Leonardslee Wine Estate - Festive Wine & Dine
2025-11-27 18:30 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | Leonardslee Wine Estate
A Sparkling Celebration: Festive Wine & Dine Awaits
Embrace the festive season with an evening of fine wines and exceptional food.
Discover the artistry behind every bottle as they share insight into their vineyards – Leonardslee Family Vineyards nestled in the rolling hills of Sussex and Benguela Cove, South Africa upon the sun-kissed slopes of Walker Bay.
£67 per person
What to Expect
Welcome Bubbles & Canapés
Begin with a glass of Leonardslee sparkling wine, perfectly complemented by delicately crafted canapés.
Four-Course Gourmet Menu
Delight in a four-course menu, with each dish perfectly paired to showcase the exceptional wines of Leonardslee Family Vineyards and Benguela Cove.
Book: https://leonardsleefamilyvineyards.com/our-events

CWW festive party - save the date
2025-12-09 18:30 - 20:30 | London Cru, 21-27 Seagrave Road, London, SW6 1RP
We are heading to London Cru again this year for more festive fun. Please put the date in your diary, more details to follow.

CWW Let's talk about... Piemonte’s white wines: an accelerating trend, with David Way
2026-01-20 17:00 - 18:00
The 2026 season of Let’s talk about… continues with one of the Circle’s members, Italian expert David Way, discussing an aspect of Piemonte unfamiliar to many but increasingly necessary to understand.
Piemonte is chiefly famous for its world-class red wines. But the last 15 years have seen a notable rise in the plantings of white grape varieties, mainly native to the region. What lies behind this development? What are the grape varieties that are leading this trend? David will provide the answers.
David specialises in the wines of Italy, publishing on his website, www.winefriend.org and more recently Decanter, where he has written on this Let’s talk about… topic. He also works as senior researcher on the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines textbooks. In 2023, he published The Wines of Piemonte (Académie du Vin Library), the first book to deal with the whole Piedmont region in the same depth as is usually reserved for Barolo and Barbaresco. His current project is to write an annual report on the wines of Northern Piemonte, first edition, March 2026.
For more information, look at #piemontewine #timorasso #collitortonesi #arneis #roeroarneis #cortese #gavi #nascetta and David’s own links @davidwaywine: Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 5pm BST on January 20th. 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 webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/j6h3eENSTTua0J2gfCgisg
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).
Helen Savage & Liz Sagues, CWW online events organisers

Borsa Vini Italiani: Italian wine trade tasting
2026-01-21 10:30 - 18:00 | IET LONDON: SAVOY PLACE, 2 Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL
The Italian Trade Agency is spotlighting Italian wines in the UK with a major tasting event featuring producers from across Italy.
Masterclass led by Peter McCombie MW: 2pm to 3pm
“The Lightness Revolution: Italian Reds Redefined”
From heavy oak to lifted perfume — exploring how Italian reds have become more transparent, food-friendly, and globally relevant.
Register here:

Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2026 - London
2026-01-27 10:00 - 17:00 | Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls, Elverton Street, London, SW1P 2QW
Explore Australia and New Zealand’s distinctive terroirs, vibrant winemaking communities and thrilling wines in this collaboration between Wine Australia and New Zealand Winegrowers.
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!
Across the three cities (London, Edinburgh and Dublin), there will be more than 1,000 wines from 200 wineries spanning 50 regions in Australia and New Zealand. This is your chance to discover new wines, revisit the classics, meet the makers, and catch up with importers.
Taste the wines that have put Australia and New Zealand in the spotlight and discover exciting new styles 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.
In London, there will be a ‘Sommelier Selections’ feature table with 40 Australian and New Zealand wines that sommeliers have nominated. Selected by some of the UK’s leading sommeliers, these are the Australian and New Zealand wines that most excite them – wines that have ignited a love for the region or with special significance.
The tasting booklets and a list of visiting winemakers and winery owners will be added to the website in early January.
Register here
Contact: uk@wineaustralia.com sarahs@nzwine.com

Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2026 - Edinburgh
2026-01-29 11:00 - 17:00 | Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1 Festival Square, Edinburgh, EH3 9SR

Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2026 - Dublin
2026-02-03 12:00 - 17:00 | The Alex Hotel, 41 - 47 Fenian Street, Dublin
Explore Australia and New Zealand’s distinctive terroirs, vibrant winemaking communities and thrilling wines in this collaboration between Wine Australia and New Zealand Winegrowers.
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!
Across the three cities (London, Edinburgh and Dublin), there will be more than 1,000 wines from 200 wineries spanning 50 regions in Australia and New Zealand. This is your chance to discover new wines, revisit the classics, meet the makers, and catch up with importers.
Taste the wines that have put Australia and New Zealand in the spotlight and discover exciting new styles 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.
In London, there will be a ‘Sommelier Selections’ feature table with 40 Australian and New Zealand wines that sommeliers have nominated. Selected by some of the UK’s leading sommeliers, these are the Australian and New Zealand wines that most excite them – wines that have ignited a love for the region or with special significance.
The tasting booklets and a list of visiting winemakers and winery owners will be added to the website in early January.
Email jean@jeansmullen.com to attend
Contact: uk@wineaustralia.com sarahs@nzwine.com

