who is Jo Simon?

my perfect day would begin with…

A swim - and if I didn't care about my liver a glass of champagne.

the most beautiful wine region I've visited is…

The Douro Valley, the Cape, especially Elgin, Mendocino in northern California... how many can I have?

if I wasn't a wine writer I'd be a…

An entomologist (for which I have absolutely no qualifications), a picture restorer (slightly more likely: part of my degree was art history), or a cookery writer (I already do a bit of this for The Sunday Times: I find it keeps hunger at bay).

the last bottle of wine I drank (not just tasted) was…

2004 Roc d'Anglade Rouge - a fantastic Vin du Pays du Gard made from Carignan, Grenache and Syrah.

my favourite restaurant(s) is/are…

This week, Roussillon and Arbutus in London. Next week, who knows?

my cellar is mostly composed of…

Bordeaux, red Rhône and red Burgundy; Champagne lined up for the next drinks party; and not nearly enough white Burgundy and Italian reds.

if you were coming for dinner I'd cook…

I wouldn't want to be glued to the cooker missing out on the aperitif and the gossip, so seven-hour leg of lamb, chicken with morels or shin of beef in red wine. We might start with a ceviche (nothing too sharp), follow the main course with cheese such as Comté or Ossau Iraty to go with the red wine. Then an ice cream or three. Ice cream is death to wine, but I like making it and people don't complain.

and to drink with it I would serve…

Champagne to kick off (probably one from an independent grower). A crisp white with the ceviche - perhaps Chablis, Austrian riesling or Savennières A red from the Rhône or Bordeaux (yes, both if you like). Aged Australian liqueur Muscat for anyone wants to try to beat the ice cream into submission. Tokaji 5 or 6 putts much later.

and other dinner party guests would be…

It's your call - you're the guest of honour. But no politicians, please.

my biggest blind-tasting faux pas was…

I've wiped it from my memory, although it was probably only yesterday. It's an occupational hazard.

the blind-tasting moment I would prefer to concentrate on was…

Identifying the Port (1963 Fonseca) at a wine trade lunch when I was about 20 years younger than the next youngest guest, and the only woman. (It was a long time ago - no one drinks port at wine trade lunches anymore.)

one thing that might surprise you about me is…

I was once the cover-girl of the Observer magazine. And another... If you're in Eastern Europe, you'll find my books under the name Joanna Simonová (exotic or what?).

if I was a winemaker I'd make my wines in…

Vosne-Romanée for the wine (but not grand or premier cru because I want to be able to afford to drink it myself); Clare Valley for the climate; Cahors for the region.

other than wine, I have a secret passion for…

Dark chocolate (70-75% cocoa solids). Nature - insects, amphibians, birds, flowers - you get the idea.

my favourite holiday destination is…

The Quercy region of France (home of Cahors) and Italian cities in winter.

I think restaurant mark-ups on wine are…

I try not to think about them. When I do I console myself with the thought that if it wasn't on the wine it would be on the food. Where I can, which isn't enough places, I take my own and pay corkage.

the best movie or TV show of all time is…

Except for the French news on TV5, which I watch in an attempt to stop my French going rusty/rustier, I don't watch TV.

in Summer in the garden I'd drink…

Jurançon Sec; Italian whites - Arneis, Fiano, Pecorino, Falanghina, anything but Pinot Grigio; dry Riesling from anywhere; Austrian Grüner Veltliner; South African Sauvignon.

my favourite piece of music would have to be…

Schubert's String Quintet in C, D956, or the Quartet in A minor, D804 (I wonder whether this explains why I always seem to be listening to music on my own).

my best bottle of wine ever was probably…

Tomorrow's, I hope. So much of enjoying wine is the occasion and the company. When did you say you would arrive?

Tim Atkin • Tom Cannavan • Ant Rose • Olly Smith