Latest On The Circular
From Barça to bodega and Camp Nou to DO Manchuela
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Ancient Andalucian fortifieds still in fine fettle
Amaya Cervera learns loads from very old Málaga wines in a tasting for the ages, in fact her most memorable one of 2024. A version of this article was first published in Spanish Wine Lover.
What was the best tasting of 2024? It seems unfair to me to reduce the experiences of an entire year to a single moment, but there is certainly one that aroused my curiosity the most. It was on January 26, in...
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New Member: Sara Underdown
Sara Underdown is a wine writer, educator and presenter specialising in champagne. In 2018 she founded VINE & BUBBLE, an online champagne publication, luxury events and travel company located in Australia.
Sara is a Dame Chevalier of L’Ordre des Côteaux de Champagne and has been recognised through the prestigious Vin de Champagne Awards, the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards...
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From the Chair: Texture is the new flavour
Meg Maker explores the second sense in wine — texture.
For a few days last week, a rhinovirus gripped my system. My normally prismatic sensorium went dark. Flavours were reduced to the basics: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, savory. My morning tea was hot, astringent, wet but curiously drying. A segment of orange was cold and juicy, sweet and sour. Cheese seemed sticky, fatty, salty. Bread was spong...
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Perusing a Prosecco pearl
Dijana Grgić takes off to the bubbling core of the Veneto, to Valdobbiadene, and savours the spumantes from Villa Sandi and prized other members of its porfolio.
Over the past couple of decades, Prosecco, which is produced primarily in Veneto as well as in smaller areas of the Friuli region, has seen a surge in global popularity. For a sparkling wine to be labeled as Prosecco, it must be made w...
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Something for the holidays
It’s that time of the year again, when after the mad rush, you are hopefully able to finally settle down to a number of days of relative calm. Your thoughts start to turn to wine and which bottles of your stock to sip during the holiday season. Ellen Wallace provides a touching personal reflection, but one that’s relatable to all, of a wine that not only celebrates the memory of a loved one, share...
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From the Chair: Critical thinking skills
Meg Maker defends the right to drink and enjoy cheap fizz, even as an esteemed wine writer, in her column this month.
I’ve just returned from London, where I used the excuse of the Circle’s annual Festive Party to justify a week of ogling art, meandering markets, visiting old haunts, and eating and drinking across a wet and windy city.
My spouse and I had the good fortune to have a friend’s fla...
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