CWW: a Harrowing day out @Little Bedwyn!

 

A challenging day@the office!

Tasting menu@The Harrow, Little Bedwyn

The commissioning letter for the CWW's 2nd BYO!

Life as a freelancer is frequently tough, ever changeable, always having to be prepared for the next challenging assignment .....

Yesterday a small group of the Circle of Wine Writers and their guests headed out to the Wiltshire countryside away from the misty metropolis. We caught the 11:18 from Paddington to Bedwyn. Getting off at Hungerford, from there a couple of taxis took us through the streets of Hungerford – time enough to remember Nick Davies' Hungerford Wine Company and its spectacular bust – before arriving in front of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn.

Michelin-starred The Harrow is run by CWW member Roger Jones and his wife Sue – our venue for the 2nd CWW BYO event. We held the first in September at the Lahore Kebab House on the Commercial Road in London's East End. Unfortunately, although he is a keen fan of the Lahore, Roger hadn't been able to make this but very kindly offered us a special deal for our 2nd BYO – a special price for the tasting menu and no corkage.     

 The entrance to award-winning The Harrow with 

a list of natural producers who supply the restaurant 

(above and below)

After our arduous journey from London Paddington it was great to be welcomed with an enticing and delicious glass of Moutard Père et Fils Prestige Rosé Champagne served from magnum. This also gave us (11 members and guests) time to unwrap and assemble the various bottles we had brought with us.  

 Part of the assembled déjeuner de la modération (above and below) 

A brilliant start to our assignment: foie gras macaroons

with 2004 Belle Epoque, Perrier Jouêt

(photo: André Ribeirinho)

 2009 Clos Windsbuhl, Domaine Zind Humbrecht 

Very impressive  – a great intro to CWW Alsace tasting 

on 26th Nov (sorry sold out!)

 Another lovely amuse bouche: ceviche of wild sea bass 

– cucumber & wasabi sorbet 

Jacky Blot's Triple Zéro, Montlouis Pétillant 

proved to be a winner  

Tuna carpaccio with 

Wiltshire truffles, poached leeks and truffle cream  

One of the stars of the lunch 

1989 Premier Jour 25 août, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Louis Métaireau 

A rare and unique bottle given to me by Louis many years ago.

With age the Melon showing its Burgundian roots complexity and finesse 

but with wonderful fresh vibrancy

Another stunning dish: Pembroke lobster ravioli

crab and carrot jus

On to the reds: 

3 Pinots to kick off!

 1997 Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus, Beaune Grèves, Bouchard Père et Fils

(en magnum)

showing brilliantly

 2002 Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Armand Rousseau

Also lovely, underlining why people are fanatical about good and great Pinot Noir!

2009 Pinot Noir, Cuvée de Trois, Russian River Valley

Joseph Swan Vineyards 

Not outgunned in this exalted company with 

its own distinctive Pinot Noir character 

from California's Russian River 

Fillet of Northumberland Roe Venison

Game Bon Bon, Parsnip Puree

Another stunning bottle (a half actually): 2009 Sassicaia

Wonderful complex aromas, silky texture

2000 Pavie Decesse on right 

Two further reds were decanted: 2000 Pavie Decesse, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru and 2001 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Merlot, Eden Valley.

2011 Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Merlot 

Eden Valley (2nd left) also Offley 20 Year Old Tawny (far right)

1977 Vintage Port, Delaforce

Two fine Ports with the cheese 

20 YO Tawny, RP20, Quinta do Bom Retiro 

The wonderfully inventive pre-dessert: 'Boiled Egg and Soldiers'

2008 Private Bin, Eminence, Noble Late Harvest Muscadel, Nederburg 
lovely deep apricot flavours, nicely balanced not cloying

Chocolate platter

 Roger Jones: our host and chef 

All in all a marvellous and highly memorable lunch. Our grateful thanks to Susan and Roger Jones and their staff who looked after us so well bringing an endless supply of high quality glasses. By the time we added in five plates of cheese shared across 11 of us, coffee and a tip, our bill for our working lunch was £55 each. 

Excellent value when you consider the quality of the cooking and what the wine we enjoyed would have cost retail let alone on a restaurant list! Furthermore some of the wines – eg the 1989 Muscadet just could not have been sourced. 

The CWW will be continuing to organise these recently introduced BYO events at varying prices – sometimes at lunchtime and sometimes in the evening. Watch this space!      

2012 Born Digital Wine Awards: winners will be announced this afternoon

The winners of this year's Born Digital Awards will be announced at 16.30 today at The Access Zone@The London International Wine Trade Fair. The presentation will also be streamed live through vrazon.com here.  

The Circle of Wine Writers (CWW) is delighted to be a partner of the Born Digital Wine Awards and will be offering the winners of each category, except The Winery Best Self Produced Content, free membership of the CWW for the next year to run from June 2012 to June 2013. Continued membership thereafter will be on the same basis as all the other members of the Circle, excepting retired and honorary  members, who have to demonstrate each year that they continue to be active and meet the criteria for membership. Any category winners who are already members of the Circle will be able to attend Circle events over the next year without charge to the value of £50 – the current membership fee.     

Born Digital Awards 2011

Ryan Opaz would like to hear from you!

