Liz Sagues reflects on May’s two Let’s Talk About… sessions which explored the ancient and the modern.
On 6th May, CWW member and Georgia expert Carla Capalbo explained the 3,000-year-old tradition of Georgian qvevri wines. A fortnight later, another member, Liz Gabay MW, joined by her son Ben Bernheim and producers from Austria, Greece, and Italy, led a lively discussion on all things rosé — a category whose massive popularity is a very recent phenomenon.
Carla’s presentation was both celebratory and sobering, highlighting the richness of Georgia’s winemaking history while also reflecting on its losses — particularly the Soviet destruction of much of the country’s wine culture. Optimism only began to return from 2013, and today the industry faces fresh challenges, from local political tensions to looming trade tariffs.
Her accompanying images were superb (she is a photographer as well as an acclaimed writer and spellbinding presenter), and her explanations of qvevri production and use were especially fascinating. Two memorable facts: qvevri are coated in beeswax while still hot from firing — a method intended to sterilise rather than seal the clay — and they are buried in gravel to help protect them from earthquakes.
The rosé session flew by, with attendees joining in with questions and comments. Topics ranged from light strike and the early signs of a (modest) movement toward darker bottles for premium rosé, to France’s surging demand — where now one in every three bottles poured is rosé — and the evolving market preferences in style and colour.
The webinar was a strong kickoff to Liz and Ben’s 2025 initiative celebrating the diversity of rosé, which includes major events in London and Edinburgh in June and October. Visit https://pink.wine/events/ or email [email protected] for details. There’s also a rosé writing competition as part of the programme, with some spectacular pink prizes.
Catch up on both these excellent sessions via the Circle’s YouTube channel.