Latest On The Circular
Nebbiolo, Dialect, and Dinner: Notes from Alba
In January, Meg Maker spent four days in Piemonte tasting Nebbiolo in all its expressions, publishing her notes and reflections as The Piedmont Diaries. Below is an excerpt from a special dinner — and the stimulating conversations it sparked.
I arrived at Enoclub, a stylish restaurant in central Alba, and was ushered to a table in a vaulted room, warmly lit but with a cellar-like vibe, where th...
Read More
From two sides of the river
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 ...
Read More
New Member: David Way
To access this post, you must purchase Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Corporate Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Friend of the Circle (renewals) or Corporate Friend of the Circle (renewals), or log in.
Read More
Meet the Friend: Hermione Ireland
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...
Read More
How Bureaucracy Can Thwart the Future of Climate-Resistant Wine
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...
Read More
From the Chair: In praise of editors
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...
Read More
From Barça to bodega and Camp Nou to DO Manchuela
To access this post, you must purchase Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Corporate Friend of the Circle (inc one-off joining fee), Friend of the Circle (renewals) or Corporate Friend of the Circle (renewals), or log in.
Read More
From the Chair: To become a taste expert, move from specific to holistic
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...
Read More
Let’s stop light strike
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...
Read More
First-hand feedback on the inaugural Master of Whisky exams
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...
Read More