André Simon (1877-1970)

André Simon was born in Paris in 1877. Both his father, Ernest, and his mother, Jeanne, were artists. André was educated at Le Petit Séminaire, Notre Dame des Champs, Paris, but failed his baccalauréat and left school to work for a few months for a French royalist journal. He travelled to England to improve his English and then undertook his three years military service at the École Militaire in Paris, working on the staff of the Revue d’artillerie. In 1900 he returned to England to marry Edith Symons whom he had met on his first visit to the country. They had five children.

From 1899, Simon worked for the French champagne house Pommery and Greno, and in 1902 he was sent to England as their London agent. England remained his home for the rest of his life, though during the First World War, he served in the French Army, and he always retained his French citizenship.

Simon was very interested in all things relating to wine and in 1905 published a scholarly book about the history of the champagne trade in England. In 1908, he was one of the founders of the Wine Trade Club and he regularly gave lectures as well as publishing further books and pamphlets on the subject. He also built a considerable personal library about wine which included many rare and early printed books.

In 1932, the bleak economic climate created difficulties for Simon and he lost his position as Pommery’s London agent. He worked briefly for the Madeira Wine Association but then, relatively late in life, found his real niche as a writer and expert on wine and gastronomy. Working closely with A.J.A. Symons, he was in 1933 one of the founders of the Wine and Food Society. He organised their lunches, dinners and wine tastings, and edited the Society’s journal Wine and food. The Society was a tremendous success, attracting over one thousand members within a year. Symons died in 1941 but Simon’s reputation continued to increase and he achieved an international reputation with almost celebrity status. He published prolifically but was also known for his humour, joviality and excellent company.

He continued editing the Society’s journal until 1962, when, at the age of 85, he was finally persuaded to relinquish the role, and the title was acquired by Condé Nast. Even in 1968, he was still able to claim that he had never suffered a day’s illness, and continued with his long-standing habit of opening a bottle of champagne every morning. He died in 1970.