Books & Reviews Archives - Circle of Wine Writers

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...

Paul Strang’s Languedoc-Roussillon book awarded at Gourmand

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

Congratulations to Paul Strang for his recent recognition at the Gourmand Awards, where his book Languedoc Roussillon: The Wines and Winemakers was recognised as 'best in the world' in the category for books on French wine.

Book review – Amber Revolution: How the world learned to love orange wine

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

Everyone remembers the first time they tried orange wine. It’s a revelation for most wine drinkers, who are typically used to just three colours of wine – white, pink and red. Some of us go on to hunt down many more orange wines in our vinous futures, and others adamantly avoid ever repeating the experience. For Simon Woolf, that magic moment came in a cellar in Trieste in 2011. A moment on the ...

Atypical ageing slips under the radar

Posted on February 4, 2019February 7, 2019 by Keith Grainger

To access this post, you must purchase Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Corporate Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Friend of the Circle (renewals) or Corporate Friend of the Circle (renewals).

The Chinese Wine Renaissance: A wine lover’s companion

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Amanda Barnes

Amanda Barnes reviews Janet Z Wang's new book The Chinese Wine Renaissance: A Wine Lover's Companion. Chinese wine still feels like a relatively 'new' phenomena in the wine world, but Janet Z Wang is out to set the record straight. Wang makes it very clear within the first few pages of her book that wine is very much part of the culture of Ancient China, and spends the following chapters detail...

The Telegram to Stalin: a political memoir of my life in three Germanys by Jochen Erler

Posted on January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 by Johen Erler

Janet Z Wang launches The Chinese Wine Renaissance

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Janet Z Wang

Review: The Three Drinkers Do Scotch

Posted on December 6, 2018December 9, 2018 by Mike Turner

Mike Turner reviews a new web series by three of members of the Circle - Colin Hampden-White, Helena Nicklin and Adrian Smith - and finds fun, friendship and whisky-related capers. The Circle of Wine Writers has some of the famous faces of the wine trade on their roster. It was a genuinely proud moment when I was accepted to the Circle for what I considered to be my meagre, poorly spelt rantings ...

A timely tome: The wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Robert Smyth

The wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova by Caroline Gilby MW is a timely tome that puts the spotlight on what the author describes as ‘three very different but equally fascinating countries’. While she finds that wine has come a long way in the almost three decades that she has been covering the three countries – indeed a revolution has been experienced – all continue to face considerable chall...

Champagne, 49 million bubbles in every bottle

Posted on September 9, 2018September 11, 2018 by Amanda Barnes

Although it is doubtful Fredrik Schelin has actually counted the bubbles in a bottle of Champagne, he seems to have done everything else surrounding the topic – including tasting over 4,000 Champagnes – in his new book being released next month. This handsomely-presented guide to Champagne not only covers the history, sub-regions and method of Champagne but also looks into the other main styles o...