Features

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 ...

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...

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...

In this extract from Beverley Blanning MW’s Wines of the Loire Valley, published by The Classic Wine Library, Beverly intricately introduces the subtle and not so subtle differences between Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. Sancerre: easy to say, easy to understand, easy to drink and, it seems, easy to sell. These crisp and vibrant white wines are the Loire’s most reliable calling card worldwide and by ...

Liz Sagues recaps a fascinating talk with Olivier Bourdet-Pees of Plaimont Producteurs — and the surprising turn the conversation took when bureaucracy entered the frame. What was already a fascinating and highly relevant session on ampelography on 18th March was suddenly galvanised, demonstrating just how effective the Circle’s Let’s Talk About… online discussions can be. Before the Q&A...