Circle of Wine Writers

CWW - Let's talk about... Trebbiano in Tuscany with Åsa Johansson
2024-09-17 17:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London)
In the next of the Circle’s Let’s talk about… webinars Asa Johansson, freelance writer for Swedish and international publications and a specialist in Italian wines, will be joined by three prominent producers to explain how the often-overlooked Trebbiano Toscano is experiencing a resurgence in its homeland. As usual, the webinar is on a Tuesday at 5pm UK time, with advance registration.
Traditionally, Trebbiano Toscano was relegated to simple white table wines or blended into Chianti and Vin Santo. However, many producers in Chianti Classico are now investing in the variety with the aim of crafting age-worthy quality wines. Identical to France’s Ugni Blanc, it remains one of Italy’s most widely planted grapes, ranking fifth with more than 20,000 hectares under vine. Among white-wine grapes, only Catarratto has a larger footprint there.
Three prominent figures in this renaissance will join Asa: Stefano Capurso, CEO of Dievole; Sofia Ruhne, owner of Terreno; and young winemakers and owners Maddalena Fucile and Matteo Vaccari from Cigliano di Sopra. They will share their insights on Tuscany’s rising star and its journey back into the spotlight.
Topics to be explored will be the historical significance of Trebbiano in Tuscan viticulture and winemaking, the challenges and opportunities from vineyard to bottle, and the wine styles that producers are focusing on today.
Asa, a Circle member, moved to Italy from Sweden in 2001. She writes on wine, food and travel for Decanter, Quench Magazine, Corriere Vinicolo, Svenksa Dagbladet and more. She started Sweden’s first podcast on Italian wines, Italienpodden.se and produces her own Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, La Collina Blu.
To join this seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on Tuesday 17th September. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the link below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsc-6qrD8tEtY7dLZ6vzKPlxBsr8ArFxS1
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Moet Hennessy brands tasting
2024-09-19 | 18 Grosvenor Gardens, SW1W 0DH
Spritz Marketing invite you to save the date.
Further information to be shared in the coming weeks.

IWSC Margaret River Award-Winning Wine Tasting
2024-09-23 10:00 - 16:00 | 67, Pall Mall, St James’s Room, London, SW1Y 5ES
Following the recent judging of wines from Australia’s Margaret River, Spritz Marketing invite you to attend a tasting of the IWSC’s 2024 award-winning wines.
Save your space if you haven’t already through Eventbrite. Book here.

CWW - Coravin - celebrating a decade of innovation in wine technology, with Greg Lambrecht
2024-10-01 17:00 - 18:00
For the next of the Circle’s Let’s talk about… webinars we are delighted to welcome back Greg, inventor and founder of Coravin. As usual, the webinar is on a Tuesday at 5pm UK time, with advance registration.
The Coravin preservation system uses a non-coring needle to pass through the cork of a sealed bottle, allowing small amounts of wine to be poured without damage to what remains – an invaluable aid particularly for those needing to taste multiple wines. Greg will share the story of Coravin’s evolution, featuring the first-ever prototypes – still functional today – and highlighting key milestones.
He’ll explore how global markets have adopted Coravin, from fine-dining establishments to increasingly popular at-home wine-by-the-glass cellars. He will also discuss his perspective on industry trends, such as sustainability and the rising demand for premium wines, and how these shifts are shaping the future of wine technology.
Greg is uniquely placed to explain everything about Coravin, the result of a convergence of his passion for wine with engineering degrees and a successful career in medical technologies.
For more, see coravin.co.uk or coravin.com (US).
NB Remember that there is generous discount on Coravin products for Circle members.
To join this seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on Tuesday 1st October. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the link below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuf-qgpz0vGtyfVIVn8k2R6uegxUO3JQqR
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
More dates for your diary:
October 15th: Let’s talk about… Sherry – sustainability and more, with Victoria González-Gordon López de Carrizosa
October 21st Taste the Virginia Governor’s Cup Case with Frank Morgan, live in London

