Highlights Archives - Circle of Wine Writers

A whirlwind tour of Chile’s varying valleys and trailblazing tendencies

Posted on September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

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Bükk buckles down

Posted on September 6, 2020September 9, 2020 by Robert Smyth

Robert Smyth finally frees the shackles of lockdown on his first post-Covid wine trip, and finds winemaking momentum building in the mountains around Miskolc, in north-eastern Hungary. A version of this article earlier appeared in the Budapest Business Journal. It was a welcome change to return to Hungarian wine country in June, to witness a barely-known cum less prestigious wine region take stri...

Promise amongst the peaks and the pumice

Posted on September 6, 2020September 9, 2020 by Wink Lorch

Continuing on from her introductory article in August’s Circular on the Côtes d’Auvergne region in the Puy de Dôme department, within the volcanic part of France’s Massif Central, Wink Lorch visits producers big and small, and finds plenty of potential in the region that has altitude and ash to its advantage. With only about 400 hectares (ha), Côtes d’Auvergne inspired me to think once again abou...

Roussanne really right for the Cape

Posted on August 9, 2020August 9, 2020 by Malu Lambert

An eruption of Gamay in Côtes d’Auvergne

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Wink Lorch

In the first of two articles, Wink Lorch leaves the French Alps and veers into volcanic mountain territory to explore the Côtes d’Auvergne, a wine region that has risen from the ashes, and is joined by fellow CWW member and Loire expert Jim Budd. The second instalment is due to appear in September’s edition of The Circular. Having been lucky enough to spend lockdown high up in my French Alpine ho...

When cider is wine

Posted on July 6, 2020July 8, 2020 by Alistair Morrell

Alistair Morrell explores the many parallels between cider/perry and wine, which he feels in its purest form should certainly not be bracketed together with beer. Nevertheless, the process of keeving keeps its unique. Alistair’s presentation to the Circle on the subject can be found on YouTube. When the Cider Is Wine trade alliance was launched at the end of 2018, it raised eyebrows with some bec...

Château de Pommard: trailblazing a way into the brave new wine world

Posted on July 5, 2020July 6, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

From the comfort of home, Amanda Barnes gets to taste the latest releases of the 300-year-old Burgundy winery and to learn about how despite being highly tech savvy, it is lo-fi in the vineyards and well on the road to becoming certified biodynamic. We’ve all had the age-old argument about whether wine is more about art or science, but how much of it is tech? In today’s fast-moving world, the im...

Meet the Friend: Sam Linter, Wine GB

Posted on July 5, 2020July 8, 2020 by Amanda Barnes

Sam Linter, Managing Director & Head Winemaker for Bolney Wine Estate.

Sam Linter is a second-generation winemaker at her family vineyard and winery, Bolney Wine Estate, which was established in West Sussex, in the South Downs, by her parents, in 1972. Since 2019, she has been a director of Wine GB, responsible for helping drive British wine forward in both the local and export markets. Amanda Barnes interviews her about her own experiences as an English winegrower a...

Counting the true cost of wine

Posted on June 29, 2020 by L.M. Archer

Changing the wine business for the better

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Tim Atkin