A Life in Wine

The moment he was handed a glass of Cockburn 1908 vintage port by his grandfather at 13 years old, Steven Spurrier knew he would make wine his career. He travelled Europe in his red sports car (fitted with a compact wine fridge in the boot), working the vintage in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne, before his first extraordinary move was to set up shop and sell wine to the French. As an Englishman in the heart of Paris, this seemed a remarkably bold (if not foolish) project, but the plan worked.

Steven’s adventures in wine did not stop there. In 1976, he went on to mastermind the 'Judgement of Paris', the France v California blind tasting that changed the wine world forever.

This memoir looks back on Steven's life charting the incidents, adventures, ideas and discoveries that formed his wine journey. With tributes from Hugh Johnson, Miguel Torres, Oz Clarke, Jancis Robinson MW, Warren Winiarski and many more...

27 colour, 38 b/w illustrations

About the Author

Steven Spurrier is a legendary figure in the world of wine, known as an educator, innovator, consultant and communicator, he has inspired many newcomers to the trade and earned the respect of celebrated winemakers the world over.

Steven is perhaps best known for masterminding the remarkable 1976 blind tasting of top Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines from Bordeaux and California that came to be known as the 'Judgement of Paris'. A recreation of this event was held in 1986, then again in 2006 when the wines were tasted simultaneously in London and Napa.

Steven has written eight books on wine and in 2017 was named Decanter Man of the Year and Honorary President of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.