jancis robinson, decanter
Jancis Robinson MW OBE at Decanter's Fine Wine Encounter 2013 in central London.
(Image credit: Decanter)

Wine journalist and author Jancis Robinson MW OBE has donated her archive – covering more than 40 years of wine writing – to the library of the University of California, Davis.

Robinson, who was one of the first people outside of the wine trade to pass the master of wine exams in the 1980s and who received the Decanter ‘Man of the Year’ prize in in 1999, will speak at UC Davis next month to mark the donation.

The records include tasting notes dating back to 1976, some 275 notebooks recording Robinson’s travels around the world, her published work from 1965, photographs and correspondence with people including fellow wine critic Robert Parker, food writer Elizabeth David and former British prime minister Tony Blair.

‘I feel extremely honoured that all my papers, notebooks, tasting notes and professional photographs have found a home in a part of the world that has been so important to me and my life’s work in wine,’ said Robinson.

‘It is a particular pleasure to be in the company of such towering figures in the world of wine as Hugh Johnson, Robert Mondavi and Maynard Amerine in the famous UC Davis Library.’

Axel Borg, wine subject specialist at the library, added: ‘As the papers of one of the best-travelled and most observant chroniclers of the changing face of wine, this collection adds new perspective on how the world of wine is being written about and is an important complement to the papers of Hugh Johnson, which the UC Davis Library added to our collection a year ago.’

The library is currently cataloguing the Jancis Robinson Papers on Wine Writing and Criticism, which will become available for public use by April this year.

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Richard Woodard
Richard Woodard
Decanter Magazine, Wine & Spirits Writer

Richard Woodard is a freelance wine and spirits writer based in the UK. Aside from Decanter, he writes for several wine trade and media outlets including Imbibe, The Drinks Business, Harpers and Drinks International.

Since 2015 he has been the magazine editor of Scotchwhisky.com. He has formerly worked as a wine news reporter at Imbibe and a feature writer for Halycon Magazine.