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Posted on by Amanda Barnes

The Circle in Cyprus 2.0

Posted on by Amanda Barnes
This month our edition is dedicated to the Circle’s trip to Cyprus, which took place in late April 2025, following fairly hot on the heels from last year’s February visit to this exciting Mediterranean wine island. We hand over to members to report on their highlights of the trip, which took in an entirely different set of wineries to the 2024 tour. ... After describing the delightfully dramatic...
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Let’s talk pink and qvevri!

Posted on by Liz Sagues
Liz Sagues reflects on May’s two Let’s Talk About... sessions which explored the ancient and the modern. On 6th May, CWW member and Georgia expert Carla Capalbo explained the 3,000-year-old tradition of Georgian qvevri wines. A fortnight later, another member, Liz Gabay MW, joined by her son Ben Bernheim and producers from Austria, Greece, and Italy, led a lively discussion on all things rosé —...
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From the Chair: Are we trying too hard to explain wine?

Posted on by Meg Maker
Circle Chair Meg Maker questions the role of the reader in wine writing, and in doing so, reflects on the purpose of the writing itself. I recently published a long memoiristic essay about a press trip I’d taken in Northern Italy. A fellow wine journalist posted a comment asking, “Who’s the reader?” It’s a valid question. Whenever we sit down to write an article, we should consider our reader, a...
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Meet the Friend: Nicolas Bates, Wine GB

Posted on by Amanda Barnes
Nicola Bates, CEO of Wine GB, shares the mission of the trade body and what we can look forward to in English Wine Week. Could you describe the mission and scope of Wine GB? WineGB is the trade association that cultivates success for the UK domestic wine industry. We represent the industry to the government, media, and trade and provide support and leadership with education, networking, advice...
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Meet the Friend: Michele Bertuzzo, Studio Cru

Posted on by Becky Sue Epstein
Michele Bertuzzo is the CEO of Studio Cru, “a communication agency specialised in wine and high-end gastronomy” based in Vicenza, Italy. In a sentence or two, could you describe the mission and scope of your company? Studio Cru supports wineries in discovering what truly makes them unique and inimitable. We seek the most effective language to express this uniqueness and connect people around new...
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A first-timer’s wild ride at ProWein

Posted on by Robert Smyth
After years of hearing the buzz, Robert Smyth finally made it to what until recently has been the wine world’s biggest playground: ProWein. Armed with a notebook in one hand and a tasting glass in the other, he dove headfirst into the chaos, the chatter, and the clinking glasses of Düsseldorf. The air was thick with excitement and foreboding, what with talk of impending US tariff hikes, as other ...
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Let’s Talk About… April’s extremely topical sessions

Posted on by Liz Sagues
Liz Sagues recaps the highly topical talks this month in the Circle's Let's Talk About... series. The second of the two April Let’s Talk About... sessions could hardly have been more topical. As Benjamin North Spencer recounted the story of the new wines of Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano rumbled and grumbled in the background, in its most explosive eruption for more than two decades. The...
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Members’ insights: Navigating the trade war

Posted on by Amanda Barnes
Circle members share their perspectives on how wine writers and communicators should respond to the current trade war, and what the future might hold. These interviews are part of Meg Maker's 'Navigating the trade war – a communicator’s role From the Chair: Navigating the trade war – a communicator’s role' feature.   Sunny Hodge (UK) In the short term, Hodge anticipates wine communicator...
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From the Chair: How should wine writers respond to a global trade war?

Posted on by Meg Maker
Circle Chair Meg Maker reached out to members and others for insights about how wine and spirits communicators should address the current moment. What is the role and future of wine writing given this moment of global economic uncertainty? At the extreme, the flow of wine will slow, prices will rise, wine consumption will drop, and wine consumer demographics will shift. Wine communication will sh...
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