Dear wine lover

Since last week's email I've spent two nights in Hong Kong, one in Singapore and two on a British Airways plane (where the business-class food, if not wine, seemed to have improved). This was the early morning view from my extremely luxurious accommodation at the Four Seasons HK. 

I was certainly spoilt, but felt I deserved it after a Monday on which I presented two masterclasses, co-hosted a wine reception for Room to Read (which is now spreading its unrivalled children's education programme from South East Asia and southern Africa to Middle Eastern refugee camps) and submitted to a public interrogation by two of HK's leading wine women as part of the Upper House's series of 'fireside chats'. Wine is still hugely popular in both cities and I was pleased to note that wine lovers there have become much more aware of the importance of provenance and authenticity than they once were. 

As 2016 primeurs prices continue to trickle out, without too many terrible shocks so far, we published two articles based on Bordeaux on JancisRobinson.com this week: one on some bargain bottles of red and another about how and why producers of the smartest wines (champagnes too) are cosying up to their customers.

The focus was on value again in Richard's and my report on the latest finds from The Wine Society. Julia wrote about a particular collection of growers' champagnes, while Walter reviewed the latest Barolo releases, more 2013s and the 2011 Riservas.

We also had the pleasure of publishing the first column from Rish Poola, the winner of our wine writing competition, on a particularly senior amontillado sherry, as well as the latest instalment of Chris Boiling's adventures as an aspiring wine producer in Slovenia.

Nick wrote about the very special requirements of those celebrating birthdays in a restaurant. Richard pondered the question of how much is too much in terms of the price of a bottle of wine. 

Today I report on the fortunes of Zinfandel and its very varied incarnations in California, Puglia and Croatia and my wines of the week come from a new outfit in the increasingly interesting Ventoux appellation in the southern Rhône. 

Unfortunately, reports of spring frost damage continue to pour in, not least from the Loire, England and northern Spain (see my Godello report, and Gavin Quinney's detailed survey of Bordeaux a week ago). The 2017 crop is highly unlikely to be a bumper one in Europe's vineyards.

Yours heavy-lidded,