2015: A Review

So yet another year has passed. As I’ve written before, instead of resting my laurels and celebrating by getting drunk, I prefer to ponder and reflect on the time that has passed.

When I first began writing for this website I had planned an alternating schedule of one wine review, followed by an article of some description, to be published on a weekly basis.

A few months in, I decided to cut back on the wine reviews. I wanted to challenge myself to think deeply about topics worth writing about, instead of churning out review after review – except for the most flowery writers, most wine notes are boring to read in the first place.

So I embarked on a schedule of one review/two articles. All of the non-review articles for 2015 are listed below:

1. The Story Of The Vine
2. A Day In The Life Of A Sommelier – Part 1
3. A Rational Perspective of Terroir
4. If Wine Is Bullshit, So Is Everything Else
5. Essential #6 – Wine Tastings
6. The Making Of A Sommelier – Part 1
7. The Making Of A Sommelier – Part 2
8. The Making Of A Sommelier – Part 3
9. The Making Of A Sommelier – Part 4
10. Aussie Wine Month 2015
11. In Pursuit Of Flavour
12. Essential #7 – Wine Classes
13. How Much Does A Sommelier Need To Know?
14. 3 Main Things To Think About When Choosing A Wine
15. Rational Wine Experiment – The Horizontal Tasting
16. Hi, My Name Is Mark Law, And I’m A Certified Sommelier
17. Do You Drink Wine For Fun, Or For Pleasure?
18. A Day In The Life Of A Sommelier: Never Lose Focus
19. More Things To Consider When Buying Wine Glasses
20. Pinot Noir Goes With (Almost) Everything
21. Dal Forno Romano Tasting with Bootleggers
22. Take A Leap Of Faith
23. How And Why I Am Learning French (Plus Other Languages)
24. How To Think Of Acid and Tannin
25. How To Hold Six Wine Glasses At The Same Time
26. 3 Reasons You Should Buy Wine By The Case
27. Year One: Reflections On Life As A Sommelier
28. Experiment – The Decanter Tasting
29. How To Hold Two Bottles Of Wine In One Hand
30. Changing Your Perspective
31. Learning About Wine From Other People

There are a lot of wine blogs and resources out there. If you’re any kind of enthusiast, you would have looked many of them for useful information, like the inimitable Wine Folly. For me to write about the same points would simply be redundant.

By analysing the “flow” of the articles that I’ve written this past year, I can see that I’ve been more comfortable sharing experiences of my own life as it relates to wine.

I also want to continue to be instructive and helpful, so there are still some practical informational articles there. If you are looking for particularly detailed information then these would not be the best example, however they will equip you with a rough-and-ready knowledge that can be more easily recalled, rather than you having to pull out your smartphone and consult a map every time. It doesn’t matter how many charts and list-based articles you read if you can’t remember it.

Combined with that, I have also shared my own musings and opinions throughout the year. At first I was hesitant – who am I to tell other people what I think? Better to share purely fact-based articles than delve into the murky waters of subjectivity.

But maybe this isn’t what this website is about. If you wanted purely the facts, I’m sure there is a nice bookstore with a well-stocked wine section you can peruse at your leisure.

For me, as someone who is still navigating this world of wine, it is as much a journey of self-discovery as it is about learning and sharing about wine.

I am continually examining my own motivations, and tackling any issues that come up in a rational manner.

I don’t have all the answers. I’m just one man slowly working through the questions. Hopefully, by sharing this process on this blog, other people will get something out of it as well.

Here’s to 2015, another year marked by change and progress. 2016 promises to be very enlightening, that I can promise… and I will write about it and share it all here with you.

Read more: Thinking Sober – Empty Your Cup