Books & Reviews Archives - Circle of Wine Writers

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 ...

Review: Gerard Basset, Tasting Victory

Posted on April 3, 2020April 4, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Unlike many members, I never had the fortune to know Gerard. I did, however, know of Gerard. It seems there are few people in the wine world who have inspired so many others and made them all feel so welcome. Without exception, when his name has come up in conversation – no matter whether that conversation has been in England, France or even Chile – someone has told me about how delightful Gerard ...

Book Review: The Book of St John

Posted on March 11, 2020March 14, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Many members will be well-aware of Circle Member Trevor Gulliver and his partner Fergus Henderson's popular St John restaurant in London, where offal and the humble pig took the centre stage, and the wine selection came a close second. Earlier this year, they released their book, The Book of St John, which reflects their 'nose-to-tail' ethos of holistic eating (using every part of the animal) and ...

Review: The Count of Wine by John Umberto Salvi MW

Posted on February 4, 2020February 6, 2020 by Neil Fairlamb

Neil Fairlamb reviews The Count of Wine by John Umberto Salvi (available from Amazon UK) and reflects on his fascinating life in wine. This has to be the bargain of the year, at £4.99, indeed of the decade at least. For the price of plonk you have Premier Cru quality of anecdote, history and wine wisdom. Every page is full of precise detail, vivid personalities, frequent hilarity, sometimes painf...

The World Atlas of Wine, 8th edition: Hugh Johnson OBE, Jancis Robinson MW

Posted on December 11, 2019December 13, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

It’s one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and certainly no disappointment. The World Atlas of Wine, now in its 8th edition since 1971, is one of the most authoritative and educational books on the market for an overview of the world's wine regions. Its scope is broad, but there's a great depth of understanding too and it’s a joy to read – in part due to the indefatigable and studio...

4 seasons in Côte Chalonnaise, Chance Encounters: Jon Wyand, Emmanuel Mère

Posted on December 11, 2019December 15, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

Although this is predominantly a photobook, Emmanuel Mère expertly sets the scene with a 'geographical and historical background' which weaves important moments in history with geological information while painting a picture of how life in the Côte Chalonnaise passes by. The rest of the picture painting is left to photographer Jon Wyand. The photography series actually starts with people — argu...

Book review: Wines of the French Alps, by Wink Lorch

Posted on October 7, 2019October 9, 2019 by Dave DeSimone

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The Wines of Great Britain by Stephen Skelton MW: A review

Posted on September 9, 2019September 11, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

Stephen Skelton MW is without doubt an authoritative writer on the subject of Great Britain's vineyards, not only as a highly regarded expert on viticulture (his book Viticulture: An Introduction to Commercial Grape Growing for Wine Production is the viticulture bible for diploma and MW students) but he’s also been a keen observer and participant in British wine for over 40 years. Havi...

Wink Lorch releases Wines of the French Alps book

Posted on September 8, 2019September 11, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

Wink Lorch has released her second book, Wines of the French Alps: Savoie, Bugey and beyond, which she self-published at the end of July under the imprint Wine Travel Media. Wink had advance funding from 450 backers of the Kickstarter campaign she ran in 2017. She notes that backers were extremely supportive when she had to put back publication several times due to the illness and subsequent de...

The wines of Chablis & the Grand Auxerrois by Rosemary George MW

Posted on July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

This August marks the centenary of the legislation laying down the first principles of appellation d’origine contrôlée. Since 1919 the wine growers of Chablis have had legal rights to use the name. But Chablis is a complex region and many arguments regarding the appellation’s strict definition ensued – which villages could use the name, was it essential that wines were made exclusively from Chardo...