Blog. Ugly word. Sounds like bog. Did you know there are more than 800 blogs on wine alone? In my own weekly jottings, I'll be recommending wines that excite me and talking about what's topical, exciting and entertaining in the world of wine.

I might indulge in the occasional rant and do things that I don't have space for in the Independent or elsewhere. I won't pull my punches where people have been stupid or unfair. Given the limitations of the print media, I'll expand on articles when I don't have the chance to give you fuller info or just talk about the wines I really like. And not just wines but reflections on restaurants, vineyard locations, people, all the aspects of the wine world that are impossible to cram into a few hundred words of newsprint.

I'll do my best not to use the journal as an excuse for an uncontrolled stream of, er, consciousness. After two decades of working for a newspaper, I've seen the value of editing and sub-editing (and the funnier cock-ups that didn't seem so funny at the time). My aim will be to edit myself as I go along without exposing you to a torrent of me, me, me-itis.

As for the rest of the site, it links you to my articles in the Independent and the other publications I contribute to. Every so often I will upload some archive material from days gone by. I will add links to websites of interest as I go along and I'll spice up the content with some of my photos so you can see what my roving eye has been up to. So welcome to my website. I will try to to be informative, fresh and entertaining. Why else would you bother to read me? I welcome your feedback and I'll do my best to answer you.

Reflections