who is Tim Atkin?

my perfect day would begin with…

A cuddle, The Today Programme and a mug of Chinese Dragon Well green tea

the most beautiful wine region I've visited is…

The Douro Valley, especially if you see it by train. Not far behind would be the Cape, the Mosel Valley and Piedmont. I'm also very fond of the Languedoc-Roussillon and northern Argentina.

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

2006 Pieropan Soave, La Rocca

if I wasn't a wine writer I'd be a…

Jazz singer (well, in my drreams). Until I did jury service recently, I'd always quite fancied being a barrister. It's a bit late to play football for England.

my favourite restaurant(s) is/are…

Chez Bruce, Enoteca Turi, Fino and Tendido Cero, all in London. Outside England, it has to be El Bulli (in Spain), Le Bistro du Paradou (near Arles) and The Zuni Cafe (San Francisco)

my cellar is mostly composed of…

Italian and French reds, especially Burgundies and Barolos and Rhônes. I've also got a lot of German Riesling

and to drink with it I would serve…

2005 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage. It's virtually my house red

if you were coming for dinner I'd cook…

Roast lamb. Or a fish pie.

and other dinner party guests would be…

Assuming this is a fantasy dinner party: Dorothy Parker, Picasso, Cleopatra, Groucho Marx, Einstein, George Eliot and Johann Sebastian Bach

my biggest blind-tasting faux pas was…

Too many to mention. But spitting into a bottle that was reserved for undrunk wine is high on the list

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

Passing my Master of Wine tasting exams at the first attempt

one thing that might surprise you about me is…

I still attend the Isle of Wight festival every year. But I don't camp, darling

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

Côte Rôtie

other than wine, I have a secret passion for…

Music

my favourite holiday destination is…

Provence or the Languedoc

I think restaurant mark-ups on wine are…

anything between reasonable and criminal, depending on the restaurant

the best movie or TV show of all time is…

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (closely followed by Fanny and Alexander); Six Feet Under (closely followed by The Wire)

in Summer in the garden I'd drink…

2007 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

my favourite piece of music would have to be…

It varies, depending on my mood, but I love Morgen by Richard Strauss (sung by Barbara Bonney). Other favourite performers/bands at the moment: Norma Winstone, Mariza, The Kings of Leon, David Daniels, The Indigo Girls, The Feeling and Lyle Lovett

my best bottle of wine ever was probably…

1961 Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Pomerol

Tom Cannavan • Ant Rose • Jo Simon • Olly Smith