Corks from the many bottles of wine disposed of in the Webb household in 2012. Guarded valiantly by the Cellar Monkey.

Today marks the first anniversary of WineSpeak USA. It’s a big day for me, as I’ve struggled with seeing past projects through. There was the movie blog in 2010, which lasted all of two months. Next came the screenplay, also started in 2010, that has remained in an unfinished state for nearly years. How could I forget the winery directory and review website that fizzled out in 2011?

WineSpeak USA was different. I took a sabbatical from my random projects and thought really hard about how I wanted to spend the precious free time that I have away from my day job (less the time spent with my lovely wife, two pups, and cat). Drinking and learning about wine had become a great passion of mine and I couldn’t get enough of the subject. Sharing this journey with like-minded wine enthusiasts just seemed to make a lot of sense. Thus, WineSpeak USA was born.

My first year of blogging was quite an adventure. Meeting with winemakers, chatting with wine book authors, marathon tasting days, and discovering new wines and wineries–what a ride! Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of the ride has been the relationships forged with other bloggers and enthusiasts. The early support and encouragement received from Dennis Tsorbias “The New Hampshire Wine-man” and Lucy and Kip Heegaard from “The Thirsty Kitten” was invaluable. Shawn Luke was kind enough to share his extensive knowledge of Washington wines and led me to some outstanding resources on the subject. His passion for Washington wines is very contagious! T.J. Jones of “Bach to Bacchus” mailed me some of his wine books to read–how cool is that ?! There have been countless others along the way that have offered kind words, great advice, or shared there enthusiasm on wine.

Now for the thank-you’s, perhaps inspired by this past Sunday’s Golden Glove Awards. Thank you Dennis, Lucy and Kip, Shawn, T.J., and the “countless others” mentioned above. Thank you to the wineries and winemakers that let me visit this year and took the time to answer all of my questions. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my wife for all of the support and for letting me spend a good chunk of my free time “working on the blog”. Although, we both know that it positively contributes to keeping me sane.

2013 promises to be a special year. In a month or so, our first child will make his earthly debut. Sleep may be harder to come by, but it’s a small price to pay, even for a guy that likes his sleep. The plan is to devote even more time to WineSpeak USA in year 2 and I’m looking forward to all of the wines and experiences that 2013 will bring.

Cheers and thank you!

Nick