Jancis Robinson grew up in Cumbria in the north of England. “Eighteen years in a village of 40 people with no playmates and no fleshpots,” is how she has described it. She read Maths & Philosophy at Oxford and although she loved wine, writing about it wasn’t a career option in the early 1970s so she spent three years in the travel business as a graduate trainee with Thomson’s Holidays. In 1975 she started as assistant editor of the British wine trade magazine Wine & Spirit; in 1984 she was the first person outside the wine trade to become an MW; from 1995 until 2010 she was British Airways' wine consultant, supervising the BA Concorde cellar. She appeared in a 10-episode wine course on BBC2 (one of the very few successful TV wine shows) and has notched up more awards and honours (including OBE in 2003) than any other wine writer. Many consider her greatest achievement is the magisterial Oxford Companion to Wine, now in its fifth edition, although the 1,200-page Wine Grapes (2012) has won more awards. Robinson launched jancisrobinson.com in 2000, and put up a paywall in 2001. She describes herself as “deeply cynical and sceptical. I don’t accept the given line.”

In 2021 jancisrobinson.com was sold to Recurrent Ventures, a US digital media company. “Our values of integrity, authenticity, independence and trustworthiness remain the same and will be zealously guarded,” she said, adding (in bold), “I have no intention whatsoever of retiring.” So far she has remained true to her word.

See also https://cluboenologique.com/story/wine-websites-behind-the-paywall-jancisrobinson-com/

What would you consider was the most important decision of your career in wine?

To actively look for a job in either food or wine so soon after the topics were regarded as frivolous in the UK (early 70s). Didn’t dare consider it when I graduated from Oxford in 1971.

Do you consider your career progression to be conventional?

Not at all - a succession of external stimuli, and a healthy dose of luck, as well as being around at just the right time when the UK was falling in love with wine. I never had a career plan but over time was asked or urged to found a wine newsletter (which I sold to Consumers’ Association), write a book, be Sunday Times wine correspondent, present a tv series, found a wine website etc etc

Do you consider yourself a disruptor – how?

In 2000 it was fairly novel to found an independent wine website without any income stream (no ads, no sponsorship) and then in 2001 it was even more unusual to add a paywall and then to prove JancisRobinson.com could be editorially and financially successful with members in nearly 100 countries and winning awards and plaudits.

Do you consider jancisrobinson.com to be agile? ie would you be able to cope with an existential threat, as the pandemic was for the hospitality industry?

The pandemic has if anything been positive rather than negative for JR.com with everyone spending so much time online and wine playing an important part in many people’s lives. We took steps such as offering free membership to those laid off from the hospitality industry and providing a free guide to retailers who would supply self-isolators.

What is the level of knowledge of your wine audience ie what % are collectors, investors, keen amateurs

I don’t have stats (and I’m not sure how honest people would be about their own level of expertise) but most members who post of the forum are reasonably knowledgeable. And the range of interest is far wider than the usual investment-grade classics. People love the underdogs and the new and recently-revived wine regions.

Looking back at the critique I did of jr.com in the summer, I see I mention the “anti-aesthetic” a couple of times. It’s in many ways an old-fashioned site - do you think wine lovers, of whatever stamp, by nature tend to the analogue?

I take issue with that ‘old fashioned’ description! And JancisRobinson.com is nothing if not digital. 

What is your attitude toward influencers? Are there any that you particularly rate?

I’m afraid I’m of a background and generation that is extremely suspicious of what you might call “professional influencers”. My training as a journalist leaves me with a horror of advertorial of any sort. I have worked extremely hard to keep my distance from producers, importers and retailers. The closest I get to a commercial connection is to help choose wine for the Queen. So I just keep my head down and do my job. I read that article in The Times recently about wine influencers and had never heard of any of them I’m afraid.

These comments apply to those who deliberately approach producers and ask for a payment in exchange for exposure. 

But I am delighted by the emergence of what you might call ’soft influencers’, wine commentators who have managed to carve out a reputation and persona for themselves via social media which is proving so much more powerful and welcoming to new voices than the traditional media. These soft influencers bring a host of new perspectives and language to the world of wine. They are doing their bit to make wine appeal to younger consumers.

What are your views on the current wine landscape and where do you see it going?

I’m thrilled that the wine world has expanded to such an extent, and now includes so many

more regions, grape varieties and wine styles. I’ve heard various wine drinkers bemoaning the fact that few newcomers to wine nowadays can afford the trophy wines, the most sought-after wines from classic regions. But I don’t think that matters. There is so much more to choose from today. In fact I might even suggest that some of those worried about sky-high prices for the supposed top wines should broaden their horizons and taste a bit more widely, with blinkers off.