Like Brian McGuigan who set up a vineyard in the City of London, we want to bring our readers closer to wine, build up their confidence and bring wine to life. On page 10, Sandra Westbrooke describes how Londoners responded to McGuigan Wines vineyard in their midst.

By a happy coincidence, just as we launch SommelierSPEAK with Stephane Soret, (page 34), Jancis Robinson writes in praise of sommeliers who are eager to share their knowledge and introduce customers at top restaurants to new wines (page 8).

Silver always comes with a story. You can imagine the elegant decanters and accessories Carol Wright describes gleaming on noble tables, as you read her account (page 18) evoking an era very far removed from Tetra Paks and aluminium bottles. Speaking of which, Ruma Singh interviews Jean-Charles Boisset (page 13) to discover how he reconciles the age-old traditions of his native Burgundy with environmental concerns and New World practices.

Rosemary George calls Pinot Noir the sulky grape (page 15). Transported to the New World from Burgundy, it requires utmost care in vineyard and winery to produce the spectacular results achieved by the best New Zealand producers. Michele Shah, on the other hand, focuses on the little known grapes of the region around Naples that produce the stylish wines of Mastroberardino (page 22). Leaving grapes well alone, Raghu Bahadur discovers the various charms of a Tuscan holiday (page 28), while Bob Ecker goes off the beaten track in California (page 30).

Closer home, Robert Joseph contrasts the Indian wine scene with China’s (page 32), and Stefan Gerber bemoans the high prices of his South African 10 Chapters wines in India (page 26), a topic of perennial interest for consumer and wine producer, alike. Will the price of wine ever come down and the tariffs and surcharges become rationalized? We remain optimistic.

Till then, wise up on wine. Read, taste and buy good wine from a trusted vendor. What is ‘backbone’ in a wine and when is it ‘flabby’? Read our Wine Primer (page 36) and you will soon be talking like an expert!