Hugh Johnson.

Ritual.

Respect.

Reason.

These tenets are central to appreciating, producing, and enjoying the art of food.

Hugh Johnson is my hero. His pamphlet, How To Enjoy Wine provided the foundation of my knowledge and appreciation of the glories of wine ... this useful education comes with a healthy dose of humor and pretension is 86ed.

I recently found episodes of a public broadcasting series that he did back in the 80s. They are fascinating. There are more to come but these are the thirst, I mean first four episodes. They'll help get the bottle open and choose a glass (if you feel the need) ... the rest is pretty simple, right?

Pour a glass (make sure to "polish it vigorously") and enjoy. Cheers.

Episode 1, Opening a bottle



Episode 2, How to extract a broken cork



Episode 3, Opening a bottle of Champagne



Episode 4, Choosing a glass