Wine Writing

Storytellers who give lasting life to the people and places connected with wine

Collections

• Adams, Leon David Papers

  (D-304)

  Reports and brochures from the Wine Advisory Board and Wine Institute, files for The wines of America, correspondence and clippings, wine cookbooks and ephemera. Bureau Chief, McClatchy Newspapers, San Francisco (1928-1935); organized and led the Wine Institute (1938-1954) and the Wine Advancement Board (1938-1954); author of The commonsense book of wine (1958), The commonsense book of drinking (1960), and The wines of America (1973).

• Brady, Roy Collection

  (D-202)

  Collection includes wine labels, buyers' guides, bibliographies, directories, wine lists, menus, antiquarian booksellers' catalogs. It consists mostly of wine catalogs, some of which date back to 1835, and wine labels (over 50,000) with vintages back to 1790. It also includes notes on wines, and the people and events surrounding the wine industry. Collector of catalogs, lists, and other documents pertaining to wine merchants and antiquarian booksellers. He also collected restaurant menus and wine labels.

• Broadbent, Michael. Papers

  (D-753)

  Michael Broadbent, Master of Wine, was a renowned British wine critic, auctioneer, and author. In 1966, Broadbent proposed to the chairman of Christie's Auction House (London) that they should create a department focused on buying and selling old, rare wines. They agreed, and he became the sales director of the newly introduced fine wine auctions. Many people credit Broadbent with establishing wine as a valuable commodity, like antique furniture or art, with enough demand to warrant auctions of rare and coveted bottles. During his long career at the auction house, he became senior director of the Christie's wine department and remained in a consultancy role until 2009. Broadbent also published various works and articles on wine. His most important works, "The Pocket Guide to Wine Tasting," first published in 1968, and "The Great Vintage Wine Book" (1980), have appeared in many editions and languages. Broadbent was also an editor for Decanter magazine and wrote over 400 articles.

• Church, Ruth Ellen. Papers

  (D-681)

  Ruth Ellen Church was a food and wine columnist for the Chicago Tribune for 38 years, as well as an editor and published author of several wine books and cookbooks. In 1936 she started working for the Chicago Tribune, first as a food columnist writing under the byline Mary Meade, then later as the paper's first wine columnist in 1962. Her column "Let's Learn About Wine" ran for nearly two decades, continuing after her eventual retirement in 1974. She traveled extensively and wrote about her travels in special series such as "What's Cooking in Europe." In addition to her news columns, Church wrote ten cookbooks and wine books, including "Mary Meade's Country Cookbook," and "The American Guide to Wines."

• Haeger, John Winthrop. Papers

  (D-641)

  John Winthrop Haeger (1944-) is the author of three books: Riesling Rediscovered (2016), Pacific Pinot Noir (2008), and North American Pinot Noir (2004), the latter was named Louis Roederer International Wine Book of the Year for 2005. His articles have been published in Connoisseur, Wine & Spirits, Sunset and Saveur, in the San Francisco Chronicle, in Singapore-based Appetite, and in Japan's Wine Kingdom, among others.

• Johnson, Hugh. Archives

  (D-599)

  The collection includes handwritten and typescript manuscripts, research files, correspondence related to several of Mr. Johnson's books on wine, drafts of many of his articles, correspondence and notes on his publications and related projects, and a set of press clippings and scrapbooks documenting his early work. Hugh Johnson (1939- ) is a British wine writer whose works include The Story of Wine and the World Atlas of Wine, among numerous others.

• Robinson, Jancis. Papers on Wine Writing

  (D-612)

  Her papers include tasting notes from commercial and trade tastings, wine festivals, and informal occasions. The collection also includes clipping books and clipping files containing copies of Jancis Robinson's articles, articles about Ms. Robinson and her work, and publications edited by Ms. Robinson. Ms. Robinson's television work is documented through press clippings and videocassettes of selected programs, including "Matters of Taste", "The Wine Programme," "Vintner's Tales," "Jancis Robinson's Wine Course," and "Taste with Jancis Robinson." Photographs in the collection include formal publicity photographs, posed and informal photographs from award events and tastings, and photographs taken during filming of television programs.

  Jancis Robinson (1950-), OBE MW, is a British wine writer, journalist, and television presenter. Ms. Robinson is the author of twenty-nine books and hundreds of articles.

• Sullivan, Charles L. Collection.

  (D-346)

  Extensive historical information on California wineries, including articles, historical studies, research materials, and interviews with winemakers. Also present is correspondence, a large set of wine merchant catalogs and newsletters, and a group of materials related to wine tastings and dinners. Author and wine historian Charles L. Sullivan is the author of Like Modern Edens (1982), Wines and Winemakers of the Santa Cruz Mountains (1994), Napa Wine (1994), and numerous articles written for wine and food journals.

• Thompson, Bob. Papers on Wine Writing

  (D-625)

  Correspondence with agents, publishers, and co-authors; draft manuscripts; and copies of newspaper and magazine articles.

  Bob (Robert G.) Thompson (1934- ) is the author or co-author of several books on California wines and the author of the San Francisco Examiner's weekly wine column from 1970 to 2000.