DRINK JAPAN
2024-10-04 12:00 - 16:00 | St Mary’s Church, York Street, Marylebone, London, W1H 1PQ
DRINK JAPAN is bringing the best of Japanese sake, shochu, whisky, beer, wine and spirits to London Friday 4th – Saturday 5th October! Don’t miss out on the chance to meet the producers flying over especially to bring new wave and exclusive artisan drinks straight to you. For more information on who’s exhibiting, please visit the Drink Japan website.
This event will be open exclusively to the trade 12:00 – 16:00 on Friday 4th October to bring you closer to the drinks, brands and producers redefining the Japanese drinks industry. Further sessions are open to both consumers and trade: 4th October (Fri) 17:00 – 21:00 and 5th October (Sat) 12:00 – 16:00 and 17:00 – 21:00.
Food sampling, including sushi bento boxes and top grade Hida Wagyu beef, will be available to trade attendees from the food court on Friday afternoon, for a full Japanese food and drink experience.
The way to sign up is to register, using this QR to complete the Eventbrite form to register for trade entry on either day. A business card or other proof of trade accreditation will be necessary to confirm free access on the day.

Mount Langi Ghiran, Langi Shiraz an icon Masterclass, free pour tasting and buffet lunch
2024-10-07 10:30 - 14:00 | 67, Pall Mall, St James’s Room, London, SW1Y 5ES
Spritz Marketing invite you to join Mounth Langi winemaker Darren Rathbone, together with Matthew Jukes for a retrospective tasting.
10.30am – 12.00pm Masterclass
12.00pm – 14.00pm free pour tasting and buffet lunch
Spaces are very limited, but to express your interest email astrid@spritzmarketing.co.uk

Sustainability In Drinks exhibition
2024-10-15 10:30 - 17:30 | St Mary’s, Wyndham Place, London, w1h 1pq
Members are invited to attend the Sustainability In Drinks exhibition. If you have any interest in this topic you’ll find more advice, information and sustainably accredited products under one roof on one day than ever before in the UK . Please see below for more detail about this initiative.
Please register here: https://sustainabilityindrinks.com/visitor-registration-form/
ABOUT SUSTAINABIILTY IN DRINKS
The inaugural Sustainability in Drinks trade fair and exhibition on 15th October in London will feature the largest collaboration of global advisory bodies within the drinks industry, ever staged in the UK. What started as a simple idea to showcase the very best in drinks production, products, services and support ‘under one roof’ has grown into an unrivalled resource for all members of the drinks trade and press with exhibitors, thought leaders and visitors from around the world.
The organisers have managed to co-opt the support of 20 of the foremost advisors and experts who will contribute to SID Talks including how to get started on your sustainable journey, debates on packaging, regenerative practices, the race to net zero and creating sustainable supply chains. This is in addition to SID Associates having a physical presence or representation at the event, including Porto Protocol, IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action), WSTA (Wines and Spirits Trade Association), Carbon Literacy Project, Carbon Trust and the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation – to name just a handful of contributors.
Other exhibitors include some of the UK’s leading importers, some incredible producers (including Catena, Emiliana, Gil Family Estate, Journey’s End, and Santa Tresa to name a few) and generic groups from Alentejo, New Zealand and Austria, spirits, beers, packaging, labelling and cork manufacturers. You’ll find the most recent list here: Exhibitors – sustainabilityindrinks.com
Talking with Vanya Cullen in London last week, she said “Climate change is the biggest challenge in the industry. I take my hat off to you for giving it a go!”. We hope you agree and hope you’ll support this very necessary and interesting event.
For more information contact Judy Kendrick at hello@sustainabilityindrinks.com / judy@jkmarketing.co.uk

