Features Archives - Circle of Wine Writers

Nebbiolo, Dialect, and Dinner: Notes from Alba

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Meg Maker

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From two sides of the river

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Beverley Blanning MW

In this extract from Beverley Blanning MW’s Wines of the Loire Valley, published by The Classic Wine Library, Beverly intricately introduces the subtle and not so subtle differences between Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. Sancerre: easy to say, easy to understand, easy to drink and, it seems, easy to sell. These crisp and vibrant white wines are the Loire’s most reliable calling card worldwide and by ...

Meet the Friend: Hermione Ireland

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Becky Sue Epstein

Hermione Ireland, head of boutique wine publisher Académie du Vin Library, answers a few questions to introduce herself and her company to the wine communicators of CWW.The Académie du Vin Library is “dedicated to publishing the finest wine writing of the past, the present and the future.” In a sentence or two, could you describe the mission and scope of your company, including any rele...

How Bureaucracy Can Thwart the Future of Climate-Resistant Wine

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Liz Sagues

Liz Sagues recaps a fascinating talk with Olivier Bourdet-Pees of Plaimont Producteurs — and the surprising turn the conversation took when bureaucracy entered the frame. What was already a fascinating and highly relevant session on ampelography on 18th March was suddenly galvanised, demonstrating just how effective the Circle’s Let’s Talk About… online discussions can be. Before the Q&A...

From the Chair: In praise of editors

Posted on March 26, 2025March 26, 2025 by Meg Maker

In this month’s column, Circle Chair Meg Maker reflects on why a skilled editor is one of a writer’s most valuable collaborators — especially in today’s fast-moving world of digital media. “Every smart person wants to be corrected, not admired.” —Marvin Minsky I’ve recently completed two large wine media projects. The first was a series of naturalistic portraits of women who...

From Barça to bodega and Camp Nou to DO Manchuela

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Colin Harkness

From the Chair: To become a taste expert, move from specific to holistic

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Meg Maker

Circle Chair Meg Maker takes notes from a recent research paper and explores why narrative and imagery might make more of an impact in wine tasting than facts and figures. Wine enthusiasts who want to become better tasters should abandon their keyboards and pick up their crayons. That’s the conclusion of researchers Kathryn Latour and John Deighton in their 2018 Harvard Business School Working Pa...

Let’s stop light strike

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Liz Sagues

Liz Sagues provides her takeaways from the 112th online Circle seminar, in which member Peter Richards MW honed in on what he refers to as the biggest, yet least talked about, wine fault, ending with a pressing call to action. “Light strike is a scandal and we all need to do something about it. It is the biggest wine fault, yet the least talked about.” With that forthright message, Peter Richards...

First-hand feedback on the inaugural Master of Whisky exams

Posted on February 28, 2025February 28, 2025 by Tobias Gorn

Tobias Gorn recounts his experience as exam panel chair at the debuting Council of Whiskey Masters Level 4 Master of Whisky exams. This article is a revised version of an article originally published in World of Whisky and More. It was a great honour to be selected as examination panel chair at the Council of Whiskey Masters first ever Level 4 Master of Whisky exams. This is a report of my experi...

Ancient Andalucian fortifieds still in fine fettle

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Amaya Cervera