CWW Let's talk about... The Evolving Languages of Pinot Noir with Meg Maker (Please note the new time!)
2026-02-10 18:00 - 19:00
All specialized languages evolve, their vocabularies enjoying cycles of emergence, standardization, modernization, and reinvention. Such a cycle has radically transformed wine discourse over the last fifty years. Examining this evolution reveals our ever-shifting attitudes toward the meaning and value of this singular beverage.
In this talk, Meg uses Pinot Noir as a lens through which to view specific shifts in our lexical and linguistic approaches to wine commentary, and to explore what these mean for wine’s evolving cultural significance.
Meg originally presented this talk in July 2025 at the inaugural Pinot Noir and Identity Symposium at St. Cross College, Oxford. Her full paper is forthcoming in World of Fine Wine in March 2026.
Meg Maker, chair of the Circle of Wine Writers, is an award-winning wine and culture writer, fine artist, and educator. She explores wine and food as expressions of social and cultural identity, and how these manifest history, tradition, and fashion. Her current research focuses on wine languages and how our linguistic choices reinforce or explode notions of individual identity and wine’s place in culture. She contributes freelance writing to various outlets and publishes her own features, criticism, and commentary on Maker’s Table.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 6pm GMT on February 10th.
The session, including Questions and Answers, 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/hjSa5C01SrOV-CTx2f4xzA
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).
Helen Savage, CWW online events organiser

New York Wines Tasting
2026-02-12 11:00 - 16:00 | Upstairs Loft at The Light Bar, 233 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6PJ
They’ll be pouring around 50 wines from AVAs across the state, including The Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson River, and Lake Erie.
Please contact eleanor@randr.co.uk for more details.

Let's talk about... Exploding the myths of natural wine, with Simon Woolf
2026-03-24 18:00 - 19:00
We are very pleased that Simon Woolf, an acknowledged natural wine expert (and Circle member), will be presenting our next Let’s talk… session.
Over to Simon….
‘The term ‘natural wine’ continues to be contentious. Its true meaning is endlessly debated, and poorly understood by regular wine lovers. It has created ghettos, ranging traditionalists against the more radical factions of the natural wine world. Some maintain that its popularity just keeps growing, while others insist its day has been and gone.
I’ll start by answering two burning questions: What exactly does this term mean? Or what should it mean? When and where did it start, and why has it created so much animosity amongst the trade?
How does natural wine overlap with existing certification schemes such as organics and biodynamics? What attempts have there been at certifying or classifying it? We’ll talk about the current state of play, and the detailed definitions that have been proposed by various organisations.
Why do natural wines taste, smell and look different? What are the differences in production and philosophy compared to conventional wine? Can we define what is good or bad natural wine? Is a fault always a fault, or is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
We will of course tackle the thorny issue of sulphite usage, and why it has become such a hot potato.
A few of the movement’s pioneering winemakers will also be discussed, together with some recommendations for tracking down and enjoying great natural wines from different parts of the wine-producing world.
I’ll reflect on whether the term is still useful, and what the natural wine movement has contributed to the wider world of wine. Where do we go now? Should we abandon this phrase altogether? What can we take away that’s valuable, and what should we jettison?’
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 6pm GMT on March 24th.
The session, including Questions and Answers, 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/LhXYO6MPRnudcZkNbTq5rQ
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).
Helen Savage, CWW online events organiser

CWW Let's talk about... Keeping afloat? How French wine producers stay profitable, with Helen Savage
2026-04-28 18:00 - 19:00
‘La crise viticole’ overshadows all other topics in French reporting on the wine industry. Consumption is tumbling, costs are rising, catastrophic hikes in tariffs block exports and wineries of all sizes are going out of business. Economy of scale hardly seems to matter, but independent growers in unfashionable or overlooked appellations have their backs against the wall. This study investigates the challenges they face and how the best and most imaginative businesses are managing to stay competitive and profitable.
Helen Savage has carried out a series of case studies in the areas of Bordeaux away from the spotlight of the classed growths and in neighbouring Bergerac and the Côtes de Duras. In particular, she looks in detail at the winning approach by Fanny Rey and her family at Domaine des Graves d’Ardonneau at Saint Mariens in the appellation of Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux. Fanny, with her two brothers, Christian and Laurent were chosen by the 2025 Guide Hachette as Bordeaux winemakers of the Year, though Fanny readily admits this only gave their business a modest boost. We hope that Fanny may also able to join us in person.
Biographies
Fanny Rey
Fanny comes from a family of winemakers able to trace their roots on their estate back to 1763. As a youngster, wine was not her passion, but she chose to combine business studies in Bordeaux as well as singing lessons at the local conservatoire. Prodigiously talented, a glittering career on state was a real possibility, but stage fright meant that wine won. She is takes responsibility for the commercial side of the family business of the Domaine des Graves d’Ardonneau with its 70 hectares of vines.
Helen Savage
Helen is a highly experienced wine educator and writer, a member both of CWW and AWE. For many years based in the North East of England she moved permanently to South West France in 2023, from where she also pursues her special interests in organic and biodynamic viticulture, Champagne and the wines of Alsace. She is amazed to discover that her little history of French wine written in 2011 (and even translated into French) is still available on Amazon and in other French outlets. It’s high time she wrote something else.
To join this Zoom seminar, please register now or at any time before 6pm GMT on April 28th.
The session, including Questions and Answers, 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/4VxIJ73uRQKzjgRvM_OjNA
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).
Helen Savage, CWW online events organiser

