Awe-inspiring Amarone

Filippo Magnani finds himself revelling in the new releases of Valpolicella’s finest and shares his top tips both on what to taste and where to stay. The Amarone Opera Prima took place this year on 4th and 5th February, majestically organized by the Valpolicella Wine Consortium, at the Gran Guardia Palace in the heart of Verona. The president of the consortium, Christian Marchesini, opened the ev...
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Rounding up the latest Wine Society offerings

wine society tasting
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A Circle Party to remember

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Peter and Susie’s Wine Festival Winchester moves online

Peter Richards MW and Susie Barrie MW are inviting members to join in their annual Wine Festival Winchester, which this year is going online! Taking place on Saturday 28th November, the day is packed with delicious online wine masterclasses curated via the festival’s website www.thewinefestival.co.uk "We’ve taken our Wine Festival Winchester online, in the spirit of positivity – trying to su...
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Let’s talk about self-publishing

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Welcome to the world of lockdown wine webinars

Liz Sagues discovers how despite lockdown the wine world still keeps spinning, bringing producers and writers together via a new format of wine tasting and seminar: the wine webinar. She recaps some of her highlights from last month, including the Circle's own series 'Let's talk about...' Spring in Sussex was, for me, due to be punctuated by wine trips to Portugal and the Loire Valley. Of course,...
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A look at 2019 Chianti Classico

Chianti wine region
John Salvi MW attends Chianti Classico Collection 2020 and crafts his conclusions on the 2019 vintage by digging deep into the factors that have delivered a generous yield of wonderful wines.  A record number of producers turned out at the 2020 edition of Chianti Classico Collection, and more than ever before showed their new vintage – the 2019. There were 56 producers pouring 2019s at the Stazio...
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Shedding light on Slovakian wine

Jochen Erler, who first reported on Slovakian wine in the mid-90s, reflects on the country’s wines after judging at the 2019 edition of Slovakia’s National Wine Competition, held in Pezinok. Pezinok is a pleasant town in the foothills of the Little Carpathian mountain range, reflecting its Austro-Hungarian past in its architecture, and showing a lifestyle á la Vienna with cafés busy all day arou...
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Canada Condensed

Okanagan wine festival
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Our Christmas Party – a real cracker from New Zealand!

What a superb evening members were treated to on Monday (9th December) at the Circle Christmas Party courtesy of Chris Stroud and New Zealand Winegrowers. The Penthouse at New Zealand House was buzzing as 100+ members, guests and our many friends in the trade enjoyed 16 wines from 12 different varieties and styles, complemented with delicious canapes by Circle member Roger Jones (plus Sue and the ...
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