Circle of Wine Writers

Can You Taste Chilean Terroir?
2024-11-21 11:00 - 14:00 (Europe/London) | 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

CWW Let's talk about... Ampelography and the future of wine, with Olivier Bourdet-Pees
2025-03-18 17:00 | Circle of Wine Writers
Olivier, head of the pioneering Plaimont co-operative in South West France, will take a deep dive into the study of grape varieties and the vital role their diversity plays in shaping the future of wine.
As the industry faces increasing homogenisation and climate challenges, Plaimont has championed rare Pyrenean grape varieties such as Petit Courbu, Manseng Noir and Tardif, preserving France’s rich viticultural heritage. Olivier will explain how a single rediscovered vine has led to a revival planting of 40 hectares, which he believes will ensure unique, resilient wines for generations to come, and will discuss much more of his region’s role in the wider future of wine.
Olivier joined Plaimont in 2008 as technical director, with the specific aims of developing rediscovered grape varieties preserved in the co-operative’s unique vine conservatory and defining the most exciting micro-terroirs of the different appellations in which its members work. As managing director and head winemaker since 2012 he has continued the inspiring work of co-operative founder André Dubosc, emphasising the exceptional diversity of grape varieties, terroirs and savoir-faire of the IGP Côtes de Gascogne and AOC Saint Mont, Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh.
Born in Béarn, Olivier grew up in a small co-operative farming family, his passion for trees, genetic diversity and wine inherited from his grandfather, a nurseryman and viticulturist. After graduating in oenology and before Plaimont, he spent 10 years between Bordeaux and South America, as oneologist and technical director at the important co-operative winery les Vignerons de Tutiac and launching a unique winemaking project in Uruguay, Viñedo de Minas, where he planted 28 hectares of Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.
To learn more see plaimont.com
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm GMT on March 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 here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yvbj2dJKSP-q_ykmqFq3sQ
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

CWW Let's talk about... Wine judging - practice and purpose
2025-04-01 17:00 - 18:00
CWW Let’s talk about… Wine judging – practice and purpose, with Charles Metcalfe, Sue Eames, Liz Gabay MW and Darrell Joseph
Our distinguished panel of CWW members, led by International Wine Challenge co-founder Charles Metcalfe, will bring their experience of judging at different competitions in the UK, Europe and beyond as they discuss a subject that sparks diverse reactions throughout the wine world. It promises to be both a serious and fun session as they share insights and anecdotes.
Charles Metcalfe has presented many TV food and wine programmes, and for 12 years was one of the Richard-and-Judy team on ITV’s ‘This Morning’. A prolific wine writer, he is author of several books with his wife, Kathryn McWhirter, including on the wines of Portugal, where he and Kathryn now live. Among education activity he teaches how to taste and judge wine at the University of Applied Sciences in Krems, Austria.
Sue Eames DipWSET is British, based in Paris and judges wine and spirits extensively in Europe, including Tastevinage, London Tasting Awards, Mondial des Vins Blancs, Concours General Agricole and Frankfort International. She is responsible for social media on the CWW committee, a member of the Association of Wine Educators and as well as judging works as a freelance educator and communicator.
With a career spanning 40 years in wine, much of it focusing on southern France, Italy and central and eastern Europe, Liz Gabay MW has judged in competitions since the late 1980s, starting with early Wine magazine and Decanter events in rooms in obscure areas of London, moving on to many more throughout Europe. Based in France since 2002, she is renowned as a specialist in rosé.
Based in Vienna, Darrel Joseph is a wine writer, judge and lecturer specialising in central and eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Since 1995, he has contributed to numerous publications in the UK and USA and conducted masterclasses and wine tastings internationally. He has been a regional panel chair and judge in the Decanter World Wine Awards as well as judging in other competitions in Europe and Asia.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on April 1st. 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/zQqImb75R46y_-eB-ZTBVg
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
Photo of Sue Eames by Steven Morris

