Jilly and her Thesaurus of private school similes has gone for ever, or perhaps to daytime TV which is much the same thing, but Oz lives on. Always the more professional of the two during the BBC2 years, his smile of amazed amusement as Jilly prattled on was always a joy to behold.
Oz was demystifying wine before Malcolm Gluck and in many ways is still the more solid and sober critic. His brief is wide ranging, going to the high priced and the low in equal measure and his Pocket Wine Book 2006 is the latest instalment. As usual it contains a wealth of solid common-sense backed up by Oz's years of experience.
A lively introductory essay sets the scene before Oz goes on to list his personal favourites, best 'look a likes', best value and ones to watch, all easily readable over a few pages, preferably with a glass in your hand. A discussion on matching wine and food is extremely useful to any budding sommelier and his overview of each country while not radically new, is still worth the pages taken up. Then it's on to the wines themselves and where the book really shines.
Pocket Guide is the point; this is a book you can confidently whip out in Waitrose, and surreptitiously consult in Sainsbury's, before wheeling your well-chosen bottles to the checkout. With a free wine Buying Guide 2006 full of top tips, directory of retailers and 250 best buys bundled in and all for £10, Oz is once more serving up a bargain.
