Goodbye, 2015. A recap of some great moments, lessons and wines.
2015 was an excellent year for me for quite a few reasons: I started my own business, I gained my advanced certificate with the WSET, I got myself back in reasonably good physical shape, made lots of new friends and I got to try some fantastic wines along the way! I’ve spent the last few days planning my 2016 which has been quite tedious at times and it made me think that it seems a shame to just say goodbye to 2015 so casually. I thought I’d do a quick recap of my favourite moments, wines and learnt lessons, which is probably more interesting for me than for anyone else but there you go. If I get laid low along the way in 2016, I can always look back at this and remember it’s all part of the process.
Top moment: Walking out of the office where I had worked and been successful for almost 3 years on my final day and experiencing that exhilarating feeling of adventure. In two days I was set to fly to London to begin my level 3 course with the WSET and I had just left a well paid, managerial role in a stable company to start a wine-tasting business by myself, the first time I had ever considered working as an entrepreneur. It felt wonderful. Make of that what you will.
Lowest moment: Saying goodbye to our family dog for the last time, Bonny. We picked her up from the rescue shelter when I was 15 and she was 2. She was a constant companion through the worst years of my life from 17–19 years of age and despite being a schizophrenic mess, we all loved her to bits. She had a good life and it was time to say goodbye at almost 14 years of age and suffering from Leukemia. I remember talking to my Mum on the phone on her final day and doing my best not to crack up. Your pets really do become your family. RIP, Bonny.
New Friends: Actually too many to mention! This has been an amazing year for meeting new people and I’m constantly humbled to meet so many talented people that are willing to offer their time and advice over a coffee, just to help you on your way. There are quite a lot of quotes from famous people about surrounding yourself with the right friends; I’m starting to see the truth of this. On the flip side that also means having the strength to cut out negative people from your life, no matter how hard it can be.
Biggest Lesson: We make life unnecessarily complicated for ourselves and end up being trapped in a web of our own making. Have the courage to clear out the mess, focus on your priorities and make it happen. Sometimes that can involve stepping off a cliff with no safety net but if you want to make it work, you will find a way. I see people everywhere making decisions based on fear and that’s not how I want to live my life. If I go out, I intend to go out swinging, no matter how painful it may be.
Top Red Wine: Tricky one this. I tend to lean towards red wines anyway and I’ve had the chance to try so many fantastic ones over the past year but sharing a bottle of Rene Barbier’s famous Clos Mogador 2010 with a group of good friends must take the award. The wine is stunning but it was a really pleasant moment seeing everyone else enjoy it as well, mid-way through an evening of wine tasting. Had I tried this wine on a Ryan-Air flight by myself, would it still be so prominent in my mind? We’ll never know.
Top White Wine: An easier one; DO Ferreiro Cepas Vellas Albarino 2013. I’m a big Albarino fan and this is about as good as Albarino gets. Created from the oldest vines in Spain at 150 years old that managed to survive the Phylloxera epidemic, a precise, elegant wine with a piercing acidity and a wonderfully pure fruit profile. I searched for this wine for months in Barcelona and only managed to find it in a tiny shop in Pontevedra, Galicia, a few miles away from where the wine is made! I have 1 bottle left to share with my girlfriend in 2016, hopefully to celebrate some sort of minor victory.
Top Sparkling Wine: A surprisingly difficult choice as I’ve had the pleasure of a few wonderful, aged cavas, vintage champagnes and even one or two New World sparkling wines that caught me by surprise. Nevertheless, this has to go to Recaredo Brut de Brut 2006, a Xarel.lo/Macabeo based cava aged for 78 months and outstanding value at around 30 euros a bottle. If this level of quality control and effort went into making a Champagne, you would not find this for less than 100 euros.
We’re already 2/365ths of the way through 2016. If I could choose a second ‘Biggest lesson’ to put down, it would be the power of small, continuous efforts to improve your life. Consistency, discipline and hard work will change the way you live. If you really want to change something about your life, it will take place over the course of hundreds of small, every-day actions that will eventually accumulate into something very powerful. I’m looking forward to the next step; new experiences, new wines and new things to learn every day — I hope you are too!
Wine Cuentista: The literal translation is ‘Wine story-teller’. We run high quality wine tastings in central Barcelona, Borne area, with the intention of tasting and learning about high quality Spanish and Catalan wines in a relaxed atmosphere — perfect for a fun evening out in Barcelona! If you would like to get in touch or see our services, check out the website here: winecuentista.com Thanks!