CWW Let's talk about... The new wines of Mount Etna, with Benjamin North Spencer
2025-04-15 17:00 - 18:00
At the end of the 20th century, the vineyards on the slopes of the volcano Mount Etna were nearly abandoned. Today, there are more than 100 successful estates and hundreds of growers making some of the world’s finest wines from indigenous Sicilian grape varieties. On Europe’s largest active volcano, this kind of rapid change doesn’t come easy. Join Etna expert Ben Spencer on an exploration of the rebirth of the wine region that has everyone talking about Sicily.
Ben, a Circle member and DipWSET, has lived and worked on Mount Etna since 2012. His journey into the world of wine began unexpectedly during an internship at a California winery 23 years ago. Now, he is one of Etna’s most passionate ambassadors, a consulting winemaker on the volcano, a journalist and the founder of the Etna Wine School™ in Sicily. He is also the award-winning author of The New Wines of Mount Etna. Ben has studied with the Court of Master Sommeliers and the University of California, Davis.
To learn more of how he spreads the word about Etna wine, see etnawineschool.com
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on April 15th 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/V7DU70DbTqix_UTCUnOwXg
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 available upon request).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
Photo of Ben Spencer by Jason Johnson

CWW Let's talk about... Georgian Qvevri wines, then and now, with Carla Capalbo
2025-05-06 17:00 - 18:00
Focusing on Georgia’s 8,000 year-old winemaking tradition in large clay pots (qvevri), Carla has subtitled her presentation Family winemaking from Soviet times to today’s protests. She will talk us through the last 100 years to arrive at the current nightly demonstrations against the government and their repercussions for the wines and their makers.
Carla Capalbo, a Circle member, is a food and wine writer and photographer. She’s based again in London after 25 years of living in Italy. She has written 14 books, including three regional guides to Italy’s food and wine (Tuscany 1998, Campania 2006 and Collio 2010, which won the André Simon Best Wine Book Award). In 2017, after visiting Georgia extensively over three years, she published her large book, Tasting Georgia, A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus (winner of several awards, including the Guild of Food Writer’s Food and Travel Award, this book was ranked one of the six best travel books of the last decade by Newsweek).
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on May 6th. 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/XUDK5dCdQzSV_CZVlaR5PQ
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 (find links to this and earlier sessions in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

CWW Let's talk ... all about rosé, with Elizabeth Gabay MW, Ben Bernheim and rosé producers
2025-05-20 17:00 - 18:00
We’re delighted to welcome Elizabeth Gabay MW and her son Ben Bernheim for a presentation that opens a series of 2025 events celebrating the complexity and beauty of rosé.
Liz, a CWW member, and Ben have found themselves increasingly immersed in the world of rosé for the past seven years, working with both producers and trade, writing, speaking and challenging perceptions of this often-underestimated wine.
This webinar will be an informal discussion where everyone can join in and discuss rosé. Liz and Ben will be joined by winemakers Georg Schweitzer, from the new Austrian DAC Rosalia, and Stefan Langmann and his daughter Verena Langmann from Weingut Langmann-Lex in Styria, an area known for its Sauvignon Blancs and high-acid Wildbacher Schilcher rosés. Producers from Maremma, in southern Tuscany, and Greece will also take part.
This Let’s talk about… presentation precedes a series of face-to-face UK events in celebration of rosé. The first is Drink Pink Wednesday, a London tasting of 200+ rosés on June 18th, which, says Liz, could be both a dream day and a nightmare. There will be seven European national and regional tables plus independent producers. To highlight the scope of rosé there will be dry, sweet, sparkling, fortified, low alcohol, natural versions, plus masterclasses.
Later happenings include a Fine Rosé Day tasting featuring rare vintages and niche rosés, and Rosé as Fine Wine?, a debate and vintage rosé tasting. Running alongside is the annual Rosé Writing Competition, inviting submissions of blog posts, articles, and books published between August 2024 and August 2025.
For event inquiries, contact events@pink.wine. More information is at pink.wine/events. Contacts: Ben Bernheim – ben@pink.wine Elizabeth Gabay MW – elizabeth@pink.wine
Before the Let’s talk about… session, if you have any questions – climate change, styles, marketing, grape varieties, and more – do send them in to Andrea via administrator@circleofwinewriters.org.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on May 20th. 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/fQMykMFxSPO9TiEU5xmo3w
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 available upon request).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

