In their December report, the bulk wine brokers at Ciatti suggest that the international bulk wine market is dragging "the same sluggishness of the past 11 months" into the new year. In fact, prices are virtually unchanged - apart from minimal exchange rate fluctuations - and business at the end of the year seems to have petered out rather than set off a New Year's Eve rocket. But now 2024 is here - with new challenges and new hope. May the snail become the hare.