CWW - Let's talk about... Sustainability in Jerez and beyond, with Victoria González-Gordon
2024-10-15 17:00 - 18:00
The next of the Circle’s Let’s talk about… webinars will focus on how the crucial challenge of sustainability is being faced in Spain, in both the sherry heartland and other wine-producing regions. As usual, the webinar is on a Tuesday at 5pm UK time, with advance registration.
Victoria González-Gordon, fifth generation member of the González Byass wine family, is responsible for leading all the company’s sustainability practices, a responsibility she took on in 2022 after directing the international marketing department for more than 15 years.
From its beginnings in Jerez in 1835, González Byass has grown to today’s 14 wineries, producing premium wines and spirits in Spain, Chile, and Mexico. Central to all it does is the preservation of the natural environment for the generations to come.
One current example of this commitment is the Vineyard Angel project launched in 2021, an initiative seeking to retrieve, maintain and preserve Spain’s old vineyards. Work is already underway at sites in Rueda and Penedès and more will be added. Much else besides – from biological plant health treatment to provision of free solar-powered electric vehicle charging points at its wineries – contributes to the company’s sustainability programme. Join Victoria to learn more.
See gonzalezbyass.com/int-en/sostenibilidad
To join this seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on Tuesday 15th October. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the link below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcuivrzwrEtbIJ7UerGBJjU7kGJU4zUcr
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
Unfortunately, the final event this month, the live tasting of the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup Case in London, on October 21st has had to be postponed as the presenter, Frank Morgan, is unexpectedly unable to travel to the UK. We hope to reschedule it early next year. Meanwhile, watch out for invitations for the November Let’s talk about sessions, to be held on the 5th and 19th, when we’ll travel to Italy and Cyprus.

Celebration of Stephen Barrett's life - London, 15th Oct
2024-10-15 17:00 - 18:30 | St Mary’s, Wyndham Place, London, w1h 1pq
We are organising a celebration of Stephen’s life when Circle and AWE members can share their memories of Stephen and also raise a glass to him. This life celebration will be held after the Sustainability In Drinks Event (SID) being organised by JK Marketing.
Please let us know if you plan to attend this event by replying to this email and also if you know of other friends who knew Stephen and would like to share in this celebration.
We are grateful to Judy Kendrick who has offered us the venue for this. Judy has requested that if you plan to attend if you could register with her so you have a badge and are official visitors. On the registration form there’s a question about why you want to visit, please add ‘drinks for Stephen’ or similar (unless of course you are attending the SID event). https://sustainabilityindrinks.com/visitor-registration-form/
We look forward to seeing you then.

The 6th Edition of The Old Vine Conference - online
2024-10-17 14:00 - 18:00, 2024-10-18 10:00 - 14:00
Gain invaluable insight on the subject of old vines from around the world and a deeper understanding of the role that old vines play in the wine industry’s adaptation to climate change & sustainability. The conference will take place live, on-line, across two days at different times of the day. It’s free to register >https://www.oldvines.org/the-old-vine-conference-2024

Pessac-Léognan L'Esprit Bordeaux Masterclass
2024-10-21 11:00 - 15:30 | The St James’s Room, 67 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ES
Masterclass from 11am – 1pm followed by a light lunch
Free Pour Tasting from 2pm – 3.30pm
Jacques Lurton, President of the appellation accompanied by Séverine Bonnie of Château Malartic-Lagravière, Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier, Ghislain Boutemy of Château Haut-Lagrange and Marc Perrin of Château Carbonnieux will conduct a tasting and present Pessac-Léognan, L’Esprit Bordeaux. They will be joined by semiotician Pascal Beucler who worked with the appellation on their re-branding.

2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup Tasting - LAST FEW PLACES AVAILABLE
2024-10-21 11:30 - 14:30 | 10 Greek Street, London, W1D 4DH
Tickets can be purchased via the PAYMENTS page on the website. Places are now limited so please check with Andrea for availability. For more details about this tasting followed by light lunch please read on…..
About the event?
A tasting of the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup Case, the top 12 scoring wines from the 2024 Governor’s Cup wine competition. The 2024 Case includes seven red wines, five whites and one sparkling wine, representing three regions across the Commonwealth — the Monticello AVA, Northern Virginia, and Shenandoah Valley.
In its 42nd year, the competition received 752 entries from over 135 producers across the state this year. Wines were tasted and evaluated by 36 judges over two rounds. To see the full list of medallists, visit virginiawine.org/governors-cup/awards.
The tasting will be led by Virginia Governor’s Cup Director of Judging Frank Morgan who is also a fellow Circle member. The tasting will be followed by a light lunch. The event is being sponsored by Virginia Wine.
Timing: 11.30 am – 2.30 pm starting with the tasting and followed by a light lunch.
Cost: £15 for members, £20 for AWE members, £25 for guests
We do hope you can make it and please reserve your place now via this link.

