Amanda Barnes, Author at Circle of Wine Writers

A cultural conundrum

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Neal D. Hulkower

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Changing the wine business for the better

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Tim Atkin

Book review: Strong, Sweet & Dry by Becky Sue Epstein

Posted on June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Becky Sue Epstein explores the styles and stories of Vermouth, Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala in her latest book, Strong, Sweet & Dry, as Amanda Barnes discovers while reading and reviewing her book during lockdown. Quarantini hour has been the highlight of most of my lockdown days and while I am a big drinker of martini, I have never really given much thought to the Vermouth that ...

Let’s talk about… CWW webinars!

Posted on June 5, 2020June 8, 2020 by Robert Smyth

Robert Smyth recaps the Circle's new way of doing tastings — virtually. He shares how it has changed his experience as an overseas member, and reflects on one of his favourite sessions from this month. As an overseas member of the CWW, it has always been a challenge for me to participate in many ‘live’ Circle events, which often take place in the London area. For example, as much as I’ve always...

Meet the Member: Magnus Reuterdahl

Posted on June 4, 2020December 14, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Magnus Reuterdahl is a leading wine blogger and writer in Sweden. Amanda Barnes interviews him to find out more about how he transitioned from being a real-life Indiana Jones to a bonafide #winelover How did you first discover a passion for wine? My interest in wine started in the 90s but it was in the early 2000s it really took off with the rise of wine blogging. I started my first wine b...

Meet the Friend: Jo Wehring

Posted on June 4, 2020June 8, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Jo Wehring is best known as the UK market manager for Wines of South Africa, where she has witnessed an incredible change in the South African wine scene as Amanda Barnes finds out in their interview. How did you first get into wine? While at university, I worked part-time in Victoria Wines and I began to get interested in the world of wine. Once I graduated, with a degree in Art History & P...

The Drinks Trust encourages us all to get a round in

Posted on June 4, 2020June 8, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Liz Sagues shares some of the charitable initiatives in the drinks industry that have come in response to the growing economic, social and health crisis related to Covid-19, most especially the emergency fund by The Drinks Trust. The long-term implications of Covid-19 for people in the wine trade, and in hospitality in general, are enormous. They stretch beyond those who grow grapes, make wines, ...

Modern Malbec and the Mendoza matriarch

Posted on June 4, 2020June 8, 2020 by Ruma Singh

Dr Richard Smart calls for carbon capture

Posted on June 4, 2020June 7, 2020 by Dr Richard Smart

Dr. Richard Smart, the renowned viticulturist who now calls himself a ‘carbon conscious’ vine doctor rather than the ‘flying’ vine doctor, looks back at the events of 2020 so far. While coronavirus is very bad, it will eventually go away, but the climate crisis is becoming increasingly critical and calls for urgent action from the wine industry, he argues. He asks us as wine writers to start to ho...

Imbibing in Istria

Posted on June 4, 2020June 8, 2020 by Robert Smyth

Robert Smyth finds that good things to tempt the palate come in threes, and even fours, on the Adriatic’s largest peninsula – wine, truffles, olive oil, and then there’s biska. A version of this article was also published (in Hungarian) in Hungary’s VinCE magazine. Heart-shaped Istria, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic, is not only a superb seaside holiday destination, it also produces some o...