New Year, new life. So we're going global!

There’s a saying in Spain: "New year, new life."  We are not going to take this literally, but we thought it appropriate, given the New Year and the prevalence of globalization in all sectors, that we do something along these lines.  The world of wine spans the planet and we wish to share our experiences and emotions each time we taste a fine wine, whether it be European or American, South African or Australian.  Wine is wine, and each wine will be treated alike.  We are therefore no longer going to classify non-Spanish wines as "foreign", categorizing them instead according to their type.  We will retain the minor classification of "classic" versus "unknown" wines, but we will respect the globalization criterion.

In this issue we pay tribute, in the form of an article, to a “bodega” which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in the year now drawing to a close.  We are referring to Jean Leon, described by the bodega itself as "the culmination of the life of one man". Our contributor, Ramón Francás, expands on this in his fascinating article.

We are of course including all our regular features in this issue due out between Christmas and the New Year, but we have increased the number of wine tasting notes from the usual twenty or so. That way you can spoil yourself over the festive season or give someone you know a special treat.

We take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a 2014 full of happiness, both personally and professionally.  And above all, make sure you heed our customary message… sit back and enjoy this latest issue!