Born on 22 April 1950 in Carslile, Cumbria (Northern England), Jancis Robinson studied Mathematics and Philosophy at Oxford University, where she first came into contact with Fine Wine and real quality food. After working for three years in the travel industry, and due to her aversion to boring, formal meetings, she took a year out to spend time in a rural location in England, where she came into contact with vineyards and people where food and drink played a central role in her life. When she returned to London, she was determined to have a career in the world of wine and food.

1975: The start of Wine & Spirit

Her work in the world of wine began on 1 December 1975 as assistant editor of Wine & Spirit (a magazine specialising in wine sales), for which her previous three years in the travel business were important, as her knowledge of the world was fundamental. It was in 1979 that she wrote her first book, "The Wine Book". He stayed at Wine& Spirit until 1980

TV star and Master of Wine

In 1983 he starred in the world's first TV series about wine. In 1984 he had his first major achievement as he became the first person outside the wine trade to be recognised as a Master of Wine (still the most demanding course in terms of wine knowledge). During this period he wrote several books on wine.

From Wine Spectator to Royal Counsellor

From 1989 to 1995 she was a columnist for Wine Spectator and in 1990 she began working for the Financial Times. In 1994 she wrote one of the most important books in the field, which won several awards and is still considered a landmark in the world of wine.

In 1995 she became an advisor to British Airways and looked after the super-luxury wine cellar on Concorde aeroplanes.

In 2000 she started her project jancisrobinson.com

In 2003, she was made an officer of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and was appointed counsellor to the royal wine cellar.

World of Atlas of Wine and Portuguese Order of Merit

She co-authored several editions of the World Atlas of Wine with Hugh Johnson, which is considered the most important and essential book on wine.

In 2012 she was awarded the Portuguese Order of Merit for her defence of diversity and tradition in Portuguese wine production.

In 2021 she sells JancisRobinson.com to Ventures (a technology company) but remains Editor-in-Chief and has full autonomy over its publication.

Jancis Robinson's 20-point scale and its interpretation

In her wine reviews, Robinson applies a 20-point scale, based on how the wine was at the time it was tasted, as well as its potential to evolve with age.
20 – Truly exceptional
19 – A humdinger
18 – A cut above superior ( One Level Above Superior)
17 – Superior
16 – Distinguished
15 – Average
14 – Deadly dull
13 – Borderline faulty or unbalanced
12 – Faulty or unbalanced (A wine with obvious faults or unbalanced)

Jancis Robinson is also known for being one of the most demanding critics in her scores. So it's not surprising that her average score is only 16.4 points and that 50% of the wines she scores are between 16 and 17 points.

World Top Wines recommendation on Jancis Robinson

This is the Critic to take into account when you want to get to the bottom of how exceptional a wine really is. We recommend always paying attention to the scores and tasting notes given by this critic. His knowledge of wine is incredible.

Despite this, due to his demands and his interpretation (any wine that doesn't stand out and is "monotonous", even if it is balanced, will certainly receive a low score) it is normal to give a 17 or even a 16.5 to a wine that has received excellent scores from other critics. The highest score given by Jancis Robinson to an unfortified Portuguese wine was 19++ (Tiara 2017).


Respect for copyright

World Top Wines has a valid Subscription to JancisRobinson.com, which gives it permission to use the tasting notes and scores to promote its wines. When a wine is scored several times we favour the use of the review by Jancis Robinson herself or the most recent review.

For more information visit www.JancisRobinson.com