Goodbye 2010

2010 was for me a typical vintage. There was plenty of sun and rain, and also plenty of obstacles and challenges. In the end, it was a good year. Not the kind that will be remembered as a blockbuster, more of a classic year. The kind of year that I've learned to respect and appreciate more as I get older.

The day after Christmas we got two feet of snow in my part of Brooklyn. I love the way the neighborhood looks when it's freshly blanketed in snow.

The city wasn't quite able to adequately manage snow removal, however, and there were buses and ambulances abandoned in the streets. Side streets went un-plowed for days and some people were effectively trapped in their homes.

Silly as it may sound, it reminds me a little of how I sometimes feel about my blog. I've been writing it for what feels like a long time, and it's easy to get stuck, to feel trapped, like I have nothing more to offer.

Then I remember that I am not obligated to try to entertain anyone, I am not beholden to any wine business interests, and that I write this blog because it makes me happy. It helps me to advance my own learning and it's my primary creative outlet.

But I won't lie - it feels great that you seem to enjoy reading the blog. So much so that I can fall prey to the temptation to try to entertain you, as opposed to doing what I do best - simply sharing my thoughts about the things I'm learning.

I promise to get back to that in 2011, or to do my best anyway. It shouldn't be too hard at first, as January is shaping up to be the most amazing wine month of my life so far. Several amazing tastings, a lunch and cellar raid that should be completely insane, the first meeting of my Burgundy Wine Club (I'll explain later), and a long awaited trip to Champagne. Thank you so much for reading and for participating on this blog. It's an honor to have you here with me and I hope that my ramblings will continue to be of interest to you in 2011.

And mostly, I hope that your 2010 ends beautifully.