Having read English at Oxford University, Edward’s journey in wine began in earnest at Cambridge University while writing a Ph.D. on American poet and Burgundy lover Wallace Stevens. A former captain and coach of the Cambridge University Varsity blind-tasting team, Edward co-wrote and regularly revises the Cambridge University Guide to Blind-Tasting.

In 2007, Edward moved to Beijing, where he co-founded Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting with his wife and partner Fongyee Walker MW. Dragon Phoenix is a leading, independent wine training service and was awarded the Riedel Trophy for WSET Educator of the Year in 2016.

Together with Fongyee, Edward specializes in teaching the WSET Diploma in mainland China. Edward himself completed his WSET Diploma in 2012 and began MW studies in 2015, achieving the title of Master of Wine in 2019. Edward won the Robert Mondavi Award for the best performance in the MW Theory papers and the Quinta do Noval Award for the best MW research paper (2019 examination).

Since 2020 he has run the Institute of Masters of Wine Australasian program, including the IMW’s Adelaide seminar. An experienced writer, Edward has published widely in international wine magazines, literary journals and has authored several collections of poetry (www.edwardragg.com). Edward also has judging experience, having served as international guest judge for the McLaren Vale Wine Show (2012) and Perth Royal Wine Show (2019), as well as judging regularly in China. As well as tasting and evaluating Chinese wine, which he began in 2007, Edward also has an interest in Australian fine wine and has, in recent years, developed his Mandarin Chinese to deliver masterclasses and presentations across mainland China.