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 wine. 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 wines 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, Sancerre 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; Carlisle 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.