Wine Blog Awards: Best Overall Wine Blog Acceptance Speech

Greetings, all!

It’s been an insane couple of weeks here, as I’ve been trying to put out some technical fires on the blog.  You may have noticed there is still some issue with the layout–my lovely header is missing and the posts are not in the center between the two columns as they should be.  While it sounds like an easy fix, it’s actually somewhat complicated and have an expert working on it as we speak.  ***UPDATE:  It’s now fixed!  Hurray!***

My poor missing header...

My poor missing header…

In lieu of a journal article review this week, I wanted to share with you the acceptance speech that I “gave” for the Best Overall Wine Blog in the 2015 Wine Blog Awards.  The award ceremony occurred this past weekend at the Wine Bloggers Conference in the Finger Lakes in New York, and while I was not able to physically attend, I was able to send my acceptance speech to the organizers and have it read out loud during that portion of the evening.

I was also able to participate via video feed in a speaker panel the day prior of several of the other Wine Blog Award winners and myself.  While there were some technical difficulties with the video feed, I think it went well.  Since I couldn’t hear or see anything, hopefully someone who was there can back me up on that!

I just wanted to thank everyone again for supporting me and The Academic Wino all these years.  Without you, there wouldn’t be much of a blog to enjoy.  I can only hope I can continue to provide you with more education and entertainment for years to come.

Without further ado, here is my 2015 Best Overall Wine Blog acceptance speech:

“Before I begin, my sincere apologies for not being able to attend the Wine Bloggers Conference in person this year. I am currently in the throes of gestating my first born in the comfort of my home in Colorado and living vicariously through you all in your tweets and blog posts!

…….

A huge thank you goes out to the Wine Blog Awards organizers, judges, and all those who voted for The Academic Wino in the public vote.  I am humbled and honored to receive the Best Overall Wine Blog award and I am eternally grateful to all those who deemed my blog worthy of this accomplishment.

The origins of The Academic Wino start long before the idea for the blog ever came into my mind.

Beginning in my childhood, I’ve loved learning about the world.  My love of science and nature was further cultivated throughout my academic career culminating in Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Biology and Environmental Sciences, respectively, as well as through YeamansIrwin Headshot 1hands-on experience working in clinical research laboratories.

My love of wine began to develop while working for various wineries in Virginia during my graduate studies. These experiences made me realize I had the ability to not only understand the science behind what was going on, but also the ability to communicate that information to customers coming through the tasting room in a way nearly anyone could comprehend.

The Academic Wino finally came to fruition when I met my now-husband, Jacob. Seeing how much he enjoyed blogging and realizing my potential to translate more difficult science to those with an interest in wine ultimately resulted in the creation and development of The Academic Wino.

Up until that point, I had struggled with finding my true passion, and now, after having a few years of experience under my belt, I can say with utmost confidence that writing wine science and ultimately relating that to the bigger picture is what I was meant to do.

Receiving the award for Best Overall Wine Blog means so much to me that even now after a few weeks of reflection it is difficult for me to put it into words.

First, it confirms for me that my work is read and appreciated by my peers and colleagues.

Second, it confirms for me that my original goal of setting out to make the science of wine academicwino_logomore accessible to others has been successful and well received, and that continuing on this path is of utmost importance.

Finally, it gives me hope for the future of wine blogging and wine writing—you don’t need to have a cookie-cutter “look” or “sound” in order to be successful. The Academic Wino was built on a solid foundation of science, one of which is not often replicated, yet is still now recognized as a leader in the wine blogging world.

Diversity is the key to success in wine blogging and in life, and having that diversity recognized by the Wine Blog Awards not only gives me personal gratitude and pride, but also assures me that the field of wine writing and blogging is alive, well, and bound for greater things.

From the bottom of my heart, I again thank every single person who I have interacted with both in person and online, as without you, The Academic Wino wouldn’t be where it is today.

Remember…

Never stop asking questions. 

Never stop learning.

Be kind.  Be happy.  Drink wine (responsibly).

Cheers!”

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