Latest On The Circular
From the land to the label
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Identity theft and loss in the Spanish wine world
Spain-based member Colin Harkness rues DO Rueda’s decision to allow its wines to be made from a further eight grape varieties, including the likes of Godello, not only causing conflict but also potentially watering down Verdejo’s verve.
Twenty years ago, and more, few people living outside a certain area in Castile y León, northwest of Madrid, would have heard of Denominación de Origen Rueda. F...
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The rising white wine wave of the southern Rhône
Heather Dougherty discovers how Gigondas and its concentration on the Clairette variety is redefining the region’s vin blanc. She also gives the lowdown on Laudun, which is also going for the same grape. A version of articled was first published in The Drinks Business.
Could Gigondas blanc point the way for the future of fine white wine in the southern Rhône? Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cos...
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Expected and unexpected: The Wines of California by Elaine Chukan Brown
Becky Sue Epstein reviews Elaine Chukan Brown’s acclaimed new guide, The Wines of California.
You may not get exactly what you expected when you open The Wines of California, a new encyclopaedic work by well-known wine expert Elaine Chukan Brown. And that’s a good thing.
Before diving into details of grapes, climate, geography, and regions, Brown begins the conversation with several centuries of...
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From the Chair: Considering criticism
This month Meg Maker examines whether a wine communicator can ever really be objectively critical.
I enjoy reading criticism of books, art, cinema, and architecture. As a writer who does some wine criticism, I find it instructive to see how critics from other domains approach the exercise.
I was particularly struck by a recent New Yorker piece, an essay by Julian Lucas reflecting on the critic ...
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The long and winding wine road: Wines of the Loire Valley by Beverley Blanning MW
Robert Smyth reviews the new tome on the wines of the Loire, written by Beverley Blanning MW.
The time feels right for a book on the plethora of wines that are made alongside and in the vicinity of the courses of France’s longest river. Indeed, The Wines of the Loire Valley by Beverly Blanning MW arrives at a time when this once unfashionable backwater of the wine world has once again become firm...
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The Circle in Cyprus 2.0
This month our edition is dedicated to the Circle’s trip to Cyprus, which took place in late April 2025, following fairly hot on the heels from last year’s February visit to this exciting Mediterranean wine island. We hand over to members to report on their highlights of the trip, which took in an entirely different set of wineries to the 2024 tour.
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After describing the delightfully dramatic...
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Let’s talk pink and qvevri!
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 —...
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From the Chair: Are we trying too hard to explain wine?
Circle Chair Meg Maker questions the role of the reader in wine writing, and in doing so, reflects on the purpose of the writing itself.
I recently published a long memoiristic essay about a press trip I’d taken in Northern Italy. A fellow wine journalist posted a comment asking, “Who’s the reader?”
It’s a valid question. Whenever we sit down to write an article, we should consider our reader, a...
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Meet the Friend: Nicolas Bates, Wine GB
Nicola Bates, CEO of Wine GB, shares the mission of the trade body and what we can look forward to in English Wine Week.
Could you describe the mission and scope of Wine GB?
WineGB is the trade association that cultivates success for the UK domestic wine industry. We represent the industry to the government, media, and trade and provide support and leadership with education, networking, advice...
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