Vinexpo gossip – small tornado, not many dead

I have had the most wonderfully peaceful week in London far from the traffic jams of Bordeaux and the narrow alleys of Vinexpo, but I feel I have a very clear idea of the atmosphere there.

One senior New World wine figure, who was there for the first time since 1995, said he smelt an air of despair at this biennial international wine fair, supposedly the most important in the world. 'A singles club for the wine industry' was how he described this somewhat wan event with many fewer Americans and Asians than in previous years. Another major New World...