Before getting too far into January, it's time to pause, reflect back on the year that was, and look forward to the year that will be. There was a lot I learned in 2009 about wine, both in terms of experiencing it as a consumer and covering it as a blogger. And with 2010 ahead, there are new learnings to seek, which will most likely lead me, and this blog, down paths not traveled before.

What I Learned in 2009

Writing is hard; writing about wine is even harder - after blogging for almost 3 years now, I have a tremendous respect for those that write about wine for a living, especially those who have done this for a long time. Writing about wine does not come naturally for me. In fact, I often struggle in having to put a coherent post together. Somehow, I managed to write 193 posts in 2009, which was a 50% increase over the previous year. Even with more exercise, it hasn't gotten any easier, leading me at times to wonder whether or not this effort is worth pursuing.

Too much wine and not enough time - in 2009, 137 wines were reviewed here, with my tasting notes covering both the good and the bad, as judged by my subjective palate. Even still, there were many more Oregon and Washington wines that never made it to my table, let alone into a post. Overall, I found it increasingly difficult to cover wines that came up short. In fact, I have come to understand why so many covering wine, be it blogging or professionally, write only about the positive. It tempts me to give up covering the negative, for it would be much easier to just cover wines that are worth recommending.

Some Take My Coverage Personally - as a result of sharing negative experiences with certain wines, a number of comments have challenged these assessments, if not accused me of being unfair or flat out wrong. Even with my best efforts disclosing my palate preferences, revealing my personal bias, and admitting to my inconsistent subjectiveness, some still took issue with my coverage. Granted, I could have avoided all of this by only publishing recommended wines, which would please a lot more folks affiliated with the wine trade.

Few Consumers Read My Blog - I am willing to bet that most of those reading wine blogs are associated with the wine industry in some manner. If they aren't affiliated with a producer, distributor, retailer or publisher, then it is likely they are a wine blogger. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the readership and would like to think my perspective has some influence over those in the trade. Even still, I launched this blog with the intention of sharing my experiences with consumers. I don't think BeyondtheBottle.com has reached a critical mass amongst its target audience yet, nor do I think this will happen anytime soon. It appears I am not alone in this regard, as measured by the commentary and chatter on other wine blogs.

More connections online can lead to less closeness offline - I spent far too much time online last year and not enough time offline. As a result, I missed out on a variety of experiences with people and places comprising Oregon and Washington wine. Granted, this blog has introduced me to a number of folks I might otherwise not have met. Even still, I didn't take full advantage of certain offline connections as much as I could have in 2009. I had aspired to visit more wineries, attend more events, and walk more vineyards, but fell well short of this goal.

What I Seek in 2010

Wines That Reflect A Sense of Place - after reading Randall Grahm's "Been Doon So Long", I now have a better understanding of and appreciation for vins de terroir. As a result, I am going to be consuming and collecting more Oregon and Washington wines that are comprised of fruit from a concentrated area or single vineyard. I want to become more connected to the places producing great wines in our region.

A Natural Approach to Winemaking - while trying five dozen different 2007 Oregon pinot noirs last year, I was surprised to discover that the wines I liked most were made naturally. Alice Feiring's book, "The Battle for Wine and Love" (review coming soon), provided a much needed frame of reference on natural wines, especially the historical context surrounding this non-interventionist approach. Going forward, I will have a bias toward seeking out those who produce Oregon and Washington wine in a natural manner.

More Substantive Discussions About Wine - wine without words is but an empty experience. At the same time, quick tweets, wall updates, or blog posts leave me yearning for something more substantive. Far too many online conversations about wine have become just as quick, shallow, and random as the sip, spit and score approach practiced at tasting events. With this in mind, I am going to be reading more books about wine and engaging in more substantive discourse about topics discovered in my reading.

Alternative Ways to Share My Experiences - speaking of words and the challenges I face producing them, there will have to be new approaches toward sharing my wine experiences if this blog has any future to it. As I mentioned above, there were times in the last year when I gave serious consideration to publishing my last blog post and leaving this pursuit behind. I have no idea where this search might take me or how it might end up manifesting itself on this site, but new and different ways are needed if this experiment is to be sustained.

I look forward to you being a part of this journey in 2010. Thank you for your readership in 2009.