CWW - Let's talk about... A compelling case for German Chardonnay: what, who and why you need to know, with Paula Redes Sidore and Valerie Kathawala
2025-06-03 17:00 - 18:00 | Circle of Wine Writers
Join TRINK Magazine’s Paula Redes Sidore and Valerie Kathawala to deconstruct German Chardonnay: what makes it unique and worthy of global attention. This session will explore the wines’ impressive quality and diversity, shaped by climate change, distinctive terroirs and ambitious winemakers.
Journey through key German Chardonnay regions, and styles from Baden’s volcanic warmth to the Nahe’s cool limestone elegance. Paula and Valerie will analyse terroir’s impact, evolving cellar practices and benchmark producers. Understand why German Chardonnay is a compelling, evolving category and gain a new appreciation for its distinct character.
TRINK Magazine is an independent digital publication dedicated to the diverse and dynamic wines of the German-speaking world. Paula and Valerie, both CWW members, are its co-founders and publishers. Based in Germany and New York respectively, they were brought together by their shared love for these wines and the conviction that a deep understanding of the cultural contexts is essential for full appreciation.
Paula is an American writer, editor, and translator who has called Germany home for more than two decades. She is the German regional specialist for JancisRobinson.com and with a masters in fiction writing she applies a storyteller’s eye to wine.
Valerie is a widely published journalist, author and editor specialising in the wines of Germany and Austria. She is currently researching and writing the German Wine Scholar course for the Wine Scholar Guild (launching in autumn 2025).
See trinkmag.com
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on June 3rd. 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/J82PfbBITJOQ6Se01eyCVg
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 available upon request).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues
CWW online events organisers

Te Kano masterclass
2025-06-05 10:30 - 12:00 | Swan, The Balcony Room, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT
Spritz marketing invite you to a masterclass hosted by visiting New Zealander and Te Kano winemaker Dave Sutton; in his masterclass he will be showcasing a selection of single site pinots and chardonnays.

CWW AGM 2025 notification
2025-06-06 17:00 - 18:00
2025 AGM notification – due to be held on Friday 6 June at 5 pm BST online. Link will be added here to join the meeting.
Details to follow.

Australian and New Zealand Masterclass and Tasting
2025-06-09 10:00 - 17:00 | The Castel Rooms, 18-20 Castle Street, Manchester, M3 4LZ
The Aussies and Kiwis have lots in common: fine wine, great food, stunning scenery, the cool Southern Ocean and also our cool Antipodean attitude.
Our wines are an expression of our distinctive terroirs and the vibrant communities that craft them. Perfecting traditional techniques and inventing our own ways of doing things, we push the boundaries in the pursuit of the most diverse, thrilling wines in the world.
Taste the wines that have put Australia and New Zealand in the spotlight and discover exciting new wines that are coming out of the two countries today. Uncover regional and stylistic differences, find out about winemaking techniques and innovative spirit, and look into the future of Australian and New Zealand wine.
The masterclass line-up – five wines from Australia and five wines from New Zealand – includes organic and biodynamic wines, minimal intervention and natural wines, and alternative varieties and new wave styles.
We also invite you to explore contemporary styles in the free-pour tasting, which features 60 wines. The flights are sparkling wine, Riesling, aromatic whites, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, rosé, light reds, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, and Cabernet and blends. From Pét-Nat to Uva di Troia, we’ll challenge your perceptions of Australian and New Zealand wine.
All of the wines are available in the UK. If you’re looking to expand your portfolio of Australian and New Zealand wines, this is a great opportunity to taste and explore a diverse range under one roof.
Please note that this is a trade tasting and is limited to wine trade and media only.
Masterclass
10.30 – 12.00
14.00 – 15.30
Free-pour tasting
10.00 – 17.00
REGISTER HERE

