolly time. There was this little knot of JR Elizabeth David would spring to mind. a trade magazine, which no longer exists, pin-striped young men and one of them JR Not really. I really enjoy writing, and most I can’t think of anybody winey who’s really called Wine & Spirit, and a lot of it was about peeled off and came up to me, and actually tastings I’m so curious and interested. Ever intimidating. entertaining and lunches. When a male said, “I say, do you come to these things to since starting the website, and feeling that winemaker was over, he’d be invited to lunch, taste for your boss?” Fortunately – you know I’m accepting people’s money, I’ve got to DK What do you wish you had known when and because I was usually the only woman how normally you can’t think of the thing deliver. So I taste as much as I possibly can, you were younger that you know now? there, I’d be put on the winemaker’s right. to say until the day after? – I said, “No, and sometimes that’s more in numbers than So I got the story, whereas my male not unless you count Rupert Murdoch.” I would ideally choose. JR I was asked this once at a wine event in counterparts were way down the other end Oregon, and rather to my surprise I said of the table. So there were advantages, in DK Do you think that your key offering I wished I’d known I could carry on wearing fact. There was only one time I remember to readers is your tasting notes, or a a bikini in my 30s and 40s. I think I just encountering sexism. When I first started broader insight? thought that once you’d had children, you writing about wine, I had hippy hair, and

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