Amanda Barnes, Author at Circle of Wine Writers

Steven Spurrier posthumously awarded The 2021 Oeno Golden Vines Honorary Award

Posted on July 7, 2021July 25, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Bella Spurrier, the late wife of wine industry legend Steven Spurrier, received The Oeno Golden Vines Honorary Award in honour of Steven Spurrier's extraordinary achievements at an intimate event hosted by Liquid Icons and The Macallan at The Macallan Golden Vines Dinner. The dinner took place at The Manor House in The Rosewood Hotel London on 6th July. Jane MacQuitty, Spurrier’s friend and The ...

A new perspective on Picpoul

Posted on June 20, 2021June 22, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes appreciates a new acacia-aged, lobster-friendly take on the Languedoc classic. Picpoul is a summer classic: fresh, breezy, zingy and tantalisingly cheap! This regional speciality from the Languedoc is renowned for its excellent value and ease of drinking, offering a high acidity, fresh and a mouthwatering glass of wine which works excellently with the local oysters and seafood. Thes...

Vlog: Alentejo’s ancient telha wines

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Stephen Quinn

To access this post, you must purchase Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Corporate Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Friend of the Circle (renewals) or Corporate Friend of the Circle (renewals), or log in.

Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships announced

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Liquid Icons – the fine wine research and content production company founded by the late, great Gerard Basset OBE MW MS and his friend Lewis Chester DipWSET – are delighted to announce the recipients of twelve new scholarships for BAME/BIPOC wine students: The Golden Vines™ Masters of Wine Scholarship, The Golden Vines™ Master Sommelier Scholarship and The Golden Vines™ Wine Scholar Guild Scholars...

Meet the Friend: Patrick Rea

Posted on June 19, 2021June 21, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Patrick Rea found his way into the world of wine through a fortunate acquirement by one of his clients. In this Meet the Friend interview, Amanda Barnes learns why he went from marketing medical services to marketing English Pinotage and why he's hoping to be able to invite members over for a round of golf at Mannings Heath one day soon. Tell us how you got into the world of wine and ...

CWW virtual tasting: Let’s taste… JING Tea

Posted on June 19, 2021June 22, 2021 by Janet Z Wang

Janet Wang on the CWW May virtual tea tasting and reflections on why wine writers should know more about tea! I love the diverse range of topics discussed in the various CWW forums, so when the latest ‘Let’s taste…’ series offered a chance to try fine teas from the specialist house of Jing, I was surprised and delighted. It was straight into the diary in permanent ink. When the tasting set arri...

New Member: Robin Kick MW

Posted on June 19, 2021June 20, 2021 by Robin Kick MW

Originally from the Chicago area, Robin is a Master of Wine who is presently based in Lugano, Switzerland, where she works as an independent wine consultant, buyer, journalist, educator and judge. Following studies in French and English literature, she changed career paths in 1998 when she left her teaching position at the Université de Nice to study wine at the BIVB in Beaune, France and the Un...

The South America Wine Guide: The definitive guide to the wines of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru by Amanda Barnes published

Posted on June 19, 2021June 21, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes author of The South America Wine Guide

Amanda Barnes' tome to the wines of South America, The South America Wine Guide: The definitive guide to the wines of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, was published last month and is now available in hardback and as a digital book. "I'm thrilled to finally have my guide to South American wine out and be able to share it with everyone, and thank you so much to the members who...

Wine Faults and Flaws: A Practical Guide by Keith Grainger

Posted on June 19, 2021June 20, 2021 by Keith Grainger

Keith Grainger has published his hotly anticipated practical guide to wine faults and flaws, demystifying what can lead the enjoyability of a bottle and wine awry. Is mustiness in wine always caused by cork? Is a ‘reduced’ wine treatable? Why might a wine smell of Elastoplast? Are there faulty wines that exude excellence? “These and 1001 other questions are answered in my new bo...

Forming deeps roots from past to present in Rioja Alavesa

Posted on June 18, 2021June 22, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes learns how Luis Cañas is not only coaxing complexity out of its old vines and clones, but is also using them as a tool to tackle climate change. Rioja producer Luis Cañas has a family heritage of winemaking in Rioja Alavesa since 1928, and made waves in the 1970s when Juan Luis Cañas started putting the overlooked and under-estimated Rioja Alavesa region on the map, by bottling his ...