Bordeaux doesn’t need a lot of attention and explanation, and nor does it care about it; throughout history Bordeaux has displayed outstanding survival skills and has always taken well care of its own business. Bordeaux often displays short-term views of society’s socio-economic, cultural, political and other developments, so in many ways it exemplifies the mercantile spirit. There’s nothing wrong with that. The articles in this issue aren’t for or against Bordeaux. We have attempted to feature as many relevant issues as possible. Consider this issue to be a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). It may not be complete, but it should stimulate you to think about what comes next. For many reasons, Bordeaux will probably never fall. On the contrary, Bordeaux’s wine style not only was but still is a textbook example for many of the world’s quality red wines. It is also a marketing pioneer, simply because the world is constantly looking at it through a magnifying-glass.