Peter & Susie aim to tackle climate crisis with English wine campaign

Married MWs Susie Barrie and Peter Richards launched their Big English Wine Adventure back in 2016 – the warmest year recorded on earth until that point – when they made a traditional method sparkling Blanc de Blancs in conjunction with Hampshire winery Hattingley Valley. They’ve since added a 2017 Meunier/Chardonnay sparkling blend and a 2018 red Pinot Noir made in collaboration with one of En...
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New Member: Aleesha Hansel

Aleesha Hansel
Throughout her career, Aleesha has been drawn to stories of people and places. This interest led her to study the NCTJ Diploma, going on to work as a multimedia journalist, before producing TV documentaries. It was a natural progression when she fell into the wine trade, after many a year as an engaged consumer, and quickly became fascinated by the anthropology of wine and the role it plays in ...
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New Member: William F. O’Connor

William F. O’Connor, Ed.D, is a longtime resident of Japan, where he served on the faculty of Asia University for more than three decades and currently holds the title “Professor Emeritus.” He is the author of numerous publications on topics ranging from English-language education to political propaganda and is the co-author of the book Drinking Japan: It’s Not Just Sake. His blog drinkingjapan.o...
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Jane Anson launches her inside guide to Bordeaux online

“Too often Bordeaux has been portrayed as a gated community of overpriced wines,” says Jane Anson, noted author and expert on the wines of the region, “but the Bordeaux of today is one of the most exciting wine regions of the world, not only making wines with precision and ambition but increasingly at the forefront of the green movement, and reclaiming its role as centre of the global wine trade.”...
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Jancis Robinson MW sells JancisRobinson.com

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Paying tribute to Philippe Boucheron

Wine writer Philippe Boucheron was a long-standing Circle member and former treasurer of the Circle and deputy chair, serving with Steven Spurrier at the time. Philippe passed away in August. Neil Fairlamb pays tribute. Philippe Boucheron, a very long-standing Circle member who served on the committee for years, has died aged 89. His real name was Nick Mendes. He joined the regular army – the 66...
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New Member: Simon Field MW

Simon Field, an Oxford languages graduate, was lucky to escape from the world of Chartered Accountancy, having qualified with KMPG in 1991, and then spent a couple of misguided years working for an American Bank in such cosseted dens as Monaco, Guernsey and Gibraltar. In 1995 he joined Oddbins, scaling the heights of a managerial position in the Belgravia branch, an up-market broom cupboard as it...
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New Member: Pam Strayer

Pam Strayer specializes in organic and biodynamic wines and writes for Wines & Vines, Wine Business, Civil Eats and Daily Seven Fifty. She is senior editor of Slow Wine Guide USA, a guide to eco-friendly, boutique wineries in the U.S. Pam was the conference program director for Demeter USA’s 2018 International Biodynamic Wine Conference in San Francisco and is the author of five apps on org...
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New Member: Richard Lane

Based in Farnham in England, Richard obtained the WSET Diploma earlier this year. He teaches part-time at WSET London School. After 20 years working in medical publishing (he still freelances for The Lancet), Richard decided to move into the wine industry after spending a year in south-west France. Richard lost his sight 30 years ago from an inherited eye condition; he can only recall the a...
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The Golden Vines Awards Trophy revealed

Shantell Martin, the renowned London-born, New York-based artist known for her large scale black-and-white drawings, has designed the artwork for The Golden Vines Awards Trophy.  Shantell Martin is one of the most groundbreaking young artists working today and is known for her exploration into the vast potential of the drawn line. Using an ink marker, she creates small personal sketches, large-sc...
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