Tim Atkin MW

Tim Atkin MW is one of Britain’s leading wine writers and an internationally recognised expert on the subject. He is the wine correspondent of The Observer, where he appears every Sunday in OM , and Wine Editor at Large of OLN. He also writes for Wine & Spirit, Woman and Home, The World of Fine Wine, The Economist’s Intelligent Life, Country House and Observer Food Monthly. He appears regularly as a presenter on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen.

Tim is the winner of many awards, including the Glenfiddich Wine Writer Award in 1988, 1990, 1993, 2004 and 2006 and the Wine Guild of the United Kingdom's Wine Columnist of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1996. In 1994, he was the first recipient of the Wines of France Award. The following year he was the co-winner of The Bunch Award, described by Auberon Waugh as the ‘Booker Prize of wine writing’, and the winner of the Waterford Crystal Wine Correspondent of the Year Award. In 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004 he was named Lanson Wine Writer of the Year. Also in 2002, he was highly commended in the PPA Editor of the Year (Business and Professional Magazines) category for his work in transforming Harpers, the UK trade magazine he edited between 2000 and 2003. In 2005 he won the inaugural Wines of Portugal Award. In 2007 he was named Communicator of the Year by the International Wine & Spirit Competition and Best Drink Journalist in the World Food Media Awards.

Tim has contributed to a number of books on wine, including the New World of Wine, as well as writing two of his own - Chardonnay and Vins de Pays d'Oc. He was also the co-author with Anthony Rose of five editions of the annual consumer guide, Grapevine. He has judged wines in the UK, France, the United States, Argentina, Spain, South Africa, Chile and Australia and is co-chairman of the London-based International Wine Challenge, the world’s biggest blind tasting competition.

Tim has lectured on wine to banks, firms of solicitors and numerous wine associations and clubs, specialising in the wines of France, Spain and the New World. He has appeared on the wine and food stage at the BBC Good Food Show alongside such well-known chefs as Ainsley Harriott, Ken Hom, Gary Rhodes, James Martin and Antony Worrall-Thompson. He runs a highly acclaimed wine course in London as well as beginners’ wine evenings for Speed Dater.

Tim enjoys tennis, golf and singing and speaks fluent French and good conversational Spanish. He holds a BA from Durham University in Modern Languages and a Masters (with distinction) from the London School of Economics in European Studies. In 1993 he was a European Union fellow on the Paris-based Journalists in Europe programme. In 2001 he passed the Master of Wine examination at the first attempt, winning the Robert Mondavi Award for the best set of theory papers. He is a Caballero del Vino, a Chevalier du Tastevin and a member of the Ordre du Bontemps.

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