Opinion Archives - Circle of Wine Writers

Reuse rather than recycle — the greener bottle solution

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Liz Sagues

Liz Sagues summarises the learnings and challenges presented in the recent Let's talk about... webinar, featuring three members of Porto Protocol — Diana Snowden Seysses, Marta Mendonça and Muriel Chatel, and moderated by L.M. Archer. Is it idealistic fantasy that the wine bottle you're pouring from now could, over months or years to come, be refilled again and again rather than ending up in a ...

A pair of great Danes

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Jochen Erler

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Prosecco: what’s in a name?

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Marc Millon

Marc Millon rediscovers the joys of the now hugely famous sparkling DOCG that hails from hills that lie between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. He encounters such complexity of terroir that different sub-zones and even single vineyards can express their own characters and personalities. I first visited the wine hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene more than 40 years ago in search of a wine I’...

Spectacular Temecula can do good wine too

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Becky Sue Epstein

Next time you’ve got an extra couple of days in Los Angeles or San Diego, Becky Sue Epstein recommends a visit to the Southern California wine region, which she recently visited after a long absence and found the wines are a changing for the good. If wine grapes have been grown in California’s Temecula Valley since the 1820s, why are we only hearing about it now? And what are the wines like? Tha...

Mountain magician

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Kathleen Burk

Kathleen Burk meets and eats extremely well with Chris Carpenter, who crafts finely chiselled Chardonnays and reds from above the fog line in Napa, and much more, also for Jackson Family Wines, such as making wine in Walla Walla Valley and McLaren Vale. The quality of the lunch at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill in London was a delicious bonus when I accepted an invitation to attend a lunchtime tasting...

A rebel among the hills

Posted on December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 by Caroline Gilby MW

Caroline Gilby MW revels in Rebula, the golden grape that encapsulates the terroir of Brda/Collio and appears to be coping well with challenges of climate change. Somehow, I seem to have become a bit of an evangelist for obscure grapes from Central and Eastern Europe, and one of my favourites is the golden grape called Rebula in Slovenia and Ribolla Gialla in Italy. A recent trip to the Brda Home...

Advances in Armenian fizz well worth the wait

Posted on December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 by L.M Archer

Merano’s vinous festivities measure up

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Jochen Erler

Awe-inspiring Alto Adige

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Filippo Magnani

Filippo Magnani revels in the region that’s an Alpine paradise for wine lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. This September, I participated in the fourth edition of the Alto Adige Wine Summit. This rather new event is the largest of its kind that focuses on Alto Adige wines and has already drawn significant international attention. Organized by the Alto Adige Wine Consortium, the event hosted 97...

Leaf roll, mealy bugs and more to come

Posted on November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 by Liz Sagues

Liz Sagues discovers the fascinating world of leaf roll virus and what Nic van Aarde, winemaker at Oldenburg Estate in Stellenbosch, and his colleagues are doing to combat it in a recent Let's talk about... session. She also looks forward at what's to come in 2024, and highlights some gems from 2023. The Circle's penultimate online presentation in 2023 answered a question that has long puzzled ma...