Congratulations, Neal!

I met Neal Martin on the way to a wine dinner in August and it was clear he had something on his mind. In the middle of a tube journey he blurted out, 'Can you keep a secret?' This news was big. He'd been approached by Robert Parker to become critic at large for the Wine Advocate, one of the new team - possibly the most attractive job in wine writing. I don't know how, but I managed to keep quiet about this, and now the news is official.

Congratulations, Neal. You deserve this gig! Wine-journal will continue, it seems, but with a new home - and with his new high profile and the precious resource of being able to devote his full time energies to the cause of wine writing, it's almost certain that Neal's influence in the world of wine will continue to grow apace. The official announcement is on the front page of www.wine-journal.com.