James Halliday, who over the years has both inspired and challenged every other claimant to a wine column in Australia, has at the age of 85 decided to stop tasting wine professionally. Halliday’s output over the years has been prodigious and I have long felt that for a very significant period of time there was nobody else to match his experience with and exposure to top international wine, his extraordinary palate memory and his ability to process taste and sensation against his backdrop of knowledge. I feel very fortunate to have tasted with James on many occasions and to have shared countless deep conversations with him over cricket and other sports. Our mutual celebration when Australia took a wicket during a UK Ashes Test while being wined and dined deep in the drives of Seppelt Great Western is quite possibly still giving nightmares to several PR professionals. James, I wish you well and look forward to the culmination of your next book project.