Let's talk about... Cultural attitudes towards wine in India and China, with Reva K. Singh, Ruma Singh and Janet Wang
2025-06-17 17:00 - 18:00 | Circle of Wine Writers
Be ready to step into the little-understood wine culture of the world’s two most populated countries, as CWW members Reva K. Singh, Ruma Singh and Janet Wang explain the historical background and modern attitudes to wine in India and China.
This session promises to be a fascinating eye-opener into how, for example, drinking patterns have changed in India over the past two decades and why China considers itself to be a culture steeped in wine. Much more besides will be discussed by our speakers, from the influence of e-commerce to the rise of wine consumption among Indian women or why young people in China are bucking the world trend and drinking more wine.
Reva K. Singh, a former university lecturer in English literature and veteran magazine journalist, is the founder and publisher of Sommelier India – The Wine Magazine, the first Indian magazine dedicated to wine in India. She has led or been on the editorial team of several high profile publications in India and abroad over the course of her publishing career. Reva is highly respected in the Indian wine industry and has been quoted in international newspapers and magazines discussing the wine culture in India.
Ruma Singh, DipWSET, is a highly regarded independent wine and spirits journalist and writer. She is an educator, wine judge, consultant and columnist for leading publications, Indian and international, and founder of her online wine magazine, Between the Wines. In 2009 she became the first female president of the Bangalore Wine Club, India’s foremost independent wine club. She believes communication and education are the ways to grow India’s wine culture.
Janet Wang, an internationally acclaimed specialist and consultant on Chinese wine, is the author of The Chinese Wine Renaissance, shortlisted for Louis Roederer Wine Book of the Year 2019 and overall winner of 2020 Gourmand Awards World Wine category. She is a wine pundit for Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, has spoken about Chinese wine on the BBC and runs corporate and social wine events for beverage sector investors, universities, China-related forums and high-profile private members clubs such as 67 Pall Mall.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on June 17th. 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/FB4Gwm-ETE-CwwGGj_YvbQ
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 (find links to this and earlier sessions in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

English Wine Week
2025-06-21 - 2025-06-29
Please use contact email Talya Roberson at Wine GB for more details.

Let's talk about... Modern wines from ancient vines: a new look at Jumilla, with Carolina Martinez Origone
2025-07-01 17:00 - 18:00
Join Carolina Martinez Origone, general secretary of Jumilla PDO Regulatory Council, to discover how Jumilla, one of Spain’s most dynamic wine regions, is redefining its identity through world-class expressions of Monastrell and securing its future through cutting-edge sustainability.
This webinar will explore the evolution of Monastrell – Jumilla’s signature grape – and how it fits in a global context for today’s wine industry alongside counterparts (otherwise known as Mourvèdre) in Bandol, Australia and beyond.
Following three years of extreme drought Carolina will also delve into the region’s forward-thinking response to climate change, including water-efficient viticulture, organic and biodynamic practices, and the unique role Jumilla’s terroir plays in fostering both resilience and quality.
Born in Madrid, Carolina is an agricultural engineer and holds a Master of Science in agrifood marketing. She has been the manager and general secretary of the Jumilla PDO Regulatory Council since 2017. With a firm belief in the potential of its wines and the distinctive features of the land, her aim is to modernise this historic wine region.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on July 1st. 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/LPDDE4efSXeujJHKF4UBpg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. We look forward to seeing you then. This will be our last Let’s talk about… before the summer break. The series starts again on September 2nd, when the topic will be the science of wine ageing, with Kelli White.
If you can’t attend the live session, there will be a recording available to watch afterwards on the Circle’s YouTube channel (find links to this and earlier sessions in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

Sunset Tour and Tasting at Leonardslee Wine Estate
2025-08-22 18:30 - 22:00 | Mannings Heath Estate
Run or walk a beautiful route through their garden, stopping to enjoy four samples of Leonardslee English sparkling wine along the way before finishing with a delicious summer barbecue and live music!
Discover everything you need to know about the run and what’s in store for you below!
Book: https://leonardsleefamilyvineyards.com/our-events

Benguela Wine & Dine
2025-08-28 18:30 - 22:30 | Leonardslee Wine Estate
Sip, Savour, and Indulge with Benguela Wine & Dine
Transport yourself to the heart of South African wine country right here in West Sussex. Leonardslee’s sister estate, Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate located in the renowned Walker Bay wine region, famed for its unique maritime climate, discover our award-winning wines from the sunlit slopes of South Africa.
£67 per person
What to Expect
Welcome Bubbles & Canapés
Begin with a glass of Benguela Cove sparkling wine, perfectly complemented by delicately crafted canapés.
Four-Course Gourmet Pairing
Delight in a specially curated four-course menu, with each dish perfectly paired to showcase the exceptional wines of Benguela Cove.
Book: https://leonardsleefamilyvineyards.com/our-events

