Wine world raises its glass to toast life of Saddleworth-born expert Michael Broadbent

TO describe Michael Broadbent as a man who knew a thing or two about wine would not exactly be inaccurate.

After all he definitely knew his Yquem from his Yellowtail, a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 1978 from an Oxford Landing Merlot.

But then again you would not describe the Burj Al Arab hotel as a bed and breakfast establishment or the Rolls Royce Sweptail as a decent little runaround.

Put another away this son of Saddleworth and former Rishworth School scholar was one of the best-known global personalities in the field of oenophilia.

Just how influential Greenfield-raised Michael was can be seen in the eulogies following his death, aged 92, in Berkshire on March 17.

From London to New York, South Africa to Australia, the tributes poured in for this Master of Wine and proud Yorkshireman.

Writing in the New York Times, Eric Asimov said: “Mr Broadbent set out a methodology that gave structure to tasting.

“He wrote out the importance of every element, from the time of day, to his preferred glassware, to the order of wines and even to the lighting in the room.”

Giles MacDonogh in Connoisseur magazine wrote: “Michael became the face of the wine auctions at Christie’s, the man who knew about old bottles and cellars and who tasted the sort of wines we could only dream about.

“He was solicited all over the world by all those millionaires who had collections of Lafite, Latour or Mouton.”Michael and son

The Daily Telegraph said: “Michael Broadbent was one of the world’s great authorities on wine; he entered the wine trade in 1952, restarted Christie’s wine auctions in the 1960s and was a leading figure in the development of the international fine wine market in the second half of the 20th century.

“By the time he retired, Broadbent had tasted, on average, five different wines every day for 51 years and kept careful notes on everyone.

“He wrote more than 400 tasting notes columns in the wine buff’s journal Decanter as well as a series of seminal books.”

Wine critic and friend Jancis Robinson wrote: “Michael leaves the most magnificent legacy and many of us would be much poorer wine tasters without his magisterial lead.

“Michael’s sense of fun, curiosity and that twinkle in his eye stayed with him right to the end of his long life.

“His role at Christie’s, and the books that he wrote while there, would make Michael Broadbent one of the most famous wine personalities in the world.

“More decorated, fêted and honoured than any other wine person I know—thanks to his charm, good looks, precision and hard work—he also had a magnificent tasting ability.”To find out more about the man, Independent editor Trevor Baxter spoke to Michael’s second wife Valerie Smallwood.

The couple married in April 25, 2019 but had known each other for half a century through Valerie’s late husband Simon Smallwood MW.

Michael’s first wife, Daphne, died in 2015. They had been married 61 years and had two children, Bartholomew and Emma Arbuthnot – the chief Magistrate for England and Wales – and six grandchildren.

“Michael was not only the most celebrated wine expert in the world, he was a very accomplished artist and pianist as well,” said Valerie.

“He was quite remarkable and also incredibly good looking. He was very personable, erudite, a renaissance man, really.

“He appreciated wonderful buildings, he appreciated music and Chopin in particular.

“Michael’s father and mother both came from mill owning families.

“During the Second World War, he was due to go to school in Bristol.

“But his father cancelled it because he said the city would be bombed. So, instead he went to Rishworth School.

“From there he did his National Service and after being demobbed went to Barnet School of Architecture for five years.

“After finishing, Michael decided he didn’t want to be an architect. He told his mother he was bored with it.

“But he could always draw. His books from his school days are astonishing.”An advertisement in The Times provided a catalyst for a life changing career switch.

“It was job for someone to join a wine merchant and that’s what he did.” Laytons of London hired him and the rest, as they say, is history.

So, of all the thousands of bottles of wine that he wrote about, owned, tasted, sold did Michael have a favourite?

“You can’t ask a wine expert that,” chided Valerie. “But he loved Chateau Lafite.” And vintage? “Nothing recent,” she said.

At one stage in his career while working for John Harvey & Sons Michael came to work in Manchester, revisiting his Yorkshire roots.

And Valerie revealed how the couple had intended to visit Saddleworth prior to a fall which sadly left him bed ridden for most of the remainder of his life.

“Just before that happened we had planned to come to Yorkshire,” she confirmed.

“We were going to stay in York but travel to Saddleworth so he could show me where he grew up.

“Sadly, a little while later he tripped, broke three vertebrae and was really never mobile again.”

Son Bartholomew, a renowned wine expert in his own right, wrote after his father’s passing.

“I have been completely overwhelmed with the outpouring of love.

“One thing I’m being asked is about his funeral. He won’t have one, didn’t want one.

“Instead, he will be cremated and his ashes will be buried, next to my mother’s, in my sister’s beautiful garden where he loved to walk. Then my sister and I, among family, will plant a tree.

“In a few months, when travel is possible, there will be memorials.

“I apologise that I have not yet been able to see every single comment on my posts but I promise you I am ploughing through every single one of them.”

In 2002 Michael wrote: “Wines are like people. Some are perfect but boring, some are precocious but fail to live up to their promise, and some may be flawed, but the way they develop is endlessly fascinating.”