A Wine Toast To My Readers

It is time to give many thanks to my readers. Whether you are a first time visitor or check in every day, I appreciate your time and your kind words that I receive in email.

I started Through the Grape Vine in June of 2005 as sort of a personal diary. "Write what you know," they say, which I might modify to "Write about what you love," because I surely love Walla Walla and I love wine. But who knew wineblogging would grow as much as it has? When I first started wine blogging, I was just one of the maybe 100 winebloggers out there. Now the rate of wine blogging is growing leaps and bounds --300+ and counting. If you are a wine drinker, then you are a wine critic. People have a lot to say about wine, and we are now seeing the professional wine writers, such as Harvey Steiman (Wine Spectator), Paul Gregutt (Seattle Times), and Eric Asimov ( New York Times) blogging about wine apart from what they write for their publications. More over, quite a few wineries are taking time from their busy days and blogging for their customers. This is all good: more wine blogging means more wine education = more wine consumers.

What makes me unique, I think, from other wine bloggers is that I chose to be limited - limited, that is, to a focus on wines from the Walla Walla Valley. Once in awhile I will blog wine information that can affect or enhance the Walla Walla wine-drinking experience. But there are days when it is all I can do to find the time to write about Walla Walla wines and to keep up with them. I can't imagine trying to cover the whole wine universe.

You need to know there are no exact times when I publish or an exact number of blogs I write each. My time available varies -- and sometimes there's just not a lot to say, and I don't want to bore you with a post that was written just because I thought I had to meet a deadline. Seems to me that readers deserve quality rather than frequency, at least here. On the occasions when you don't see a fresh blog from me, you might want to check the archives. Maybe there's something there you've not read before. Of course, other times there's much to say and the new posts come fast.

Besides knowing that I have you, the readers, it also makes my blogging day when I receive links, syndication, emails and comments. At this time I am ranked no. 49 in the 100 Top Wine Blogs through AlaWine. Also, if you enjoy what you are reading, you can let Local Wine Events.com know at Local Wine Events or at Local Wine Events Blogs. I am listed twice.

Again, many, many thanks to all of you. If you were all here, I would treat you to a glass (or two) of Walla Walla wine. Cheers to my friends and in the mean time, I will keep on blogging.