Fifty years ago, as the world approached the end of 1972, and headlines focused on an ongoing bloody conflict in Asia rather than Eastern Europe, the wine industry bore little resemblance to the one we take for granted today. Reviewing that decade, Robert Joseph argues that it marked the flowering of modern wine.

Reading time: 5m 15s

Switch to lighter glass, say the wine media. Give us commercially appealing packaging say the customers. Robert Joseph considers the challenges facing 21st century producers.

Reading time: 2m 30s

Robert Joseph considers the question of what any bottle of wine is actually worth? 

Reading time: 2m 15s

The wine industry is only just recovering from the pandemic. Now Robert Joseph, playing Cassandra rather than his usual Devil's Advocate, suggests that the wine industry is facing tough financial headwinds. The only hope is of China coming to the rescue, but that's far from certain.

Reading time: 4m

Wine tasters rely on the reliability and accuracy of their sense of smell. How many, Robert Joseph wonders, have been impaired by the pandemic.

Reading time: 4m 15s

Robert Joseph admits that, when it comes to wine, sharing your opinion of what's right and wrong may sometimes have limited value.

Reading time: 2m 45s

Thanks to recent government policy, for anyone wanting to save money on top flight wine, the UK is increasingly looking like the place to come, as Robert Joseph reveals.

Reading time: 2m

In recent years, traditional wine critics have been increasingly supplanted by young influencers on Instagram and YouTube. Freshly returned from a 'Sommelier Bootcamp'  Robert Joseph wonders if that new breed of communicators might be about to face a challenge of their own.

Reading time: 4m 45s

There is a huge gap between the wines we enjoy on holiday and what we drink at home. Robert Joseph suggests a possible way to bridge it.

Reading time: 2m