The Christmas holidays have passed; a New Year has begun. I hope that it brings happiness and health to all.

For wine producers like myself, January is a quiet period of the year when at last we are able to relax and reflect with tranquility. The days are short, the weather is cold, and so we stay mainly indoors, ideally by the fire, thinking about the year that has just gone by, about those things that went well, and also those that went not so well.

It is also a moment to look at the future, to think about new projects, as well as those that we have already set in motion. Some of these have not yet been realised, perhaps may never come fully to fruition. But it is still beautiful to fantasise a little, to dream about what could be . . .

Happy 2014 to all and I hope to see you soon.