Matt Skinner criticised for recommending wines he hasn't tasted

Wine writer and sommellier Matt Skinner has admitted to not tasting several wines that he recommends in his latest book The Juice 2010 after being criticised by New Zealand wine writer Michael Cooper. Cooper claimed that Skinner could not have recommended a New Zealand wine months ahead of publication before Cooper himself could have tasted it. In The Juice 2010 Skinner lists New World wines from the 2009 vintage that were not bottled until months after the last deadline for the book.

In a statement Skinner said 'there are some releases that are consistent from year to year, and as popular, good value and accessible wines I want to include them because I know that my readers will appreciate them. In order to do so I include non-specific tasting notes based on the current and previous year's vintage, focusing more on basic flavours and compatibility with food.'

Matt is based in Melbourne and is group wine manager for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurants.