who is Olly Smith?

my perfect day would begin with…

An impeccable cup of freshly ground black coffee followed by a brisk stride down to the river to spot a kingfisher. Glorious!

the most beautiful wine region I've visited is…

Oooh tough one. It's got to be a toss up between Chile and New Zealand. Chile might squeak it, wherever you look there's a view of an ocean, a desert, an Ande or a glacier. Chile is a bit like New Zealand's older brother, hairier, wilder and with a higher dose of pheromones.

if I wasn't a wine writer I'd be a…

TV Presenter. Smuggler. Gymnast. Take your pick.

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

Heidler Grüner Veltliner 2007 in Soho, London. Startling, dazzling and sexy.

my favourite restaurant(s) is/are…

Benares, Atul Kocchar is a wizard and anyone who says otherwise I will fight bare-chested in Berkley Square to the death. I also love Theo Randall at The Intercontinental and St John's for traditional British food, but for a real find try www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk - the best value in London and some of the best food too. Finally, Bincho Yakitori on the 2nd Floor of the Oxo Tower in London has an amazing view of the Thames and fantastic Asian cooking on sticks - try the eel, guaranteed to give you a gastrogasm.

my cellar is mostly composed of…

Eclectic mixes! I love Greek wine and have a fair number, Tokaj too, I've got a growing bulge of Burgundy and a gaggle of Bordeaux big boys ripening, a nibble of New Zealand, a tickle of South Africa, a whole lot of Chile, a splodge of Italy and a punnet of fizz - I've become a bit of a fizz fanatic of late, some of the best value fine wine around is carefully selected Champagne. And English fizz, I've got a brace of them too. Blimey, who's for a tasting?

if you were coming for dinner I'd cook…

A specially created recipe to match the wine of the night. I love matching food to wine and cooking is one of my huge passions. Inevitably we'd end up opening a selection of wines to compare and contrast. You're welcome anytime!

and to drink with it I would serve…

Depends on the recipe but one of my favourite matches is my recipe for Pulsebed Sausages which works amazingly with the the smokey violet haze of Alain Graillot's Crozes-Hermitage 2004. The award-winning sausages come from the Boathouse butchery near Lewes - outstanding produce.

and other dinner party guests would be…

Anyone who loves tasting wine!

my biggest blind-tasting faux pas was…

Blimey. No idea! I once mistakenly drank my brother's wee thinking it was orange juice but I was only three years old. Does that count?

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

When I correctly called an Aussie Shiraz to win the title of Wine Idol.

one thing that might surprise you about me is…

I always give people nicknames and a surprising number of them stick for life! I'm also thrilled by high quality HBO TV shows such as The Shield, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sopranos and Deadwood. If you haven't seen them go to Amazon and buy them all now, you won't regret it.

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

Elqui Valley, Chile. Purity, extremity and a challenging remote unspoilt landscape.

other than wine, I have a secret passion for…

Cooking, gardening, the countryside and one-to-one chats over a pint. I love looking for the peace in nature, I find it absorbing. I love wildlife, countryside and open spaces more than anything.

my favourite holiday destination is…

Alonnissos, Greece. Once a great winemaking centre, now arid with scant water which blissfully limits tourism. My favourite place on the planet.

I think restaurant mark-ups on wine are…

...a bit silly. BYO should been encouraged where the winelist is too shoddy or too expensive. The wine culture in Oz is superb for this, beautifully informal encouraging a culture of shared interest. All wine lists should be carefully balanced in price and range and offer clear and accurate information both on the wine and possible food pairing. I love writing wine lists and as a skill in itself here in the UK we need to work far harder to make our winelists interesting, fun, and above all conveying enthusiasm for the wines on the list!

the best movie or TV show of all time is…

Time Bandits. Terry Gilliam's masterpiece. I watched that film when I was about six years old and it has thrilled me ever since. A beautifully imagined world. Best quote "It doesn't matter where you are, you've just got to believe in it". Wonderful.

in Summer in the garden I'd drink…

Gaia's Thalassitis - salty tangy dazzling white wine from the Greek island of Santorini. Delicious, exquisite and unmissable.

my favourite piece of music would have to be…

Bye Bye Blues by Bert Kaempfert. My Dad was a Music Teacher so there was always music in the house. I remember Dad playing Bye Bye Blues on an old 45 single over and over when I was a nipper. Happy days!

my best bottle of wine ever was probably…

The first that got me going, a simple bottle of Lurton Brothers Terret for £3.29 in Oddbins in Edinburgh in the late 90s. It was a Road to Damascus moment when I realized that wine meant everything to me and that you can find the whole world in a single glass.

Tim Atkin • Tom Cannavan • Ant Rose • Jo Simon