2013 seems like a blur, with so many wine and food events to count. In addition, we had an outstanding sunny summer here in Vancouver, which lead to enjoyment of more wine and bbq. Between my main website, mywinepal.com, and my food & wine events site, mywinepal.wordpress.com, I wrote 188 posts. That is 1 new post every other day, but it doesn’t really feel that often, and doesn’t feel like work, because I enjoy wine, food, and writing.
My Top 5 Posts in MyWinePal.com
So in mywinepal.com what were my top 5 posts?
- My Wine Suggestions for the Holidays 2013 November 2013
- The Winners of Vancouver Magazine 24th Annual Restaurant Awards April 2013
- My Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages Tasting Notes from the #VanWineFest March 2013
- The Latest Releases from Le Vieux Pin and La Stella Wineries May 2013
- Tasting ALIVE Organic Wines from Summerhill Winery October 2012
(This last one was from 2012, but it looks to still be very popular with many people)
Three of the five posts that were your favourites are all BC related, which is understandable as many of my readers are from the Vancouver area. One post was food related, and in particular outlined the best restaurants in the Vancouver area, so many of my readers are interested in our top restaurants, and I assume eat in them. Organic wine also popped up specifically in one post, and there are organic wines in two of the other wine posts. Finally people do look outside of BC, as the Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages wines come from Sonoma County in California.
For 2014, I will continue to cover BC wines, as well as wines from around the world; I will continue to make recommendations for holiday wines (Chinese New Year is around the corner), and cover more organic, and biodynamic wines.
My Top Posts in MyWinePal.WordPress.com
As I mentioned I use this website to cover wine and food events around Vancouver. The top 5 posts for 2013 are:
- Have You Tasted Spicebox Canadian Whiskey? August 2011
- Vancouver International Wine Festival 2013 Trade Competition Award Winners March 2013
- How Many Vineyards are in BC? August 2011
- Get Ready to Enjoy Spanish Sherry – Part 1 #VPIWF January 2011
- Win Tickets to the Celebrate Argentina Tasting August 2013
These are very interesting results to me. First off, 3 of the 5 top 5 articles for 2013, were written in 2011, and if they were most popular in 2013, the topics really hold the interest of my readers. The #1 article is about Spicebox Canadian whiskey, which I wrote in 2011. I am still shocked by this article is #1, but not too surprised, as I check my blog reader stats regularly, and EVERY week this article is always at the top. There are a large number of people around that love whisky. I did recently post an article in mywinepal.com on my Johnnie Walker tasting during Hopscotch.
People are interested in local wines. As many of my readers are in BC, I see more people wanting to know about BC wineries. In BC I think we are well-known for our aromatic white wines, but more red wines, such as Cabernet Franc and Syrah are making their name here. And don’t forget about our ice wines. I think it is wonderful that we look in our own backyard for wines, as well as beyond our fence.
Spanish sherry seems to be making a bit of a revival, although I know many people that have not tried sherry, or think that all sherries are sweet. Not true. You can have some bone dry sherries, that you can enjoy before dinner, with a plate of olives and nuts. If you haven’t tried sherry, you may want to read my article.
Lastly people like contests. And Argentina is a big draw still with Malbec being a favoured red wine, at an accessible price point here in Canada. I have not held many contests, but I will try to offer a few more for upcoming wine events in 2014. I will continue to cover the wines of Argentina, and other wine regions of the world that offer tasty wines and great prices.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone that has been reading my articles. I know you are out there as I meet you at various events. I really appreciate hearing about what you like. Please feel free to comment on any of my articles, as I do like feedback, and I will engage with you online. Don’t be shy. Have a Happy and Prosperous 2014!
