W
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AN INTERVIEW WITH OZ CLARKE
WIRRAL LIFE'S CURIOUS QUAFFER TALKS TO THE SINGER, BROADCASTER AND TV STAR.
This month we have the privilege of welcoming one of the worlds
leading wine experts to Wirral Life Magazine. Recently I had the
privilege of meeting, and then interviewing, the renowned actor,
singer, broadcaster, television star and multi award winning wine
writer, Oz Clarke.
Many of you will know Oz as a familiar face from your television screens
(think ‘Food and Drink’ with Jilly Goolden; with James May in ‘Oz and
James’s Big Wine Adventure’, ‘Oz and James Drink to Britain’ and ‘James
May’s Road Trip’; as well as ‘Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas’ with
Hugh Dennis - but to name but a few). Many of you will undoubtedly
know him from reading one of his many wonderful wine books too.
What many of you may not know, or remember, is that he played the
criminal in the film Superman, a customs officer in the film Who
Dares Wins, has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in
the National Theatre and frequently in the West End. For far too many
reasons to talk about here, he is both a name and a face that you will all
be familiar with.
Over many years I have read countless books about wine and the wine
world (including a good number by Oz himself). The latest of these is
“Wine by the Glass’. The author (yes it had to be) is Oz Clarke. Published
this year, in 2018, it is different in many ways to just about anything I
have read before when it comes to the world of wine. It is a little gem of
a book. In an easy, simplistic, informative and often genial way we are
told about the world of wine, pretty much from start to finish. It is as
good and informative for those who have no knowledge about wine at
all, as it is for those who do possess such knowledge. It has something
for anyone and everyone. If you want to learn about the world of wine
under one cover – this is your chance!
The book is carefully split into three sections. We start with some
simple, clearly stated basics (some simple and understandable concepts
from the world of wine, grape varieties, wine styles, how the grape ends
up in your glass and a quick guide to the wine producing countries of
the world). We then move on to what Oz describes as the ‘Practical
30 wirrallife.com
Stuff ’ (what a wine label tells you, how to become a ‘canny’ wine buyer,
the ‘essential kit’ associated and involved with wine, how to serve wine,
how to keep wine). Thirdly, and finally, Oz talks about becoming a
wine geek (tasting wine, starting your own collection, finding out more
about wine, a quick guide to names in wine, wine jargon). As a book
it is very comprehensive; yet at the same time very short and to the
point. The reader is guided through the world of wine in a simplistic,
yet meaningful, way in a book that you can literally dip in and out of at
your pleasure.
So to the interview with a man about whom it has been said: ‘Oz Clarke
is the nearest to genius in the world of wine writing’ that we know.
Twelve carefully selected questions were asked. No passes were allowed;
and only the definitive answer was accepted!
What is your earliest wine memory?
Drinking my mother’s home made damson wine at the age of three! I
was out with my parents and brother for a picnic, when my brother got
into difficulty in the river we were by. With my father trying to rescue my
brother, and my mother in a state of blind panic, I was left unattended
and alone with a picnic basket that contained a bottle of damson wine
- so I drank it! It had a perfumed taste. Once my brother had been
successfully rescued the empty bottle of wine was soon noticed. The
culprit was quickly identified too. I was turned upside down, held by my
ankles and was hit in the stomach. The wine quickly reappeared from
its point of entry!
What got you into wine?
In many ways the damson wine got me out of wine. I only started
drinking, and got into wine, when I arrived at university in Oxford. I
discovered a wine tasting society that only cost £2 a term (with four
tastings term). Even better was the fact that I could take a guest along
with me too – so not only wine, but also four date nights a term too.
It was during these sessions that I quickly learned about wine and the
different flavours that the world of wine had to offer.