Happy Birthday, Decanting Monterey!

When I began this wine blog a year ago, I knew I was venturing into unknown territory – I knew nothing about writing a public-facing blog. I wanted to build on my four months of experience writing a private wine blog for family and friends.  Building my own webpage was exciting, confusing and nerve-wracking.  My main goal was to expose others to the depth and quality of our Monterey/Central Coast wines, often under-appreciated by wine snobs.  I like to champion our vintners and their wines out of passion, not for profit.

I have some high-level stats to share with you and some thoughts about the way forward.  You might need to click on the graphics to read them – sorry. I write two blogs – a private one on Facebook documenting every wine tasted since the beginning of the pandemic and Decanting Monterey, focused exclusively (with a few exceptions) on Central Coast wines, including those wineries that have tasting rooms in Monterey County.  Of the 412 (!!) wines from all regions we have been tracking since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, 229 of them have been captured in this blog.

In the past year, I have published 109 posts representing 56 wineries from more than 10 counties.  150 wines came from Monterey County (66.5%), followed by 10% from San Benito County (including one of my favorite areas – Paicines) and 6% with the “Central Coast” designation.  180 of those wines were red, followed by 35 white and 14 rose wines.  And I’ve enjoyed exploring some new-to-me wineries, such as Odonata and Seabold, which source their fruit across the broader Central Coast area. 

Inside Monterey County, we have “traveled” together to tasting rooms in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley, and over to the River Road Wine Trail.  44% of the wines presented come from Carmel Valley, with half of those from Cachagua and the rest from just past Carmel Valley Village.  It’s the terroir, the fruit, and the climate that lead to the big juicy reds made in the style I like.  Arroyo Seco AVA wines come in third place (15.3%) in my blog – it remains one of my favorite sources of fruit from flavorful Albariño and Sauvignon Blanc whites to rich Syrahs. 

So what does Year Two look like for Decanting Monterey?  Yes, you will still see some of my Carmel Valley favorites – I can’t help myself.  With a primary focus on Monterey County, I will visit some wineries I have not been to since the pandemic started and will venture out to find ones I haven’t ever been to – yes, some of those exist in my own back yard!

The pandemic and aging dogs have put a crimp in my overnight travels – I have not been down to Paso Robles or Santa Barbara County, nor have I even been able to take day trips up to the Santa Cruz Mountains, over to San Benito or way up to Livermore.  All in due time.

I am indeed grateful to those vintners who have comped me wine tastings, given me discounts, and especially those who have comped me bottles of wine! Those small acts of generosity have justified my blog expenses. When that happens, I am transparent with my readers.  I welcome such gestures! They have allowed me to keep this blog ad-free. 

The pace of my blog may slow down in Year Two.  Who says I have to publish two blogs/week?  I’m going to slow it down a bit through Labor Day and then we’ll see how it goes. July and August are busy months for me.  I hope to have more time to visit wineries starting in the fall. 

One thing I would value is getting readers to sign up for this blog to be delivered in your email or to follow Decanting Monterey (@DecantingMonterey) on Facebook or @Decanting_Monterey on Instagram (new – not sure if it works yet!). (As of this writing, Facebook is giving me some trouble in automatically publishing my blog, making subscribing by email even more important!)  Just scroll down to the lower right corner on this page (or on any review) and enter your email.  You won’t get any other emails, ads or anything from me or from WordPress.  And please spread the word!  Our local vintners are the ones I am championing here – they appreciate I am giving them a little more visibility!

Another thing would be feedback.  Maybe you’ve had an experience with the winery I write about.  Maybe you have a question or even a smart-a$$ comment.  My guarantee is, if you make a comment, I will respond!

Bottom line: Year One was a steep learning curve and a lot of fun.  I hope Year Two will be a year of exploration – getting out of my comfort zone to really getting out there.  Hope you have enjoyed being along for the ride!  Please leave me a comment!

Central Coast Sharon