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Virginia wine: beyond the verge
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 cautionary tale of canfinement
An increasingly despairing Tony Harries loses it during lockdown and runs out of supplies. Faced with a difficult choice between two foraged cans of beer and one old bottle of wine that’s way past its best, which will serve to quench our hero’s thirst?
I’m going to share a first-world tale of a wine writer. It might shock, it might make you laugh and there might even be one or two who are reac...
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Review: Gerard Basset, Tasting Victory
Unlike many members, I never had the fortune to know Gerard. I did, however, know of Gerard. It seems there are few people in the wine world who have inspired so many others and made them all feel so welcome. Without exception, when his name has come up in conversation – no matter whether that conversation has been in England, France or even Chile – someone has told me about how delightful Gerard ...
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How the wine world is coping with coronavirus
Members of the Circle of Wine Writers take a look at their regions, or regions to which they have recently travelled, to share some insight into how the wine world is coping with Coronavirus and the impact of lockdown and social distancing on their businesses.
A letter from the Editor:
Well, hasn't life as we know it changed in the last month? Last month, we were beginning to cancel events f...
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Meet the Friend: Angela Muir MW
Angela Muir MW has been working in the wine trade since 1970, right from her first job on leaving Bristol University. Ten years later she became a Master of Wine, in fact one of the first female MWs, and has been a respected consultant to wine producers and companies ever since, establishing her own consultancy company, Cellarworld, in 1993. Amanda Barnes interviews her about her experience in the...
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Book Review: The Book of St John
Many members will be well-aware of Circle Member Trevor Gulliver and his partner Fergus Henderson's popular St John restaurant in London, where offal and the humble pig took the centre stage, and the wine selection came a close second. Earlier this year, they released their book, The Book of St John, which reflects their 'nose-to-tail' ethos of holistic eating (using every part of the animal) and ...
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Soaking up sake
Ever the keen learner, on his cruise to the Far East, Jochen Erler takes time out to sip some sake at source.
As a professional taster of wine and spirits, with some experience as a beer taster in competitions, I have long been intrigued by the similarities between producing beer and whisk(e)y on the one hand, and sake (rice wine) and its distillate on the other. Both have water and grain as thei...
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Clearly Bardolino
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A look at 2019 Chianti Classico
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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