Latest On The Circular
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Sardinia sparkles
Nicole Wolbers discovers how the magical Mediterranean island, which is renowned for its centuries-old wine tradition, is preparing for a bubbly future.
Sardinia's winemaking history is impressively ancient, dating back to the Nuragic civilization around 1500 BC. Furthermore, recent archaeological findings suggest that Sardinia may be the oldest known wine-producing region in Europe. The Bronze A...
Read More
The Circle’s festive party goes out with a bang!
Robin Goldsmith rounds up the fabulously jovial Circle of Wine Writers Festive Party 2024.
'Twas a cold evening outside, but the warmth positively radiated inside urban winery, London Cru, on the 9th December. This was the venue for the eagerly anticipated Circle of Wine Writers Festive Party. Attended by an international jamboree of joyous journalists and specially invited wine trade guests, a...
Read More
New Member: Michele Padberg
Michele Padberg is a freelance writer, international wine judge, advanced sommelier, and member of the Association of Wine Educators.
With over 23 years of experience in the wine industry, she was part of the editorial board and a contributor on the e-book The New Normal in the Wine World, and has published work in the USA as well as Europe.
She crafts insightful lectures and hosts elite V...
Read More
New Member: Diana Thompson
Diana Thompson is based in Edinburgh and writes the wine column for The Sunday Post – Scotland’s most read Sunday paper as well as other local publications including Spotlight Magazine. She contributes to various digital food and drink online platforms such as Tom’s Food!
With over 30 years’ experience in the wine industry Diana has worked with various international companies and now runs Wine Ev...
Read More
New Member: Margot Mazur
Margot Mazur is a wine writer, educator, and sommelier who specializes in American wine and sustainability. With a passion for making wine accessible and engaging, Margot writes for publications like Wine Enthusiast and Travel and Leisure and runs "The Fizz," a newsletter featuring interviews with wine industry professionals across the United States, highlighting American wine and culture.
As a...
Read More
From the Chair: Cheap and expensive wine words
Are we all subconscious marketers? Meg Maker poses the question in her column this month.
Making fun of wine tasting notes is not a new sport; recall Thurber’s 1937 cartoon about the “naïve domestic Burgundy.” But academic research about wine tasting notes is much newer, and it’s being done not only by linguists but also by mathematicians, economists, statisticians, and AI modelers.
Such quant...
Read More
Chile or not Chile: the place of growth question
Liz Sagues, along with a bevy of other experienced communicators and sommeliers, participates in a fascinating tasting hosted by fellow CWW member Tim Atkin MW and Ventisquero winemaker Felipe Tosso, with a scientist also on hand, to explore whether Chilean terroir can in fact be tasted.
Is terroir tosh? That, essentially, was the question at 67 Pall Mall in London on 21st November. More specifi...
Read More