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Posted on by Amanda Barnes

Meet the Member: Kevin Day

Posted on by Amanda Barnes
Kevin Day has been blogging about and photographing wine for over decade and has found a niche in writing about the wines of Italy and France via his online magazine, Opening a Bottle. In this interview, Amanda Barnes finds out why Kevin is concerned about the impact of AI on wine writing and learns about some of his favourite vinous gems from Italy, including Schioppettino and the white blend...
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Quality perception concerns from the Cape 

Posted on by Michael Fridjhon
To access this post, you must purchase Premium Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee) or 2026 Premium Friend of the Circle (current Friends renewal only/April), or log in.
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Switzerland surprises with staggering assortment of grapes

Posted on by Sue Eames
Sue Eames discovers that the Swiss wine scene isn’t solely about Chasselas, far from it in fact, and is spoilt for choice with a plethora of exciting indigenous varieties, crossings and PIWIs, to choose from. Judging in any wine region is always a great opportunity to visit local wineries and explore the latest trends, and our trip to Le Mondial du Chasselas in Aigle, Switzerland, in late May was...
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Komarna breaks through

Posted on by Dijana Grgić
Dijana Grgić reports from the sun- and sea-kissed, rocky region that represents a remarkable coming together of man and machine, and is the only exclusively organic growing area in Croatia.  Komarna is the youngest wine growing area in Croatia, located in an extremely rocky area, with a plethora of sunny days in the year. It was here, in the early 2000s, that machines ground down through the ston...
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Tasting history

Posted on by Dominic Buckwell
Dominic Buckwell raids his own cellar and pours his collection of Château-Grillet wines to a prestigious and appreciative panel, to mark the launch of Liberation Tardive, a new not-for-profit organization that seeks to ensure the market delivers available stocks of older wines. How does it feel to taste something from history? A tiny appellation in Northern Rhône, with Roman origins acclaimed by ...
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Leonardslee Family Estates launch and Defined Wine tasting

Posted on by Liz Sagues
Liz Sagues tells the rags-to-riches tale of Penny Streeter, whose English venture has just released its first wines, and catches up with a contract winemaking company and some of its clients.  The story is a PR dream: rags-to-riches South Africa-based woman entrepreneur buys crumbling English country house with totally neglected Grade I-listed gardens, plus nearby golf course with hotel, spends h...
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Review of Vienna’s VieVinum 2024

Posted on by Jochen Erler
To access this post, you must purchase Premium Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee) or 2026 Premium Friend of the Circle (current Friends renewal only/April), or log in.
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From the Chair: Wine writing reimagined

Posted on by Meg Maker
Circle Chair Meg Maker reflects on the changing world of wine writing in her inaugural column for The Circular.  Wine and spirits writers are a creative lot. We’re cultural commentators, observers who tap into the shape-shifting zeitgeist, so we can frame the product in ways that connect. We imagine new words to meet the moment, modifying or inventing language to say what we mean.  All languages...
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A summer pause and reflection on Let’s talk about…

Posted on by Liz Sagues
Summer has brought a brief break in the Circle's Let's talk about... online seminars, but they will be back again very soon, says Liz Sagues.  On 3rd September, Alder Yarrow launches the autumn-winter programme with session number 106 as he takes us behind the scenes at the Old Vine Registry, the world’s first and most authoritative database of old vine vineyards around the globe.  Alder, pionee...
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