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Oz Clarke
Oz Clarke
Oz Clarke is one of the world’s leading wine experts. He brings a refreshingly unorthodox wit and directness to the subject and has won all the major wine writing awards both in the UK and the USA many times over. Before wine took over his life in 1984, Oz was a full-time actor and singer, starring in West End shows. Click for more info...
'Oz Clarke is the nearest thing to genius in the world of wine writing.'  - Harpers

Oz Clarke is one of the world’s leading wine experts, whose formidable reputation is based on his extensive wine knowledge and accessible, no-nonsense approach.  

His tasting skills have won him an international following and he is acknowledged as having one of the finest palates of anyone writing about wine today.  He brings a refreshingly unorthodox wit and directness to the subject and has won all the major wine writing awards both in the UK and the USA many times over. 

He is currently on our screens as the drinks presenter for ‘James Martin’s Saturday Morning’ on ITV, and has presented on Channel 5’s ‘Secrets of the National Trust’ since 2017.

Oz presented the iconic BBC series Food and Drink between 1982 and 2002.  He went on to present with James May between 2006-2009 two series of ‘Oz and James' Big Wine Adventure’, the sequel ‘Oz and James Drink to Britain’, and two series’ with Hugh Dennis 2009 – 2011; ‘Oz and Hugh Raise the Bar’ and ‘Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas’.  For the series’ and accompanying book Oz and James were awarded International Wine Challenge Personality of the Year Award, the TRIC TV Arts/Documentary Programme of the Year Award, and Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Wine Literature.  Oz has made numerous guest TV appearances including on James May’s Toy Stories, The One Show, and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.  

Global recognition has made Oz a popular choice for the likes of Singapore Airlines to whom he is wine consultant, and Laithwaite’s Wine who retail a selection of wines chosen by Oz.  He regularly hosts wine tastings, tours, and awards for the cruise and travel industry, and for international corporate clients. 
 
Oz’s best-selling books include annual guides ‘Pocket Wine Book’ and ‘250 Best Wines Wine Buying Guide’,  ‘Wine Atlas’ (2007), ‘Let me tell you about wine’ (2014), and ‘Bordeaux’ which won the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Award 2009 and was republished in 2012.  In 2015 ‘The History of Wine in 100 Bottles’ and ‘Grapes & Wines’ won Gourmand Drink Awards 2015 ‘Best Wine Book’ and ‘Best Drinks Education Book’ respectively.  ‘Oz Clarke’s World of Wine’ is published 2017 by Pavilion Books, and his autobiography ‘Red & White: An unquenchable thirst for wine’ is published October 2018 by Little, Brown.

Oz’s other awards include the Lanson Special Millennium Award 1999 for outstanding contribution to wine communication and education, IWSC ‘International Drinks Communicator of the Year Award 2006’, and Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drinks Retailing Awards 2015.    In 2010 Oz received the honour Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole from the French government for services to French agriculture. 

Before wine took over his life in 1984, Oz was a full-time actor and singer, starring in West End shows such as ‘Evita’, ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Mitford Girls’, and touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company.  He is now back on stage touring with Armonico Consort hosting (and sometimes singing!) in the unique show ‘Oz and Armonico Drink to Music’.  Oz also has a love of sport and supports Gillingham Football Club, near his childhood home in Kent.

SPEAKING TOPICS
  • Anything wine-related
  • Armonico Consort concerts
  • Narrating (poetry, history, stories)
  • Acting
  • Sports and countryside pursuits (has done Secrets of the National Trust shows recently)
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Oz's Books
English Wine
Oz's Videos
Oz and James' Big Wine Adventure
Oz Clarke presents Secrets of the National Trust - C5
Oz Clarke on BBC Proms 2016