CWW - Let's talk about... The diversity of modern Italian winemaking and its adaptation to climate change, with Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella
2024-11-05 17:00 - 18:00
The next of the Circle’s Let’s talk about… webinars will presented by brothers Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, who are ranked among Italy’s top winemakers and have both made important contributions to the quality and diversity of modern Italian wine. As usual, the webinar is on a Tuesday at 5pm UK time, with advance registration.
They will talk from their different perspectives, Riccardo as consultant to more than 100 major wineries in Europe and beyond, and Renzo as head of one of Italy’s most acclaimed family wineries.
Riccardo, founder of consulting company Ciasso Cotarella, professor of oenology at the University of Tuscia and recognised as the President of Global Enologists and National President of Assoenologi, Italy’s national enologist association, stresses the importance of distinctiveness that sets Italy apart: “So many grape varieties, so many territories, so many appellations, so much diversity within the same appellations, varieties of soils, exposures, microclimates.” Alongside that lies the human element, and he puts great emphasis on the value of the co-operative system. “Fifty-four per cent of wine in Italy is produced by co-operatives today, and this also gives them a great responsibility for the future of our country’s wine.”
For Renzo, who is responsible for Famiglia Cotarella 200 hectares of vines and nearly two million bottle annual production, climate change is both a challenge and an opportunity. “We obviously cannot change the climate, but we can certainly manage it.” Referring to the present desire for refined, more varietally characteristic yet intense wines, after the powerful, very rich styles of the 1980s and 90s, he highlights the ‘turning point’ as older vineyards are replanted. “In the face of past experience and the current change in climate and style, we ask ourselves: how should we do it?’
To join what promises to be a very stimulating seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on Tuesday 5th November. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the link below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsc-6opj8iHNzjdb0rIZp7uF3HrrsHGCCo
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
The final Let’s talk about… in 2024 – number 110 in the series – will be on November 19th, when Marcos Zambartas will be presenting modern Cyprus, visited by Circle members earlier this year.

Neusiedlersee, Niederösterreich & IWSC Wine Tasting
2024-11-11 10:00 - 16:00 | The Stables, WC2H 9LH
Spritz Marketing invite you to taste the IWSC’s 2024 medal-winning Austrian wines, together with the latest releases from Neusiedlersee DAC and Niederösterreich.
If you haven’t already done so, tickets can be booked through Eventbrite. Book here.

Les Crus Bourgeois du Médoc Annual Tasting
2024-11-14 10:00 - 15:45 | 67, Pall Mall, St James’s Room, London, SW1Y 5ES
Format: Free pour tasting
Armelle Cruse, Vice President of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc will be presenting a selection of wines from the remarkable 2022 vintage, the final vintage of the current 2020 classification. Wines will be from across the 3 tier system: Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. Please join us to celebrate the success of the 2020 classification and to learn more about the upcoming 2025.

IWSC Award-Winning Chinese Wine Tasting
2024-11-14 10:00 - 16:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA
On behalf of the wine judges of the IWSC, Spritz Marketing invite you to taste the award-winning wines from the 2024 wine judging in China.
This is bound to be an interesting opportunity to taste a range of wines from China. Book your place via Eventbrite here.

