Amanda Barnes, Author at Circle of Wine Writers

Paying tribute to Philippe Boucheron

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Neil Fairlamb

Wine writer Philippe Boucheron was a long-standing Circle member and former treasurer of the Circle and deputy chair, serving with Steven Spurrier at the time. Philippe passed away in August. Neil Fairlamb pays tribute. Philippe Boucheron, a very long-standing Circle member who served on the committee for years, has died aged 89. His real name was Nick Mendes. He joined the regular army – the 66...

New Member: Simon Field MW

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Simon Field, an Oxford languages graduate, was lucky to escape from the world of Chartered Accountancy, having qualified with KMPG in 1991, and then spent a couple of misguided years working for an American Bank in such cosseted dens as Monaco, Guernsey and Gibraltar. In 1995 he joined Oddbins, scaling the heights of a managerial position in the Belgravia branch, an up-market broom cupboard as it...

New Member: Pam Strayer

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Pam Strayer

Pam Strayer specializes in organic and biodynamic wines and writes for Wines & Vines, Wine Business, Civil Eats and Daily Seven Fifty. She is senior editor of Slow Wine Guide USA, a guide to eco-friendly, boutique wineries in the U.S. Pam was the conference program director for Demeter USA’s 2018 International Biodynamic Wine Conference in San Francisco and is the author of five apps on org...

New Member: Richard Lane

Posted on August 20, 2021August 20, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Based in Farnham in England, Richard obtained the WSET Diploma earlier this year. He teaches part-time at WSET London School. After 20 years working in medical publishing (he still freelances for The Lancet), Richard decided to move into the wine industry after spending a year in south-west France. Richard lost his sight 30 years ago from an inherited eye condition; he can only recall the a...

A year on: How the wine world is coping with coronavirus

Posted on August 20, 2021August 21, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

It’s been 18 months since the Covid-19 pandemic took its grip on the world and changed life as we know it. In April last year, we asked members from around the world to tell us what was happening in their country, and this month we’ve done the same. EUROPE Italy Michèle Shah reports on how Italy and its wine industry is coping with Covid, which wreaked havoc on the Mediterranean count...

Meet the Friend: Julia Trustram Eve, Wine GB

Posted on July 23, 2021July 25, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

Julia Trustram Eve is at the forefront of the British wine scene as Head of Marketing for Wine GB, but it was actually bottles of Burgundy and Claret that first brought her into the wine world. Amanda Barnes interviews Julia on her pathway into wine, what excites her most about the world of British wine today and the establishment of the Great British Classic Method. How did you get int...

Champagne Castelnau launches new prestige cuvée, Hors Catégorie

Posted on July 23, 2021July 25, 2021 by Amanda Barnes

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Re-romancing Cabernet Franc

Posted on July 23, 2021July 25, 2021 by Richard Lane

Friend of the Circle, Richard Lane rekindles an old flame in the form of the elusive, enigmatic and less widespread Cab, and may not be that much the wiser, but is more than happy to go back. It was around 15 years ago when I first fell in love with Cabernet Franc. All I recall is the name Chinon, and the wine’s haunting aromas of violets, pencil shavings and succulent red and black fruit, beaut...

Felicity Carter tackles Clean Wine in the Circle’s “Let’s Talk About” webinar

Posted on July 23, 2021July 23, 2021 by Meg Houston Maker

Meg Houston Maker reports on the implications of this new commercial ‘cleaner than thou’ vinous phenomenon, as sketched out by the wine journalist and editor, who sees it as possibly being hugely harmful and offers a wake-up call for the wine industry. Felicity Carter’s been writing about wine for 20 years. “In all of that time,” she says, “I haven’t seen anything as potentially damaging and dan...

The Canary wine challenge continued

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Jochen Erler

Following on from his challenging quest to uncover the wines of Gran Canaria, Jochen Erler takes the ferry to over to El Hierro, hoping to unfurl the island’s fine wines. After an overnight stay on the island of Tenerife, near one of its two airports, I took the ferry to El Hierro. With the island’s map in hand, I planned to use the excellent public bus service as much as possible. My experience...