Jancis Robinson is hosting a new BBC Maestro wine tasting course, An Understanding of Wine. The series calls for participants to “uncork the secrets of the wine world.”
Robinson has been writing about wine for 45 years. She writes a weekly column for the Financial Times and has co-authored several internationally renowned books on wine, including The World Atlas of Wine and The Oxford Companion to Wine. In 1984, she was the first person outside of the wine trade to pass the rigorous Master of Wine exams. In 2018, she was voted the world’s most influential wine critic, and she advises Her Majesty The Queen on her own wine cellar.
The new Jancis Robinson course offers lessons focused on debunking common wine myths, breaking down tasting techniques, and deciphering both labels and the language of wine. She addresses key factors shaping the modern wine market, including the backlash against the use of glass for inexpensive wines and how the plant-based movement has created a need to re-examine classic pairing approaches.
The full course consists of 25 lessons over 5 hours and has been designed for viewers to learn at their own pace.
Robinson also delves into different vintages, wine pricing, the natural wine movement, sustainability in winemaking, the impact of climate change, and expert advice on investing in wine. ““By the end of this course, I hope I will have helped you find the wine that you like (because there are no rights and wrongs in wine appreciation) and get the most from every single sip,” said Robinson. Adding, “To me, wine is extraordinary because it is just the fermented juice of a single fruit – yet it appears in so many different colours, styles and flavours.
“There aren’t many products that tell you exactly when it was made, which little spot on the globe it came from and the name of the producer. Good wine doesn’t have to be expensive – while the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive wine has continued to widen, the quality has narrowed considerably. We should take advantage of the large array of mid-level wines produced today.”
The An Understanding Of Wine course costs £80 for a lifetime access and can be purchased via the official website.