CWW - Let's talk about... Cyprus wine: a historical review 1920s - 2020s, by Marcos Zambartas
2024-11-19 17:00 - 18:00
For the final Circle Let’s talk about… webinar of 2024 we are delighted to welcome Marcos Zambartas, who members on the Circle trip to Cyprus earlier this year will happily remember. As usual, the webinar is on a Tuesday at 5pm UK time, with advance registration.
This session will be an opportunity to be reintroduced to the Cypriot wine industry. Marcos will describe 100 years of wine making on the island, from the 1920s to 2020s. He will cover the progress from homemade wine in traditional clay pots to multi-million-litre production units exporting in bulk to all continents, and on to today when there is a 90% drop in vineyard land but quality is as high as ever. What are the lessons of the past and what will the future bring?
Marcos is owner and MD of Zambartas Winery, a medium-size winery near Limassol founded in 2005. He joined the family company after completing degrees in chemistry at Imperial College, London, and oenology at Adelaide University, and in 2014 he succeeded his father in managing the winery. Today, Marcos oversees all operations and sets the strategy and goals of the winery. He is the winery’s ‘face’ in promotional activities locally and internationally, is a Master of Wine student and is involved with the 14-strong growers association WINECORE (WINEries’ of Cyprus Own Rooted Evolution), which focuses on promoting and elevating Cyprus’s unique local varieties.
See @Marcos Zambartas, @Zambartas Wines, #cypruswine www.zambartaswineries.com
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on Tuesday 19th November. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the link below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pd-ChqTksHNRlgxU8C-Ok_41cRbplQkAz
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
Already on the schedule for 2025, when the first Let’s talk about will be held on January 7th, are an update on Jura from Circle member Wink Lorch and explanation of regenerative viticulture with a presenter from the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation.

Can You Taste Chilean Terroir?
2024-11-21 11:00 - 14:00 | St James’ Room, 67 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ES
A talk & blind tasting hosted by Tim Aitkin MW & Ventisquero’s Filipe Tosso. Including VWE’s new range from Chile’s most extreme southerly vineyards. Guest Speaker Professor Alex Maltman.

Wines of Chile - Susie & Peter’s Chile Wines of the Year Masterclass & Tasting
2024-11-26 11:00 - 15:00 | ASIA House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LP
Wines of Chile invite you to ‘Susie & Peter’s Chilean Wines of the Year’ – a masterclass and walk-around tasting featuring showcasing some of the best, most eclectic, innovative, surprising, delicious and fine wines Chile currently has to offer.
Following on from an extensive tasting carried out in June 2024 in conjunction with Wines of Chile, for which specific samples were requested on the back of prior tastings, Susie & Peter launched their Chile Wines of the Year Podcast & Report.
‘We felt frustrated that, whenever we go to Chile, we see a range of producers and wines that are funky, fun and increasingly fine – and yet in a major market like the UK, we rarely get to see or taste that reality’ comments Richards. ‘With this initiative, we want to showcase the modern diversity and excitement of Chilean wine to try to change this.’
This event will feature a tasting of a selection of the standout wines from the report along with a masterclass showcasing eight wines selected by Susie & Peter and includes an update on the Chilean wine scene and anecdotal insights from the winemakers.
Timings: Tasting opens: 11:00am – 15:00pm
Masterclass: 11:30am – 13:00 pm
You can register your attendance to the tasting or to both the masterclass and tasting via the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1007415365477?aff=oddtdtcreator
Please let them know if you need any further information on the above event (info@winesofchile.org.uk), and they look forward to seeing you on the 26th November 2024
To view Susie & Peter’s podcast and report: https://susieandpeter.com/podcast-episodes/season-six/chile-wines-of-the-year/

CWW - Let's talk about... Jura wine with Wink Lorch
2025-01-07 17:00 - 18:00
CWW – Let’s talk about… Jura wine with Wink Lorch
Tuesday 7th January at 5pm GMT
Join us for the next Let’s talk about… seminar.
Watch this space for full details in due course or contact Andrea/Helen on administrator@circleofwinewriters.org

