A minor whine to Bettane

'Tis the season of goodwill. Or at least 'twas, until I read Michel Bettane in this month's The World of Fine Wine magazine. In it, he questions the competence of 'the next generation of wine writers [who are] so accustomed to entry-level wines that they cannot understand what makes "great" wines different and worthy of a higher price tag.' He dubs 'those now graduating from professional wine schools "masters of minor wines".'

As a 32-year-old student of the Institute of Masters of Wine, I feel rather inclined to take that personally, and hereby appoint myself Bettane's bête noire, for the...