Yeah, I know it is a corny title, but since 13 is an odd number I am going to have some fun with that theme this year. As far as the even keel part, I am staying on course in my efforts to find the best wines for you at the best prices. This means that I will have to taste a bunch of wines and take a bunch of notes and do my best to pass the info on to you. I will continue to use the 100 point scale when analyzing the wines and I do this because it is the most recognized system. I always remind my readers that the scores are my own feelings about the wine. It is not meant to be an absolute assessment of the wines themselves. Wine is an individual sport… You may disagree with my palate and that is fine. I’ll always do my best to give an honest appraisal of the wines and give you the best descriptors I can to help you decide if you want to try them or not.
QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) is a big thing for me. Is the wine worth the price being asked for it? Does it over-deliver for ten bucks, or does it disappoint at a hundred bucks? I am not only a wine steward, I feel a responsibility to help you spend your money wisely, especially when it comes to a bottle of wine. As far as pumping out wines that are very good and are ridiculously inexpensive, look no further then Spain and Portugal. I can guarantee you that many wines from both these regions will be my top picks in 2013. Argentina and Chile as well as Washington State are also regions to look to for great values.
I hope to continue interviewing wine personalities for my blog. It has been an interesting experience and I learned a ton interviewing Nick Gislason (Screaming Eagle), Sarah Marquis (Mollydooker) and Joshua Maloney (Milbrandt Vineyards). I am working on an interview I did with Chuck Reininger who is both wine maker at and owner of Reininger Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. I am also working on changing up my format a bit so that it is not just a straight up Q&A piece. Either way, I hope the interviews have helped you relate to some of the wine personalities that are responsible for many of the wines we enjoy. It is quite interesting to me how many different approaches and philosophies there are to the art of making wine.
As far as blogging goes, my only resolution for 2013 is to liven up my site, and make sure there is plenty of content for you to enjoy. I know I need to add some pictures to my blog and that is something that I am working at. I am also determined to keep the feature, “From My Moleskine To You” updated weekly whether it is one wine reviewed or thirty. As you can tell, I have a lot to focus on. Once I figure out how to type on my new laptop, life will get a lot easier.
Although it is destined to be an odd year, I believe it will be a good one. Cheers & Happy New Year. Stan The Wine Man