A JOURNEY THROUGH LAURENT-PERRIER'S SAVOIR-FAIRE
2026-04-29 11:30 - 13:30 | 67, Pall Mall, St James’s Room, London, SW1Y 5ES
SAVE THE DATE
Discover the House’s inimitable winemaking methods at a special tutored tasting hosted by Laurent-Perrier Oenologist, Constance Delaire.
This is a tutored tasting, spaces are limited to 40 people.
11.30 – 12.30 Tasting
12.30 – 13.30 Buffet Lunch

Tejo Tasting & Masterclass – Freshness, Sustainability, Value and Diversity from Portugal
2026-05-11 10:00 - 16:00 | ASIA House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LP
10 dynamic producers from Tejo, the region that’s currently rising up the charts in Portugal, are coming to London to share over 90 wines from this diverse winemaking region.
A chance to meet the winemakers, taste wines available in the UK and those seeking representation, and take a deep dive into the richness of this region’s offering in the masterclass; New Terroir, Old Vines and Modern Styles of Tejo led by Portuguese expert, Dirceu Vianna Junior MW.
Register here for Wines of TejoTasting & Masterclass 11 May 2026 or contact emma@eviva.co.uk for more information.

CWW Let's talk about... Sekt-Appeal: Reviving the luxury Spirit of German Fizz!, with Nicole Wolbers
2026-05-26 18:00 - 19:00
In this 40-minute session, led by Circle member Nicole Wolbers, we will explore the remarkable transformation of German sparkling wine. in the last decades, a market dominated by high-volume brands, Germany is currently experiencing a “quality revolution” led by a niche of ambitious “Sektmacher” (premium sparkling wine makers).
We will trace the journey from the 18th-century pioneers—many of whom founded famous Champagne houses—to the modern era of estate-bottled “Winzersekt”. Learn about the fall of a once-luxury product to cheap, mass-produced wine, and its secret rise back to glamour in the glass today. The presentation will illustrate the general requirements to be called Sekt or German Sekt along with the rigorous new quality tiers, such as the VDP.SEKT.STATUT or Sektmacher. We will explore the various facets and labels that characterise the current German sparkling wine landscape, discovering a hidden gem that is considered as the finest (looking at the quality levels) in the country and is growing in popularity! It examines Riesling´s potential as premium sparkler and the fiercer getting competition with Pinot varieties that are emerging in Germany mirroring the trend as global stars in the overall sparkling wine world.
Note for Participants: As this is an online session, I would like to encourage participants to have a glass of German Sekt (ideally a „Winzersekt“, German Crémant or one made via the “traditional method”) ready to enjoy during the talk. This will allow them to experience the quality we are discussing firsthand.
Biographical Note: Nicole Wolbers, DipWSET
She is a specialized wine writer, educator and sparkling wine expert. Originally a textile engineer, she discovered her passion for viticulture in California before earning her WSET Diploma, where her thesis on bubbles earned her a nomination from the Champagne Bureau UK. Today, she runs schaumweinmagazin.de, a platform dedicated to the “quality explosion” of German Sekt, where she also raises awareness of lesser-known traditional method sparkling wines. Nicole is one of the regional speakers for Vinissima e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg and a certified Cava Expert. She lives in Potsdam and frequently judges at international wine competitions. She was recently awarded the title of first ever Sekt Ambassador for the Sektmacher organisation!
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/E267mvJxRIqXuAK75Qvm0w
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).
Helen Savage, CWW online events organiser

Australia and New Zealand Masterclass and Tasting
2026-06-22 10:00 - 17:00 | The Grand Hotel, 1 Church Street, Birmingham, B3 2FE
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.
Join us for the masterclass to taste sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz from Australia and New Zealand. Find out why they’ve become signature styles of the regions, and learn about the diversity and impact of soils, climate and winemaking.
The line-up includes elegant cool climate expressions and new releases as well as older vintages. We also invite you to explore classic and 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 Sauvignon and blends. Challenge your perceptions and discover a fresh side 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.
Masterclass:
10.30 – 12.00
14.00 – 15.30
Free-pour tasting
10.00 – 17.00
Masterclass – Explore sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz in the masterclass with Emma Symington MW and Anne Krebiehl MW, then try 60 classic and contemporary wines in the free-pour tasting. Challenge your perceptions and discover a fresh side of Australian and New Zealand wine.
For more information and to register to attend, please visit https://ausnzwine-birmingham.eventbrite.com.au
Please note that this is a trade tasting and is limited to wine trade and media only.

Wino the Rhino & Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa trade tasting
2026-06-24 11:00 - 17:00 | Quo Vadis, Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 3LL
