Welcome to winetext. To anyone who has ever perused this blog’s previous incarnation, From Blackpool to Basel, thank you for continuing to follow me. Not to mention a big hello to any new readers who may have stumbled upon this page. Firstly, please refer to the “About” section via the third logo from the left above, which contains a brief summary as to why I’m blogging in the first place.

Other than that, I think I should explain why From Blackpool to Basel (FBTB) is no more. As much as I was strangely fond of the title’s blissful irrelevance – after all, the blog was mostly about wine – I wanted a new label that would maybe stand the test of time a little longer from my point of view. Although the geographical reference holds true for the time being – I still live and work in the Basel area, and I originally come from the town of Lytham St Annes near Blackpool on the Lancashire coast (“From Lytham St Annes to Basel” would have been too much of a mouthful) – you never know what might happen in future. Plus, the title was a little too parochial-sounding for its own good, at times.

Admittedly, I could have easily just changed the title from FBTB to winetext on the existing blog, but that would have meant altering the website address and other links that ensure some sort of connection with the outside world. Instead, I’ve chosen to start afresh and leave FBTB as it is for posterity’s sake, not least because I’m now using a different blogging site: WordPress. Any visitors to this page who aren’t logged into WordPress themselves may, on occasion, notice the odd discreet ad. Don’t worry, I haven’t sold my soul to the devil. Such ads, if you ever see them (and that is a big if), are not of my making but, according to WordPress, the price of being able to use their blogging tool for free. They have no impact on what I write. Nor should they anyway. I do not work in the wine trade; I just like wine. Unless otherwise stated, all the wines or wine-related experiences I write about are bought from my own pocket. If there is any perceived emphasis in terms of the blog’s subject matter, this is merely due to my particular areas of interest – regular readers of FBTB will be especially familiar with my distinctly Teutonic bias.

Please note that certain elements of this blog are still “under construction”. Nevertheless, I wanted to get the ball rolling today.