Books & Reviews Archives - Circle of Wine Writers

Expected and unexpected: The Wines of California by Elaine Chukan Brown

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Becky Sue Epstein

Becky Sue Epstein reviews Elaine Chukan Brown’s acclaimed new guide, The Wines of California. You may not get exactly what you expected when you open The Wines of California, a new encyclopaedic work by well-known wine expert Elaine Chukan Brown. And that’s a good thing. Before diving into details of grapes, climate, geography, and regions, Brown begins the conversation with several centuries of...

The long and winding wine road: Wines of the Loire Valley by Beverley Blanning MW

Posted on June 22, 2025June 22, 2025 by Robert Smyth

Robert Smyth reviews the new tome on the wines of the Loire, written by Beverley Blanning MW. The time feels right for a book on the plethora of wines that are made alongside and in the vicinity of the courses of France’s longest river. Indeed, The Wines of the Loire Valley by Beverly Blanning MW arrives at a time when this once unfashionable backwater of the wine world has once again become firm...

From Bordeaux to Beijing, witnessing bombing raids on Pauillac to involvement in early informatique – the story of a life well lived

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Jane Anson

Jane Anson marvels at the memoir of Bordeaux legend Jean-Michel Cazes, From Bordeaux to the Stars: The Reawakening of a Wine Legend, which she translated into English, with this piece written before his passing in June. One of the most dog-eared books on my shelves is a two-volume, closely typed history of the Médoc vineyards from the Middle Ages to the mid-20th century. Written by French geograp...

Rioja through its wine labels

Posted on October 25, 2023October 26, 2023 by Amaya Cervera

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Anne Krebiehl MW tours the world through the lens of Pinot Noir

Posted on August 31, 2023August 31, 2023 by Markus Hungerbühler

Markus Hungerbühler reviews Pinot Noir Around the World by Anne Krebiehl MW, a new monograph produced by the IWFS. The International Wine & Food Society (IWFS), founded in London in 1933 and with approx 6000 members around the world, aims to bring people together to be enriched by food, wine and good company. The IWFS also publishes Monographs, providing authoritative coverage of topics of ge...

Delving into the different vinous chapters of Klein Constantia

Posted on April 30, 2023April 30, 2023 by Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes takes a taste and read through Klein Constantia: The home of Vin de Constance. Books are always better when they’re enjoyed with wine — especially when they’re wine books. Even more so when you can drink the very wine described in the book — and so was my experience with the latest release from John Stimpfig’s First Press Editions’ Klein Constantia: The home of Vin de Constance. The...

Eli Ben-Zaken, the pioneer who built an Israeli icon

Posted on March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 by Adam S. Montefiore

Adam S. Montefiore reflects on the extraordinary life of Israeli vigneron Eli Ben-Zaken in this short extract from his recently published biography on Domaine du Castel. I picture Eli Ben-Zaken in the summer of 2021, standing on his own outside his house and winery at Ramat Razi’el as he defiantly fought against the fierce wildfires in the hills and forests that rise towards Jerusalem. The flame...

Leary’s Global Wineology 2023 released

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Charlie Leary

Charlie Leary has published his 2023 edition of Leary's Global Wineology: A guide to wine eduction, mentorships and scholarships. The handy guide takes readers through the world of wine education and helps offer guidance on which route is best to take, depending on your goals and experience. It covers well-known courses, such as the WSET and Court Master Sommeliers, as well as looking into deta...

Review: Talha Tales, Portugal’s Ancient Answer to Amphora Wines

Posted on February 26, 2023February 26, 2023 by L.M. Archer

L.M. Archer reviews Paul James White’s new book, Talha Tales: Portugal’s Ancient Answer to Amphora Wines. Talha Tales tells a quixotic tale of Portuguese wine technology lost and found. It’s also a story of one wine region’s cultural resurrection, set in the dusty, remote reaches of Alentejo. Talha – exclusively Portuguese and quintessentially Alentejan Romans first introduced talha, or...

Book Review: Wine Hiking Switzerland

Posted on December 28, 2022December 28, 2022 by Markus Hungerbühler

Markus Hungerbühler reviews Ellen Wallace's new book on the hikes and wines of Switzerland, Wine Hiking Switzerland: Explore the Landscape of Swiss Wines. It is not often that a book about Swiss wines is published in English as the original version and in French and German, both national languages of Switzerland, as translations. Our fellow member Ellen Wallace, a travel and wine writer (...