Has the magic gone out of wine? This seemed to be the over-arching theme of a rare two days of discussion between some of the world’s most respected winemakers and wine writers in the Andalusian town of Ronda a fortnight ago.

It takes some organisation and even more cash to convene the top wine critics of France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Mexico and the US with the likes of Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards in California; Denis Dubourdieu, Dany Rolland and Stéphane Derenoncourt of Bordeaux; Peter Sisseck and Alvaro Palacios, who make Spain’s most expensive wines, Pingus and L’Ermita; and Carlo Ferrini, one of Italy’s busiest oenologists.