Waste Not, Want Not: How Jancis Robinson Grew Up to Become the Most Respected Voice in Wine

Waste Not, Want Not: How Jancis Robinson Grew Up to Become the Most Respected Voice in Wine

From The Zonda Wine Podcast by Zonda Wine Services

October 15, 2025 · 48 min · Season 1 · Episode 7

About this episode

Jancis Robinson discusses her journey in the wine industry, her work ethic, and her significant contributions to wine literature.

Jancis Robinson wants to be known as a writer. But few figures have transformed industries with words like Jancis, which also makes her a transformative figure worth celebrating, knowing, and remembering. In this episode of the Zonda Wine Podcast, Jancis unveils where she gets her tireless work ethic, why she started JancisRobinson.com, why she sold it, and her biggest lessons from 50 years of writing. In 1984, Jancis made history as the first person outside the wine trade to earn the title Master of Wine. Since then, she’s written colossal works including The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine (co-authored with Hugh Johnson). She earned her journalistic integrity while working for The Sunday Times in London, and since 1990 has written the wine column for Financial Times. Her voice reverberates through many channels and has catapulted generations of wine lovers from book to glass. This is Jancis.

People in this episode

Guest: Jancis Robinson

Topics covered

  • wine
  • writing
  • journalism
  • Master of Wine

Keywords

  • JancisRobinson.com
  • The Oxford Companion to Wine
  • The World Atlas of Wine
  • Financial Times

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Oxford Companion to Wine, The World Atlas of Wine

Books & works: The Oxford Companion to Wine, The World Atlas of Wine

Places: London

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