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Wine Writing

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

Wine writers have made a tremendous impact on both the wine industry and the public’s appreciation of wine. They are the storytellers who give lasting life to the people and places connected with wine, moving beyond regions, types of wines, and ratings to influence the very aesthetic and legacy of the industry. Wine writers offer unique insights into what made the wine industry what it is today. Not only does their writing help shape the wines that consumer choose, but it can influence which new technologies, techniques, and trends take root in the winemaking world.

The library is honored to hold the papers of writers including Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Charles Sullivan, Leon Adams, Bob Thompson, and others.

The library is actively expanding its Wine Writers collections. The Wine Writers Collection Development Policy outlines the principles upon which these collections are built.

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.

  • 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.

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