Merry Christmas & Thank You All

Christmas Spirit in the Baroque town of Eger/Hungary (Photo Zoli Heimann)

I owe all the readers of this unusual webiste a short Christmas greeting and a big thanks youfor your interest in the cultural history of wine. Wine is a special product because it interconnects with so many fields, for example economics, science, landscape and tradition and is therefore a key which can open many doors. It is also ceaselessly developing, so that often the most recent history (for example the wines of last vintage) is the most fascinating. This year with „The [yellow tail] Saga“ I have tried to show what this approach to wine can do and that it can also be entertaining. You might have thought that Australia and Europe must culturally be very similar, but I think this story shows how great the cultural divide between them is. During 2012 this series will continue, but at a slower rate. My long trip around the world begining 17. January is one reason for this. After accepting an invitation to speak at a conference in Sydney in early February 2012 my wife and I decided to take a holiday in China before I go on to Australia. From there I will continue to New Zealand and the US afterwards to see many old friends, before finally returning home on 6^th March.