Today is the first anniversary of setting up my own business. I have to say that 2013 has been productive and successful, thanks to all your support. 

One thing I was glad to see in 2013 was the increase in consumer oriented events/activities, such as Wine HK and The Rhone Wines Capture Your Emotion photo contest. I believe the only way to expand and sustain a healthy wine market is to engage with the average consumer, explaining wine in a no-nonsense way and inspiring them to appreciate and enjoy it. I would like to see more of these activities, and in fact would like to have the opportunity to organise one myself in 2014.

This is not a regular newsletter but rather a tool to announce upcoming events that I will organise. You are welcome to forward this to your wine-loving colleagues and friends so they won't miss out.

Wishing you all a prosperous Year of the Horse 2014.

On two occasions in 2013 I have had cause to give some thought to the state of the Hong Kong wine market. Both led me to so some digging through data and statistics, and each time I discovered some thought-provoking facts that led me to write two articles.

The first was when I was invited to be a judge at the 10th Annual Wines of Chile Awards in Santiago back in January. The focus was Asia, and each judge was asked to give a presentation about the opportunities and challenges the Chilean wine industry faces in his or her territory. "Towards a Hong Kong Wine Culture" is my article about the near absence of a wine culture in Hong Kong and whether and how we might develop one. Read more.

The second occasion was in August when I was discussing the Hong Kong wine scene with a representative of a wine marketing board.  "Anything But Bordeaux?" is another article about the heavily skewed dominance of Bordeaux wine and the need to get away from the herd mentality on what is a ‘good’ wine. Read more.