Playing Blog Tag

Why do you blog? Russ at Winehiker started a game of blog-tag posing this question, and he tagged Farley, and Farley from Wine Outlook tagged me and now, I'm It.

It's a good question, and one whose answer we wine bloggers (and other bloggers, too!) take for granted. First and foremost, of course: I LOVE WINE. But here are 5 other reasons why I blog, with some subtle variations to the question:

1. Why start blogging? Part of my day job requires that I write--a lot. Often these writing projects take years--hell, sometimes they take decades. There is a lot of delayed gratification and long-term thinking involved in most of the writing I do. I started blogging because I thought that committing myself to write something every day, and instantly seeing the results, would have positive effects on the other writing that I do. And, I was right! Now that I write nearly every day on the blog, I find its easy to roll from the blog to my other writing. I also find that my other writing tends to be less forced and more fluid when I sit down to the other stuff.

2. Why do I blog about this? I went to school and then taught at UC Davis, i.e. Wine Education Mecca. I learned a lot about wine from the courses and contact with great professors there. (even though, I hasten to add, I was not a Vit-Eno major) This blog represented a way for me to focus my wine drinking and evaluation on two of the most valuable things I learned through those experiences: the importance of judging a wine by varietal characteristics, and the huge benefits associated with owning your own copy of Ann Noble's Aroma Wheel.

3. Why keep blogging? I never imagined anyone other than my parents and friends would read this blog, so it has come as a pleasant surprise to become part of a community of bloggers, wine geeks, and those just starting out on their wine journeys. I keep blogging not only because of #1 and #2, but because now that this blog is up and running it continues to engage both me--and a widening audience--of readers and contributors.

4. Why keep blogging about wine? Wine can never be truly mastered. It's all about the process. Even the most "expert" experts don't claim that they know all there is to know about wine. In fact, the greatest experts are often the most humble. (see also #1 on process)

5. Why do I think blogging about wine matters? Because everyone who writes, reads, or contributes to a wine blog is participating in an information revolution. I truly believe that blogs are changing the way people learn about and consume wine. In particular, I am committed to getting more women to actively engage with wine writing, because women purchase 77% of wine in the US and yet represent only a small (growing to be sure, but still small) fraction of wine writers both in the blogosphere and outside it. So I encourage everyone--women and men--to read, write, and leave comments as you travel through the blogosphere to keep the information rolling. New voices are crucial in wine writing, and those new voices include YOU.

So, now I get to tag people! This was truly hard because my possible options included all the people whose work I respect and admire, folks who inspire me, my blogging friends, and then folks like Jancis Robinson (I don't have the cajones to tag her, I confess, but if you're reading, Ms. Robinson, please feel free to respond). But to continue with my riff in #5, I decided to "remember the ladies" and tag some of my favorite women bloggers (minus Farley at Wine Outlook and Sonadora at Wannabe Wino, because they've already been tagged). Click on over to the sites below through the following links so they know they've been tagged--I know that they are probably too busy to read my site everyday and know that they're IT!

So here's what I want to know from the ladies below: why do YOU blog?

Catie at Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine
Gabriella Opaz and Adrienne Smith at Catavino (sorry Ryan!)
The Wine Chicks
Mary Baker at Dover Canyon
Sam Breach of Becks N Posh