Let's talk about... The Science of Wine Ageing, with Kelli White
2025-09-02 17:00 - 18:00 | Circle of Wine Writers
Learn from Kelli White, award-winning writer and sommelier, about the chemistry of what is typically happening inside the bottle as a wine matures.
The fundamental elements of a wine’s colour, aromas, sweetness, acidity, alcohol, tannin and effervescence (if any) all change over time, but how and why? What is understood about why wines shut down in their ‘sulky teenage-like’ period? And how do storage conditions and decanting impact these aspects?
Science has not yet given all the answers to these questions, but Kelli will address them, sharing her expertise following sponsorship to write on the topic by the Libération Tardive Foundation, a non-profit body dedicated to showcasing the transformative power of time on fine wines. Foundation director Dominic Buckwell, a Circle member, will introduce the session, our first after the northern hemisphere summer season break.
Kelli is currently director of education for the Wine Center at Meadowood in the Napa Valley. Her work as a sommelier has been covered by many of the wine industry’s top publications. Among publications where her writing has appeared are World of Fine Wine, GuildSomm, Robb Report, Sommelier Journal, Le Pan, and Vinous, and she has contributed to the most recent editions of the World Atlas of Wine and the Oxford Companion to Wine.
Her first book, Napa Valley, Then & Now (2015), received enormous critical acclaim; her second, Wine Confident, published last autumn via Academie du Vin Press in London, is listed for two awards.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on September 2nd. 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/Tm1Dv19WRO6GfcTXFtg-rA
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 (find links to this and earlier sessions in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

WINE GB National Trade & Press Tasting
2025-09-08
Please contact Angelina Howe at WINE GB for more details.

Achaval Ferrer’s Fincas Tasting
2025-09-11 10:30 - 12:00 | Quo Vadis, Leoni Room, 26-29 Dean Street, London, W1D 3LL
You are invited to an exclusive tasting of the latest vintage of Achaval Ferrer’s Fincas hosted by winemaker Gustavo Rearte in September. As well as the latest 2021 vintage release, this occasion will offer an exclusive opportunity to taste the newest, fourth Finca – Finca Nazarenas – first planted in 1923. It is unlikely that another finca will be added to the collection for the next few decades so this is very much a special moment not to be missed. In addition, to mark the occasion, Gustavo will be opening back vintages to share the glorious ageing potential of these show-stopping wines made from old vines.
RSVP to astrid@spritzmarketing.co.uk

Let's talk about... Challenges in France, with Olivier Humbrecht MW, Fabien Moreau and Gavin Quinney
2025-09-16 17:00 - 18:00
This year is proving hugely challenging for wine world wide – and nowhere more so than in France. Join this important webinar to hear expert views on the issues that are currently facing vignerons in three of the country’s major wine regions.
Our distinguished speakers will cover such topics as climate change opportunities and challenges, low yields, Bordeaux’s perfect storm, frost and disease, how to interest younger generations in drinking wine, supply and demand, and making vineyards sustainable. Will they, perhaps, also bring some good news?
Olivier Humbrecht, agronomist and oenologist, passed the MW in 1989, the first Frenchman to do so, while working at Sopexa London. That year he joined the family-owned Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, a legendary name in Alsace. Olivier has arguably overseen the most notable improvements in the 40-hectare domaine’s history, including initiating biodynamic practices. zindhumbrecht.fr
Fabien Moreau is the sixth generation of his family to make wines, producing his first vintage as director of Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils in 2001 after his return to Chablis from New Zealand. In 2013 the estate gained organic accreditation, as part of Fabien’s continuing efforts to increase quality and typicity. domainechristianmoreau.com
Gavin Quinney, owner with his wife Angela of Château Bauduc in Entre Deux Mers, publishes detailed Bordeaux vintage reports on Jancis Robinson’s site, Liv-ex and his own website, and tastes all the top wines each spring for his en primeur report in Harpers Wine & Spirit. Bauduc wines are sold primarily in the UK, Switzerland and Ireland. bauduc.com
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on September 16th. 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/SHdUPg85Rza1O2cfKXQKbQ
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 (find links to this and earlier sessions in the members’ area of the website).
Michèle Shah & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers
