The Best Of – A Look at 52 Weeks With California Wine

December 21, 2010 The Press No Comments

A year. What could I have done with a year? Five-hundred twenty-five-thousand six-hundred minuets. Here is not where I break into my rendition of Rent, but I could have if I had spent a year doing voice and dance lessons.

I could have trained to run a marathon. I could have gotten better at Chinese (I think I did get better though, 我可以说很好).

So what’s in a year? At the start, it sounds like a prolonged period of time, and eternity when we are in expectation of it. But as I write, in the middle of week 51, there is the realization that a year is but a flash of time. So what did I do with a year?

In my “real” life I did many things, I got engaged for one. Most of what I did in my “real” life will stay there, in reality. So what did I do with A Long Pour. Well, I drove a lot…No seriously, I drove a lot. I went to Sonoma (twice), Napa (twice), Mendocino, Paso Robles (three or four times) Edna Valley (three times), Santa Cruz, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Santa Barbara County including Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, and Happy Canyon more times than I can count. By rough calculations I drove 4,700 miles, and in all likelihood a lot more than that.

I spoke to a lot of people. In all, I interviewed 32 wineries (more waiting for publish) with more than 50 hours of recorded interviews. I met veterans and pioneers, new comers and envelope pushers. I met a few wine celebrities and a few more that will be in time.

I drank a lot of wine, mostly all good and much of it fantastic. I tried things I could not afford, which was exciting, and found some new favorites I am sure I will follow in the coming years.

I wrote a lot. Modestly, I wrote some 85,677 words, without counting this post. Considering the average novel is 60-100,000 words, that’s a lot of writing. No wonder HoseMaster made fun of my long winded nature!

I had fun. I was a finalist for best new wine blog at the Wine Blog Awards. I learned things.

Looking back, a few things stand out. Next week, I will name my favorite interview, winemaker, vineyard, story and over all experience, as well as the most promising brand I came across. For now, here are the finalists in no particular order:

Best Interview

Best Winemaker