Business France - VIN 2025: a French Wine Tasting
2025-01-16 10:00 - 17:00 | Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, 30 Portman Square, London, W1H 7BH
Immerse yourself in the world of French wine from Jura to the Rhône, Languedoc to Corsica.
A mix of wines seeking representation & products already on the UK market with 40+ producers
Anne McHale will be leading wine walks around the tasting (more information to follow)
See you there!
REGISTER HERE

CWW Let's talk about... Old World, New World, what in the World?, with Nick Mills
2025-01-21 17:00 - 18:00
For session number two in the 2025 Let’s talk about season we’re delighted to welcome Nick Mills of spectacularly-sited, much-lauded Rippon Vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand, who will discuss the joys and challenges of making Pinot Noir on a mountainous island in the middle of the largest body of water on the planet – and much more besides.
Let Nick explain: ‘Like you, I grew up living in a thin film of life, stuck to the outside of a molten ball of rock, spinning around in a vacuum. I’ve also grown up on an organic, multigenerational farm with mature, unirrigated, pre-phylloxera vines in a unique continental climate… out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
‘From my experience and travels in winegrowing, I feel that many tropes of wine communication on old/new, north/south, taste/value are becoming less and less helpful. Winegrowing is a universal craft, rooted in agriculture, and it’s now more important than ever that drinkers understand this.’ He is much looking forward to presenting and discussing his thoughts to Circle members and guests.
Nick, who has headed the Rippon team since 2022, is – with his brother and sisters – the fourth generation of the Mills family to farm the land, their focus to do justice to it and keep it alive for the generations to come. Though brought up on the farm, he planned a career in professional skiing. When that was cut short by injury he moved to France for four years, working at a number of top Burgundy domains. On his return to Rippon he introduced biodynamic practices. He is, he says, ‘as much a product of the farm as the vines and wines of Rippon themselves’.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on January 21st. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the links below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7AieCLGARuar5-vFbjU9gg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2025
2025-01-27 14:00 - 18:00 | The Alex Hotel, 41 – 47 Fenian Street, Dublin, 41 - 47 Fenian Street, Dublin
Wine Australia and New Zealand Winegrowers have teamed up to run their UK and Ireland trade tastings together for the first time in Dublin (27 January), London (30 January) and Edinburgh (4 February).
The Aussies and Kiwis are good mates with lots in common. Fine wine, great food, stunning scenery, the cool Southern Ocean and also their cool Antipodean attitude. Don’t miss this joint event to find out more!
Explore the quality and diversity of Australian and New Zealand wine under one roof. The tasting will showcase Australia and New Zealand’s distinctive terroirs, vibrant winemaking communities and thrilling wines.
This is your chance to discover new wines, revisit the classics, meet the makers, and catch up with importers. Across the roadshow, there’ll be more than 1,000 wines from 200 wineries. Highlights include:
• wines from 54 regions across Australia and New Zealand
• 44 grape varieties – from Assyrtiko to Uva di Troia
• sparkling wines – including Moscato, pét nat and sparkling Shiraz
• alternative wines and new launches – minimal intervention wines, low and no alcohol wines, and wines from celebrities
• certified organic and biodynamic wineries, and
• producers seeking distribution in the UK and Ireland – 17 wineries in London, 8 in Edinburgh and Dublin.
Browse the tasting booklet for London, Edinburgh and Dublin in advance to check out the wineries, importers and all the wines. Printed versions of the tasting booklets will be available on the day.
Email jean@jeansmullen.com to attend
Contact: uk@wineaustralia.com sarahs@nzwine.com

Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2025
2025-01-30 10:00 - 17:00 | Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls, Elverton Street, London, SW1P 2QW
Wine Australia and New Zealand Winegrowers have teamed up to run their UK and Ireland trade tastings together for the first time in Dublin (27 January), London (30 January) and Edinburgh (4 February).
The Aussies and Kiwis are good mates with lots in common. Fine wine, great food, stunning scenery, the cool Southern Ocean and also their cool Antipodean attitude. Don’t miss this joint event to find out more!
Explore the quality and diversity of Australian and New Zealand wine under one roof. The tasting will showcase Australia and New Zealand’s distinctive terroirs, vibrant winemaking communities and thrilling wines.
This is your chance to discover new wines, revisit the classics, meet the makers, and catch up with importers. Across the roadshow, there’ll be more than 1,000 wines from 200 wineries. Highlights include:
• wines from 54 regions across Australia and New Zealand
• 44 grape varieties – from Assyrtiko to Uva di Troia
• sparkling wines – including Moscato, pét nat and sparkling Shiraz
• alternative wines and new launches – minimal intervention wines, low and no alcohol wines, and wines from celebrities
• certified organic and biodynamic wineries, and
• producers seeking distribution in the UK and Ireland – 17 wineries in London, 8 in Edinburgh and Dublin.
Browse the tasting booklet for London, Edinburgh and Dublin in advance to check out the wineries, importers and all the wines. Printed versions of the tasting booklets will be available on the day.
Register here
Contact: uk@wineaustralia.com sarahs@nzwine.com

Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2025
2025-02-04 12:00 - 17:00 | The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2EQ

CWW Let's talk about... Light strike: wine scandal, with Peter Richards MW
2025-02-04 17:00 - 18:00
There’s good reason for earlier than usual information about this important webinar, where Peter will bring us up to date on the light strike scandal following last year’s headline-hitting disclosures in the Wine Blast podcast he hosts with his wife and fellow MW Susie Barrie.
To take full advantage of what Peter hopes will be a discussion as much as a presentation, members and guests attending are invited to carry out their own light strike experiment, starting a week ahead of the session. Full details of what to do are at the end of this invitation, so please scroll on – after registering for the webinar – and be ready to take part. Joining in isn’t compulsory, you can simply watch and listen as usual if you prefer.
Peter will talk about what light strike is, how and why it happens, latest academic research, what the (unpleasant) effects are, and what can be done to prevent it. The discussion will also focus on why wine communicators have a duty to raise the prominence of this issue – wine drinkers are effectively being taken for mugs, and that, Peter believes, is scandalous. Live tasting will allow experimenters to experience the effects.
Peter Richards MW, a CWW member, is a much-respected writer and broadcaster. His TV work ranges from 12 years on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen to new wine-and-travel series The Wild Side of Wine. With Susie, Peter hosts the acclaimed Wine Blast podcast, one of the most successful drinks shows in global charts, going out nearly 200 countries and regularly generating headlines in the national press.
For a taste of what is coming, see the original podcast:
https://susieandpeter.com/podcast-episodes/season-five-wine-blast-podcast/light-strike-wines-not-so-secret-scandal/
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on Tuesday 4th February. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the link below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/AJQhGGNfR_WjN7axKSzbFQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
Images:
Peter Richards MW: Tom Gold/WineGB
Light strike experiment: susieandpeter.com
To view instructions from Peter to participate in the session please follow the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/aexn3eq54itsmicmo6qpn/Let-s-talk-Light-Strike-Peter-Richards-instructions-Feb-4-25.pdf?rlkey=[REDACTED]&st=tmnjchww&dl=0

CWW Let's talk about... An introduction to regenerative viticulture, with Becky Sykes and Justin Howard-Sneyd MW
2025-02-18 17:00 - 18:00
The highly topical but little understood subject of regenerative viticulture will be under discussion at the Circle’s next online seminar. Our presenters will be Becky Sykes and Justin Howard-Sneyd MW. Becky is programme director of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation (RVF) and thus is ideally placed to provide an authoritative introduction to the practice. Justin is a trustee of the RVF.
Becky will introduce the concept and explain how regenerative viticulture intersects with organic and biodynamic principles. She will also talk through the key practices, discuss regional variations and explain how regenerative viticulture delivers climate resilience and improves ecosystems, biodiversity and natural habitats. She can also provide information about the support the foundation provides to growers and the resources available (such as the recently released Literature Review).
Becky’s position at the RVF gives her responsibility for research, education and engagement. Her role is to develop the resources and community network needed to support and connect producers, wherever they are on their regenerative journey. She also manages research projects and engages wine educators to spread both awareness and understanding of the benefits of regenerative viticulture.
She has a passion for regenerative viticulture, sparked during her MSc in viticulture and oenology. She uses the stakeholder engagement expertise gained in her previous career as a public affairs PR consultant to forward the foundation’s aims. She also has a degree in aerospace engineering!
To learn more of the foundation’s work see
www.regenerativeviticulture.org
and
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-regenerative-viticulture-foundation/
https://www.facebook.com/RegenerativeViticulture/
https://www.instagram.com/regenerativeviticulture/
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on February 18th. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the links below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/65g8OXpjRLKFfkQlvusDpQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
Vineyard image – Hartenberg Wine Estate

