Latest On The Circular
September’s contrasting Let’s talk about… sessions
Liz Sagues recaps the Let's talk about... sessions of September which looked at the ageability of wines with Kelli White, and a deep dive on the 2025 harvest with select producers from France.
The Circle’s two September Let’s talk about… webinars could hardly have been more different: one explored the science of how wine ages, the other examined current challenges — including the 2025 ...
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Sicily: Beyond the Volcano
Robin Goldsmith explores the Grillo and Nero d'Avola wines of Sicily, beyond the famed volanic region of Etna, while visiting Sicilia En Primeur. A shorter version of this article was originally published by Académie du Vin and the full version is available on The Write Taste.
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, covering over 25,000km2. Most of the island is hilly or mount...
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From the Chair: “Where should I start?”
Circle Chair Meg Maker asks perhaps the most important questions that we all face as a wine writer... Where should I start?
I ended my last column with advice to budding wine writers. I said, in essence, that it’s fine but not essential to earn formal wine credentials, because if your primary motive is to share your insights with others, the most important thing is to learn to write, and to pract...
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Celebrating half a century of a Canadian champion
Chuck Buyers immerses himself in the annals of Inniskillin, which this year celebrated its golden anniversary, having initially wowed many with its Vidal Icewine of that very colour, and then with plenty more. Not bad for an idea many once scoffed at.
“This cannot work! What a stupid and ridiculous idea! Growing premium vines and – Vinifera to boot – in Ontario? They’ll never get it off the groun...
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Review of Champagne: A Global History, 2nd Edition
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Beaucastel reimagined
Ruma Singh reports on the renewal of the Perrin family’s prized possession, which has literally been created from the terroir of the Rhône, with 90% of the materials coming from on-site and the mighty Mistral wind being channeled to cool the cellar.
“The future of Château de Beaucastel is inscribed in its past,” said Charles Perrin at the May 2025 inauguration of the most ambitious winery projec...
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Hampshire wine through the eyes of its adopted winemakers
During June’s English Wine Week, Amanda Barnes MW visits three international winemakers who have made Hampshire their vinous home — joining the English wine revolution at different stages of their careers and entering at different points during the industry’s growth. As the British wine industry continues to grow in reputation and momentum, she interviews the winemakers on the potential and challe...
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Location, location, location
Caroline Gilby MW visits five fine Slovenian producers, who are members of the Slovenska Velika Lega organisation, which seeks to convey the story of Slovenia’s most special vineyard wines via plant, place and people.
Velika Lega translates as ‘great location’ if you pop it into a translation app. It forms the name of a relatively new organisation, Slovenska Velika Lega (SVL) – a group of wine p...
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From the Chair: Credentials optional
Meg Maker explores the differences between educating yourself in wine, and training yourself as a writer.
I've been rummaging through older wine writing, material from 50 or 60 years ago, trying make sense of our craft’s recent history. It’s been fun. I’ve stumbled onto tasting notes from the year I was born. I’ve been reminded of great personalities, like Lalou Bize-Leroy, Becky Wasserman, and A...
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New Member: Małgorzata Partyka
Małgorzata Partyka holds a PhD in human molecular biology and began writing about wine in 2015. Her articles were published in the Jancis Robinson Wine Writing Competitions in 2017 and 2020.
Today, she writes about wine, food, and travels to various wine regions for both Polish and international online and print magazines. Based in Warsaw, she also occasionally organises wine tastings.
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