Requiem mass to celebrate life of wine writer Michael Edwards
A requiem mass to celebrate the life of wine writer, Champagne expert and food critic Michael Edwards is to be held in London on Friday 26 September.
The mass will take place in St Anselm’s Catholic Church in Tooting Bec at 10am that day, and will be followed by drinks at The Wheatsheaf pub, which is diagonally opposite the church on the corner of Upper Tooting Road and Trinity Road.
The gathering will take place in the first floor private bar.
If you are planning to attend, please contact Sally Bishop at sally@relish-pr.co.uk
Edwards died on 19 June, and for the final two years of his life had resided at the Heritage Care Home in Tooting.
You can read a set of moving tributes to Edwards on the Circle of Wine Writers website by clicking here.
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Edwards was a longstanding contributor to the drinks business, mostly writing about Champagne – a region that he loved and knew extremely well.
He wrote an especially good triumvirate of features on Champagne’s three leading grape varieties, including a brilliant piece on the underrated quality potential of Meunier.
He was also a judge in db’s annual Champagne Masters, in which he proved an excellent and fair critic, with a particular penchant for blanc de noirs – in striking contrast to most of his fellow tasters who preferred blanc de blancs, or Chardonnay-dominant styles.
Edwards is much missed for his gentle manner, encyclopaedic Champagne knowledge, and beautiful prose.
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Michael was always ‘there’. He was courteous, dignified and always good company. He represented an era of gracious knowledge without pretension. He will be much missed in our wonderful world of wine.
So sad to learn of Michael Edward’s passing. I always enjoyed meeting him at tastings and other wine trade events as he possessed an endearing gentle and courteous manner and a terrific knowledge of champagne.
I will miss him very much indeed but am grateful to have known him.
Michael and I met as colleagues at Egon Ronay Guides in the 1980’s. Both of us had been induced to put on hold careers at the Bar, the lure of France and its wines proving irrisistable. Our friendship cemented with a number of visits to Champagne and Alsace. I had the pleasure of driving him around the Grande Marques prior to the publication of his Companion to Wine. More joy was to follow when we were invited to attend the opening of Zind-Humbrecht’s new winery, one of Alsace’s greatest wines. Olivier Humbrecht MW has become a towering figure in the world of wine. Michael was one of the first to recognise his greatness.