Mentzendorff's Annual Portfolio Tasting
2025-03-04 10:00 - 17:00 | One Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA
The team at Mentzendorff are delighted to invite Circle of Wine Writers members to our Annual Portfolio Tasting taking place at One Great George Street on Tuesday 4th March 2025 . This event is the highlight of our calendar each year, bringing together international winemakers from across our Portfolio to share our diverse range of champagnes, wines, fortified wines, spirits and more. The full list of our portfolio can be found on our website here.
Highlights of the tasting will include a first taste of new vintages release from across the portfolio, wines from Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery who joined our Portfolio in January this year, expertly guided Port and chocolate pairings and maybe even an extra special surprise for pancake day!
The registration website also has a “highlighted wines” section which will be updated with what’s “not to miss” in the run-up to the event.
This year, guests will have the opportunity to attend three expert-led masterclasses, which can be booked when registering on the website:
10:30am – 11.15am • MASTERCLASS 1
Champagne AYALA: The Expertise and Excellence of Chardonnay
Presented by Hadrien Mouflard
11:45am – 12.30pm • MASTERCLASS 2
Spottswoode Winery: Four Decades of Environmental Leadership
Presented by Heather de Savoye
2:45pm – 3.30pm • MASTERCLASS 3
Ponzi Vineyards: *subject to be confirmed
Presented by Carrie Kalscheuer
The tasting will run from 10am – 5pm, and a light buffet lunch will be served.
REGISTER HERE https://eur.cvent.me/4B2lOq?rt=b94PXuXCb0eTXmsP3rTM5A&RefId=Circle+of+Wine+Writers

CWW Let's talk about... Mapping is so much more than drawing, with Alessandro Masnaghetti
2025-03-04 17:00 - 18:00
Alessandro is known world wide as as Italy’s ‘mapman’, and his exceptionally detailed atlases of Chianti Classico, Barolo and Barbaresco are considered indispensable guides to the regions’ MGAs and UGAs. He’ll explain how the maps came about and the many elements that go into creating them.
‘If you want to make a viticultural map, you need to understand viticulture and oenology,’ Alessandro says. During his presentation he will touch on multiple aspects of mapping wine regions, from the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to elevation and exposure, from natural factors in wine to how to delimit a cru, from local tradition to mapping by 360-degree images, from soil and subsoil to geographical boundaries. He will also compare Chianti Classico and Barolo.
Alessandro originally studied nuclear engineering but his passion for wine soon took over, leading to a celebrated and multi-faceted career as a taster, editor, journalist, cartographer and educator.
In 1987 he founded the magazine Enogea, which later became a publishing house, through which he produces his maps and atlases. He received the Oeuvre culturelle de l’année award in 2021 from La Revue du Vin de France for his cartographic and research work. Most recently he has collaborated with Antonio Gallioni (Vinous) on mapping the great wine regions of California.
Learn more of Alessandro’s work at www.enogea.it
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on March 4th. The session, including Q&As, will last for approximately one hour. To register, follow the links below. Guests will be very welcome, but please let Andrea know their names.
Register here : https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/UsFFagVYSoS6jh-Xt7YGTg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
We look forward to seeing you then.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (links to this and earlier sessions are in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
