At about this time every year, I take a look back in time and cringe.
That’s because it’s officially the twelfth birthday of this website, Australian Wine Review, which means I am required by law to reread these terrible posts from the early days…
Seriously though, I’m glad that I kept writing. This website has been an important part of my life, opening up doors and opportunities around the world.
Of course, it didn’t start that way, as I founded Australian Wine Review (ozwinereview for short) because I needed a place to keep my tasting notes and everyone was blogging back then. Over the years the website has evolved, but the key outlook and style has remained the same – honest opinions on wine, delivered unfiltered. My writing still includes an excess of brackets and overly long sentences too – I think another wine writer even called my grammar ‘subpar’, which I’m wearing as a badge of honour.
This time of year is also the right time to say thanks. Thanks to my long-suffering partner (hi Jime), to my diligent sub-editors (cheers Reags) and everyone else who comments, donates (love the donations), emails me and more. I love hearing from you! Especially because wine writers are a dying breed, and for the large part, it’s a lonely existence where I sometimes feel like I’m shouting into a vacuum. So please keep your feedback coming.
Further, thanks to the wineries/producers/distributors/regional associations etc who send samples and fly me around the world to taste wine. Legends, one and all.
As for the future? Who knows. Life isn’t slowing down, despite the weirdness of a COVID world, and curiously I’ve never received more samples in my life (so clearly someone reads my posts).
Here’s cheers to another 12 years!
10 Comments
This was the first wine blog I ever came across when I was looking for wine reviews from outside the swamp, if you know what I mean, and it’s always been a favourite. I love the occasional rants, even if i don’t always agree with them, and I still snicker when i recall the story you told about sloshing wine all over a new floor at Bloodwood winery. Happy Birthday.
Thank you Simon, and appreciate that I’m outside the swamp.
Oh and I can still remember the look on Stephen Doyle’s face…
To echo Simon’s thoughts, your willingness to break step from the masses and give your opinion on a wine is what got me here in the first place and keeps me coming back. Of course, everyone’s taste is different but for someone who has been clamouring for every single tidbit of info on any wine, its great to hear your view. Things like Grange can carry an air of perfection and reading anecdotes of your tastings where you couldn’t finish a glass is refreshing and exciting as it pushes me away from the obvious choice in my learnings.
Thanks Jase. And it won’t take you long to release the false economy of Grange too
Congratulations Andrew “Subpar” Graham. 🙂
Well done on 12 years of tasting, learning, writing for (and educating) us mere mortals.
Similar to Jason and Simon, I love the fact that you are honest. It’s your palate and you express your thoughts, and describe the technical aspects of your tastings, eloquently.
Keep on taking the hard yards up the middle so that we can hang out on the wing and claim all the glory.
Bravo!
Thanks Travis! Though I’m more a half back kind of guy.
Great to have another dimension with a little tough love thrown in for good measure. Love the enthusiasm! Best wishes.
Tough love can be the best sort!
Well done Andrew on 12 years, great achievement you can be proud of. Interestingly means the challenging teenage years are still to come. I enjoy you honest posts as they come through. Open me up to wines I often have not heard about and want to try as a result of your tasting. You are a very important part of the whole industry so all the best for another 12 years. Cheers.
Congratulations on 12 years mate. Don’t worry, I don’t plan on stopping the sub-editing for you….the pay is just too good to refuse.