Raymond Blake is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and in a previous career worked as a schoolmaster in Clongowes Wood College, where James Joyce started his schooldays. He is one of Ireland’s leading wine writers and his work has been published across the globe.
Raymond writes the Burgundy entries for the annual Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book – the world’s best-selling wine book. In addition, he is a regular contributor to The World of Fine Wine and Sommelier India, as well as writing for a number of different websites including the Académie du Vin Library.
Most recently, he contributed three essays to the Académie’s latest publication,
On Burgundy, From Maddening to Marvellous in 59 Wine Tales, which features the work of 30-plus leading wine writers from around the world. He is currently working on a revised, second edition of his critically acclaimed book, Côte d’Or – The Wines and Winemakers of the Heart of Burgundy. He is also much in demand as a presenter at themed wine dinners, tutored tastings and other events. His style is far from po-faced; he calls it ‘Wine-tertainment’.
Raymond Blake and his wife, violinist Fionnuala Hunt, have owned a house in the Burgundy region since 2006, where he regularly leads customised tours of the region. In the same year he was inducted as a Chevalier du Tastevin.
Raymond Blake’s books include:
In Black & White: A History of Rowing at Trinity College Dublin. Published Dublin, 1991.
Breakfast in Burgundy – A Hungry Irishman in the Belly of France. Skyhorse, New York, 2014.
Côte d’Or – The Wines and Winemakers of the Heart of Burgundy. Infinite Ideas, Oxford, 2017. (Short-listed for the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards, 2018.)
Wine Talk: An Enthusiast’s Take on the People, the Places, the Grapes, and the Styles. Skyhorse, New York 2022.
