Anniversary
On the night of the time change 17 years ago, my life changed when I started blogging in that extra hour over on Art Predator, an online version of a newspaper column I had in Ventura County for several years in the late 1990s.
with Antonella Manuli in Lombardy Italy after speaking at the Wine Media Conference 2022; I visited her winery in Tuscany in June 2023 and again in May 2024
This morning when I went online to prepare for tonight’s tasting with Sue Hill (four amphora wines: three wines from Georgia and one from Portugal as well as preparing for a ZOOM at noon about Uruguayan wines), I was greeted with this message:
“Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
You registered on WordPress.com 17 years ago.
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.”
And oh, what a flight it has been! Over the years I’ve traveled and written about wine at Burning Man, Italy, Portugal, France, Canada, Egypt, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and more!
US Team 2019
With Sue Hill, we won a blind tasting competition and a trip to compete in France in 2019, and in 2022, I won a major wine writing award!
winners!
In the past year as a wine writer and influencer, I’ve traveled to Portugal in November 2023, the SF Bay Area in March and April 2024, Texas in April 2024, and Sicily, Tuscany, and Campania in May 2024 plus Italy in 2023 and 2022. And so much more…
Secret Agent Wine Predator … Gwendolyn Alley in the Veneto Italy June 2023
How did this happen?
On the night of the time change on November 4 17 years ago, I spent my Saturday night starting this blog. So grateful for this blogging adventure that has taken me around the globe as an award winning wine writer on my Wine Predator blog where I drink well above my pay grade and have experiences that money can’t buy.
Lisa Stoll, Gwendolyn Alley, Gretel Compton at the Clos des Amis estate winery in Santa Paula CA March 2021
Thank you for reading! Please subscribe here and on Wine Predator so you don’t miss out on the next installment– adventure? writing tips? environmental activism? local info? international? it’s here!
So, to my subscribers: THANK YOU! And: What would you like to read more about? What interests you for 2025?
Cheers! Happy Thanksgiving!
OH and VOTE!
Wine Predator Gwendolyn Alley
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 
It’s been a joy working with you and Sue all these years, getting to know you and to spend time with you too! You bring to the table (literally) a profound sense of curiosity and education, ask the most wonderful and thought-provoking questions, all mixed in with a wonderful sense of entertainment and happiness that is sometimes missing in the wine world — which all too often has as bad habit of taking itself overly seriously. Thank you ever so, Gwendolyn!
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Thank you, Jane! That’s a really lovely tribute and I appreciate it! Thank you for the many opportunities via ZOOM and in person to get to know the wines and people you are working with. It’s been such a pleasure, and I’ve learned so much from these opportunities.
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