No, seriously.
Thank you.
So, today, my little slice of the wine blogging world turns six months old. Half a year ago, I decided to start blogging about wine. I had no idea what I wanted to do, really, except find an outlet for my writing that I wouldn’t easily tire of. Each blog I’d had before—and they ran the gamut from baseball to web development, to general “entertainment,” to college football, the Disney theme parks, etc., etc.—lasted about two months or so, then I got bored.
Apparently, that isn’t the issue here.
So much has happened in six months, and so much more is just around the bend. The blog has been alive for 25 whole weeks, plus a few stray days. The first week that Notes From The Cellar hosted over 100 visitors was its 11th week of existence. The last 11 have hosted at least 200 each. That’s some nice movement, I think.
But that shit’s boring, unless you run a blog and want to compare statistics. If you want more, ask and I will probably provide.
What I’d rather do here right now, is thank a few people.
First, to Paul Mabray of VinTank: Paul, you don’t know how that tasting up at your offices affected me. Meeting all these people I’d only “spoken” to over Twitter and blog comments was an altogether surreal—and important—experience. It helped me to see this for what it really is. As much as the HoseMaster would like everyone to think, wine blogging isn’t a joke (at least not to some of us, I suppose).
To Thea, the Wine Brat, thanks for showing me how this community can rally around its own. Whether I’m following relatively benign conversation over Twitter, or helping pass along the call for Wine Blogger Conference Scholarship donations, you make it obvious that this is a community that cares about its members. Part of the reason is members of the community like yourself.
Next, Josh Hermsmeyer… this is a preemptive thank you, for the excellent bottle of wine you’ll be sending me after I whup tail in the wino fantasy baseball league. You might be the big scary RotoBase guy, but I’ve got some skills of my own. Wink.
Joe Roberts and Hardy Wallace, it was excellent to meet both of you, at that aforementioned VinTank tasting event. I was intimidated by both of you before I met you, and then I wasn’t. Partly because I’m very tall, and you two, well, aren’t as much, but vastly more because you were both very down-to-earth and accessible guys, success or no. Thanks for letting a newbie feel welcome.
Josh Wade and Ben Simons: thanks for starting blogs right around when I did. I feel like the three of us, each having joined the fray last autumn, are kind of in this together. I’m sure plenty of others started around then too, and perhaps I’m the only one, but I get a “Three Amigos” vibe off you guys (ok, I guess I mean, “Two Other Amigos”) and it’s cool. Hopefully there’s a lot more in store for the three of us in the months (years?) to come.
My wife has been ridiculously supportive. She doesn’t even drink wine, due to one of the cruelest allergies I’ve ever heard of (my poor sweet pea is actually allergic to alcohol!), yet she lets me indulge in this passion as much as I like. You’ve been a rock, Heather. I love you.
And finally… if you have ever read a single word I have written here, read a review or a rant, liked what you saw and told someone else, or didn’t: Thank You. There really isn’t a point to do this if no one reads it. I can keep a notebook to myself if all I care about is chronicling what I taste. The point of doing this is for others to read it, so thanks for giving this blog purpose. Rock on.
This week I don’t plan on reviewing any wine. But it doesn’t mean you won’t hear from me, just that I have some other things to say. Stay tuned!
And thanks again.