Michael Edwards
World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly Winner Reviewed by Michael Edwards
Champagne Roger-Constant Lemaire Trianon 1966 was voted the world’s finest sparkling wine at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2020. It is an emotional experience to finally taste this year’s outright winner, with warm thanks to Sébastien Tournant Lemaire for sending me a bottle, a real fillip as we pass through lockdown. First, a little background.…
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Official Debut of Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore
This June 2nd, the day of the Feast of the Republic, saw the symbolic launch on Italian soil of the country’s most revered sparkling wine, first created by Giulio Ferrari, the father of Trentino classic- method cuvées in 1902. His successors, the Lunelli family now into in the fourth generation produce ‘Giulio’ their prestige jewel,…
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My Desert Island Fizz: Michael Edwards
In a new series of online interviews, we take a look at well known wine professionals and with the idea of Desert Island Discs in mind we ask them to choose, instead of music, their three favourite sparkling wines to take with them if ever they find themselves ‘Robinson Crusoe’d‘ as such! Our series entitled ‘My…
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Michael Edwards Talks Premium Prosecco
Phenomenally successful light sparkling wine of north-east Italy, the country’s biggest DOC appellation, now running in a long sweep of 222 kilometres from Vincenzo in the Veneto to Trieste, close to the border with Slovenia. Recent very extensive plantings en route on the flatlands of Friuli, producing thirst quenching party wine. For more serious finely…
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The Michael Edwards Award
A tale of a refugee from the Law into the sparkling world of Champagne The Year was 1968 and France was in turmoil, as the Nation almost fell into revolution. Order was finally restored when the naturally cautious French provinces played safe by re-electing de Gaulle and Pompidou. At the time, I had been reading…
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Helping Consumers to Understand What’s in the Bottle
Spot-light on easy to understand trigger word categories – Sea Breeze, Summer Days, Light & Fruity, Creamy, Oaky & Toasty, Gastronomic, Forget Me Not etc -the aim is to show that consumers may know what to expect in the glass. As a traditional pro, I have spent half a century poking around the cellars of…
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Understanding the Flavours Inside the Bottle Before you Pop the Cork
Describing the tastes of traditional- method sparkling wine is always challenging: the bubbles, especially in a very young cuvée, can be quite punchy and aggressive, often masking the true nature of the wine. The best Champagnes and the serious competition nowadays from Oregon to OltrepòPavese, by way of Trento & Franciacorta, need a certain amount…
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Guilio Ferrari – Father of Trentodoc
Champagne by some margin is still the sparkling king of the castle for its planted 34,000 hectares under vine; diversity of its terroirs is known intimately by cellarmasters, cooperatives and individual domaines alike. Yet there’s no complacency, as the best Champenois know they have to raise their game faced with serious competition from Northern Italy,…
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Champagne Roger Brun, Aÿ
Cradle of Pinot Noir Vignerons since before the 1789 French Revolution, the Bruns have always been motivated by a deep love of Aÿ their little home town, more a large village, renowned as the cradle of the original 17th century Champagne made purely from Pinot Noir. Head of the family Roger Brun, now semi retired,…
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