I was tasting at least 10,000 wines a year until recently – which makes around 350,000 altogether. That's a bare minimum. I'm still standing and my liver function is still OK. I take milk thistle for my liver and try to drink three times as much water to wine. If I've been tasting, I don't usually drink wine in the evening.

I have a good memory of all the great meals and great wines I have tasted I can remember what a pristine bottle of 1947 Cheval Blanc tastes like. I've been quoted as saying I can remember every wine I've tasted. I never said that. I've forgotten all the mediocre ones.

You risk losing readers if you make things complicated In The Wine Advocate, which I founded in the late 1970s, we describe wine in ways that people understand, avoiding esoteric terms. You might describe someone you meet as "portly" or "bald" and wine should be no different, so we use terms such as "red fruits", "flowery" and so on. I once had a taster use the phrase "smells like the sex glands of a lemming". Who in the world can relate to that?

We keep our distance from the wine trade and refuse their advertising. One of my key influences is Ralph Nader [the American consumer champion]. When I began The Wine Advocate as a newsletter, I wanted to be strict about our independence. There is more flexibility about accepting hospitality – such as lunch at a Bordeaux château – as it's also a learning opportunity. But I wouldn't want to make a habit of it.

Most expensive bottles of wine in the world Show all 10 1 /10 Most expensive bottles of wine in the world Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 1. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France, £8,310 The most expensive wine in the world is described as the perfect Burgundy. The price has been moving upwards over the past three years, so get it while you still can. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 2. Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, France, £4,894 Another Burgundy, this one is a collector’s item. It’s also quite popular in Asia. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 3. Egon Muller-Scharzhof Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Germany, £4,577 The first German wine on the list, this Riesling is produced in the Rheingau vineyard. The 2010 vintage was given a perfect score – 100 out of a 100 – by a major wine critic. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 4. Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, France, £3,716 The highest priced white wine from Le Montrachet, this is also the fourth most highly rated white from the region. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 5. Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Germany, £3,415 Another German wine comes in at number five, and critics have rated it as the best white in the region. It has an overall score of 98 on wine-searcher.com – not bad. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 6. Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France, £3,379 Another red from the Cote de Nuits, were the Le Musigny vineyard plays a pivotal role in local life – so much so that the village of Chambolle changed its name to Chambolle-Musigny in 1882. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 7. Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Musigny Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France, £3,202 How about that Cote de Nuits? Another entry from Le Musigny, this is the second highest priced wine from the vineyard. The 2012 vintage was given a score of 98 out of 100 by The Wine Advocate. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 8. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, France, £2,948 This wine has received more awards than any other white in the region. It’s also the most sough after Le Montrachet wine, based on user searches. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 9. Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin, Rhone, France £2,403 The Ermitage (or Hermitage) is a rich Syrah-based red wine from the Rhone Valley. Ermitage wine can be traced back to 17th century, when it was an official wine in the courts of King Louis XIII and his successor Louis XIV. Most expensive bottles of wine in the world 10. Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France £2,196 Yet another Grand Cru from the Cote de Nuits. Interest in this wine has fallen in recent years, but it’s still popular enough to justify its extraordinary price.

It has been suggested that some makers have modified their wines to my taste to get a high rating It really is selling your soul. I've no evidence of it, but I have seen photocopies of contracts promising bonuses to wine consultants if they get a 90 or a 95 point rating [out of 100]. That's such a short-sighted objective. There isn't really a formula for it. My taste [Parker has been criticised for seeming to prefer fruit-driven, big-flavour wines] is not nearly as black-and-white as my critics believe.

Wines drunk young, such as Beaujolais or Muscadet, cannot be seen in the same way as a Bordeaux or a Burgundy That doesn't mean I don't like them. Some are lovely, exuberant wines, but there is no equivalence to wines that become immeasurably more interesting and nuanced with age.

New World wines still struggle to match the greats Old World classics are there because they have endured. The rest is still a work in progress. They still judge what they make against the great wines of places such as Bordeaux.

Retirement is a formula for early death Although I've recently had back surgery and have been using walking sticks to get around, I've sold the majority share in The Wine Advocate and I have handed over tasting of the Bordeaux en-primeurs [young wine still in the barrel] to a colleague, I have no plans to retire. I found this little niche and I've never lost the passion. The idea of losing your sense of taste or smell and having some medical condition where you couldn't have alcohol – I can't think of anything worse than that.