New Year, Clean Slate

I believe in starting the year with a clean slate, so here’s my first confession of the year: I struggled with this article.

On one hand, 2016 was… Well, 2016. It was a year full of negative political issues and several deaths, celebrity (from Alan Rickman in the beginning of the year to what seemed like a bloody celebrity rapture by December) or otherwise (I lost one of my besties/fellow winos last year).

As I looked back at the year that was, I realised… I was dwelling on the negative, and it wasn’t the way I wanted to start 2017.

So I decided to scrap everything, take a deep breath, and focus on the positives: What I’m grateful for during 2016, and what I’m looking forward to in 2017.

2016 was all about…

To travel the globe and be up close and personal with grapes from renowned vineyards was amazing (taken from Château Dutertre)

• Travel – I kicked off 2016 in San Francisco then spent the year traveling to Barcelona, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Paris, Bordeaux, Saumur, Munich, and South Korea. It was my first time to visit some of the places, and others have become an extension of my home… Some even gave me mind blowing, once in a lifetime experiences (which I still need to write about).

It never feels like work when I’m around this bunch! (with members of the Whisky Society of the Philippines and Andy Williams of Glengoyne during a podcast)

• Drinks with Friends – I’ve met so many people in 2016. Legendary winemakers, talented brewers, and amazing whisky makers from different parts of the globe (thanks to Vinexpo and some wonderful visitors, plus our very own Baguio Craft Brewery people). I’ve even met fellow beverage aficionados all over the metro through fabulous events.

New design!

• Phase one of the blog’s makeover – TBH, this was a very bittersweet experience for us. We’ve just confirmed that our subscribers are still on the old site, and we’ll figure out how to fix it (including several bugs that came up since the migration)… But in the spirit of keeping it positive, we’re grateful for the step up from the previous aesthetic of the blog (pace and quality notwithstanding).

…which leads me to things I’m looking forward to in 2017:

• Phase two of the blog’s makeover – As mentioned, the makeover brought about several unpleasant issues after the transfer, which we will try to resolve in 2017 with a different, more reliable supplier.
• A different schedule – Last year was a year full of deadlines and jet lag… Which made doing the blog a chore (and led to several burnouts). This year, we want to operate using the same principle as winemaking: Maximising the inverse relation between quantity and quality. We’re going to cut back on the amount of articles we’re posting from twice a week to about once a week (unless there’s something really juicy, of course).
• More travel – Have passport (and several visas), will travel the earth, drinking in every stop. 😉
• Infographics – We’ve met a passionate and talented group of people who specialise in computer graphics who are keen to partner with us… I’m a beverage professional, not a tech person, so doing anything apart from coming up with content for the blog is a completely alien concept to me. Keeping the idea of the blog being an informative site, we decided to incorporate infographics.
• …and a few surprises – Honestly, I can’t wait to reveal these to readers as the year progresses… I’m literally fidgeting as I write this.

That said, we’d like to thank everybody that’s opened their hearts, homes, minds, and bottles to us in 2016… We are deeply touched and blown away. The blog wouldn’t be where it is now without your friendship.

Looking forward to another year full of love, laughter, and drinks with everyone (and more!). Cheers!

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