Johnson, Hugh

(1939– ), world’s best-selling wine author. Johnson’s passion for wine began when he was at Cambridge University, where he read English. One of the great stylists of the literature of wine, he was immediately taken on as a feature writer for Condé Nast magazines on graduation. As a result of his close friendship with André simon, the founder of the International Wine & Food Society, he became General Secretary of the society and succeeded the legendary gastronome as editor of its magazine. At the same time he became wine correspondent of the Sunday Times and embarked on his first book Wine, whose publication in 1966 established him as one of the foremost English gastronomic writers of the time. More than 750,000 copies have been printed, in seven languages. He revised it in 1974.