Julian and Matthew met studying literature in Dublin, where they quickly found a shared appreciation for stout and the culture of the city’s pubs. This was followed by a period living in Madrid, where they developed a fondness for small glasses of wine and tapas in the side-street bars of Malasaña. After completing their PhDs in the UK in English Literature, the pair now find themselves living in two of the world’s most prestigious wine regions: Julian works in Madeira, living on one of the old vineyards for the island’s great, historic fortified wines, while Matthew is in Napa, surrounded by heady Cabernet.

Julian’s literary interests centre on the modernist period, whose wine-drinking, argumentative café lifestyle fits in with his own appreciation of wine and food. Matthew has moved from his academic background to a professional focus on wine, having studied and taught the various WSET courses as well as writing about wine on his blog and for several UK publications. The love of wine that both share comes not only from the taste of wine – as important as that is – but from its culture: where wine originates, its history, who makes it, and who, over the centuries, has consumed it.

All of this backstory has come to fruition in Wine & Words, a compendium of wine-drinking writers dating back to antiquity. The site charts what writers have chosen as their tipple and how they have written and thought about wine – in private letters, essays, poetry, and fiction. The entries are filled with amusing anecdotes and sordid tales of drunkenness and despair, while also tracing the history and literature of wine. There are helpful and informative sidebars explaining wine varieties and terminology, as well as illustrations that add life to the text.

This site is aimed at the culturally engaged wine drinker as well as the reader who likes to enjoy a glass of wine with their favourite book. Wine & Words thus appeals to readers and wine drinkers alike, and is designed to entertain and inform in equal measure.