Archive for the ‘My Books’ Category

Essi Avellan to Revise Tom Stevenson’s Sparkling Wine “Bible”

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Absolute Press, the specialist food and drink imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, London, is pleased to announce a new and fully revised edition of The World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine to be published in 2013. The US edition will be published by Sterling Epicure, the high-end food, wines, beers, and spirits imprint of Sterling Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest bookseller.

In 1998, Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine (Absolute Press) became the first book to publish a 17th-century document proving that the English invented the so-called méthode champenoise six years before Dom Pérignon even set foot in Hautvillers. This revelation ensured the book made history as the only wine book to warrant a leader in any UK national newspaper (the Guardian, 14 October 1998). For this revision, Tom Stevenson will be assisted by Essi Avellan MW, Finland’s first Master of Wine, and editor of Fine Champagne. Essi is uniquely qualified, not just because she edits the world’s only Champagne magazine, but also because I have had the privilege of tasting Champagnes and sparkling wines with her at the Decanter World Wine Awards, where she has been my right arm since 2009, not to mention other tastings, mostly for Decanter and The World of Fine Wine magazines. Tasting Champagnes and sparkling wines is very specialised and, quite simply, Essi is the best taster of such wines that I have ever come across. There is nobody I would trust more to assist with this revision.

ABSOLUTE PRESS ANNOUNCES NEW EDITION OF TOM STEVENSON’S AWARD-WINNING CHAMPAGNE ENCYCLOPEDIA Press Release
ABSOLUTE PRESS
Scarborough House, 29 James Street West, Bath BA1 2BT England
01225 316013
info@absolutepress.co.uk
www.absolutepress.co.uk

Essi Avellan representing Finland in the 2010 Gourmand Wine Book Awards

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Essi Avellan’s books 100 parasta viiniostosta (Tammi 2009) and Matka Champagneen (Tammi 2010) have been selected as Finland’s best wine books in 2010 to compete in the international Gourmand Wine Book Awards. The books compete in the categories Best Wine Guide Book and Best France Wine Book.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, organised since 1995, have 53 categories for cookbooks, and 23 for wine books. In 2009, over thirty countries won “Best in the World” at the Gourmand Awards.

The results will be announced on March 3, 2010 at the annual Awards event.