“Hang on a minute, that color looks amazing…” says Gary Lineker, eyeing a 1934 Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia towards the end of another of Noble Rot’s trademark long lunch interviews. He picks up the glass of 90-year-old Rioja and begins inspecting it, using a white napkin as a background. Noble Rot is impressed: have you seen people do that before, or do you actually do it yourself? we ask. “Nah… I saw it on [TV show] Drops of God!” he says, bursting into laughter, as immortalized on our new cover. Gary is, among many things, one of England’s greatest strikers and anchor of Match of the Day. But he’s also never been afraid to air personal opinions contradictory to the British government on social media, which last year caused him to be temporarily suspended from the BBC – while also confirming his national treasure status. Saint Gary, who famously never received a red card throughout his career, talks to us about his love of wine, football dads, the Hand of God, and becoming a born again cook in Noble Rot 35.

Also in this issue…

…Norman Cook – aka Fatboy Slim – tries his best to remember where exactly on tour in Tokyo he ate shabu-shabu for his ‘Greatest Meal’ and appeals to readers to help identify the mysterious location.

…Keira Knightley reviews another eclectic selection of wines, from 1978 Château Giscours (“If you were tripping, you might think you were a mollusk living under the earth”) to 2018 Trediberri Barolo ‘Berri’ (“It’s what you imagine Michael Corleone would drink before he becomes a mob boss”).

…we present Noble Rot’s guide to Melbourne Restaurants (‘Ravenous for Melbourne’) and report back on how top Oz producers such as Giaconda, Mount Mary and Place of Changing Winds are honing ever more terroir-expressive wines (‘The Vine Twitcher’).

…Marina O’Loughlin reviews the mighty Chez Bruce  – one of Noble Rot’s favorite London restaurants – and takes the measure of TopJaw, one of a number of social media ‘influencers’ transforming hospitality media.

Plus: Jon Bonné responds to conjecture about the sustainability of California winemaking, pointing out that it’s always been boom or bust; Alice Feiring remembers a dream party thrown for her by Jura wine god Pierre Overnoy; Hannah Crosbie asks what your date’s choice of wine says about them. And we feature stories and opinions about Château Musar, Barolo Chinato, German Spätburgunder, and Czar, the 7500 euros bottle of vino that no one has heard of.