The 2011 Born Digital Awards are now open for entries. There was some criticism of the first edition that some of the winners were well established writers. However, if emerging writers etc. are good they should be prepared to compete against the best. I hope that this second edition will attract lots of entries. Remember that this is not an Anglophone competition as entries in all languages are welcomed. Entries close at midnight (GMT) 31st January 2012.

The awards are organised by Vrazon (Gabriella and Ryan Opaz plus Robert McIntosh). I'm delighted that the Circle of Wine Writers is now a partner of these awards, showing our determination to value the contribution made by writers, video-makers etc who have blogs. Winners of all categories, except for Best Winery Content, will be invited to become a member of the Circle of Wine Writers free of charge for a year. This applies only to non-members and continued membership thereafter will be on the same basis as the rest of our members – that they continue to communicate about wine. 

Gabriella Opaz  in Brescia (4th European Wine Bloggers' Conference)

Details from the BDA site:

'Now in their second year the Born Digital Wine Awards are an attempt to give value to the new wave of online wine journalism. Each year, the best examples of electronic publishing, including videos and photography, from across the world will be reviewed by a panel of top industry professionals, with prizes awarded in a range of categories. The CWW is now a partner with these awards.

The inaugural year of the awards, received several hundred entries from 16 different countries around the world, culminating in an awards presentation at the London International Wine Fair, in May.  The judging panel were extremely impressed by the quality and breadth of content.  As the digital world advances rapidly, Born Digital will attempt to mirror this progress. Results being the addition of a new award category and an evolving panel of proficient and innovative judges.

All nominated content must first be published in an electronic format, online.  

These awards will be judged in English but the content can be submitted in any language. Each author submitting a story in a language other than English will be encouraged to submit a translation at the same time. For those who cannot afford to, or choose not to, the Born Digital Wine Awards will pay for a professional translation of the article to be submitted with the original.

A prize of 1,000 euros will be awarded to the first place winners, as well as a free pass to the 2012 European Wine Bloggers Conference and a one-year membership to Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages.  In addition, winners of all of the award categories* will be invited to become members of the Circle of Wine Writers with the initial year being without charge (assuming they are not already members).

2011 categories

Best Investigative Wine Story

Best Editorial Wine Writing

Best Wine Tourism Feature

Best Wine Themed Video

Best Winery Self Produced Content

Best Wine Photo Essay *** new category ***

Submissions for the 2011 Born Digital Wine Awards are now OPEN!

The 2nd Annual Born Digital Wine Awards is accepting submissions until midnight GMT on January 31st, 2012.

Judging Panel

Michel Bettane, Elin McCoy, Patrick Schmitt, Hervé Lalau, Fongyee Walker, Ulf Sjodin, Tim Atkin MW, Wink Lorch, Richard Ross and Jay Selman

Details of the judges here (http://borndigitalwineawards.com/judges/)

Robert McIntosh@Brescia

Welcome to a new era of wine communication...

Barley Blyton: 2011 Young Wine Writer of the Year

Barley Blyton 

On Monday night I was able to catch up with Barley, who was just back from LA, and take some photos of the 2011 Young Wine Writer of the Year on the occasion of The Circle of Wine Writers Christmas Party. Virginia Wine were The Circle's hosts this year. The party was held in the magnificent Old Hall of the Hon. Society of Lincoln's Inn in Central London. 

Barley and Steven Spurrier, president of the Circle of Wine Writers 

Barley with Yvonne May: director of Wine Australia – UK, Ireland and Europe

Jade Lucas (on-line communications: Wine Australia -UK) with Barley

The Young Wine Writer Award is sponsored by The Circle of Wine Writers, Wine Australia and Pavilion Books.

Young Wine Writer of the Year Award 2011

Young Wine Writer Award 2011

Calling all submissions for the Young Wine Writer Award 2011!

Can you write a winning wine article…and win £1000 plus an expenses-paid, two-week trip to the wine regions of Australia?

All you have to do it write 1500 words about any aspect of wine Pavilion Books, in association with The Circle of Wine Writers, are pleased to offer this annual award to help develop promising young wine writers. The award is open to anyone aged 30 or under by the end of 2011 who is based in the UK. Applicants should not yet have had a wine book published nor yet be an established wine columnist or regular contributor to a magazine. We are looking for wine-writing potential and commitment to popular consumer wine-writing rather than extensive knowledge or experience.

The winner of the Young Wine Writer Award will receive two fantastic prizes: £1000, sponsored by Pavilion Books, an imprint of Anova Books and publishers of Oz Clarke and Michael Broadbent, to enable the winner to travel to a wine region of his or her choice to gain firsthand experience and to develop a book or article based on that experience.

Wine Australia sponsor a 14-day, expenses-paid trip to the wine regions of Australia. The trip will include a tour of the key wine regions, opportunities to meet the growers and one-on-one tastings with leading producers. The winner will also get the chance to write articles about the trip for the Wine Australia website. (Terms and conditions apply.)

The winner will also be entitled to free membership of the Circle of Wine Writers for one year. The winning article will be published in Circle Update, the newsletter of the Circle of Wine Writers, whose membership includes many of the world's leading wine writers. 

Previous winners who are now established writers include Ray O’Connor (2007), Rebecca Gibb (2006) and Peter Richards MW (2001).

The deadline for applications is the 30th September.

For information on how to apply please contact Fiona Holman at Pavilion Books, The Old Magistrates Court, 10 Southcombe Street, London W14 0RA

fholman@anovabooks.com

tel +44 (0)20 7605 1403