As 2016 draws to a close (and by the looks of it, most of us won’t be sad to see its hiney shuffling out of the doorway), it’s time for the annual tradition of looking back on the 1WD articles that got the most play during the year.

Yeah, I know it’s kind of a lazy cop-out; hey, man, go easy, my 2016 was just as crappy as yours, ok? For example, technically I am still not 100% divorced (though it’s definitely not for a lack of trying on my part!).

On the plus side, I’m still doing what I love, my daughter is still amazing, and my “work” travels have seen me hit Chile, Madeira, California, Washington, Italy, Texas, NYC, and most of those more than once. Overall, shiz is still pretty excellent in 1WD land.

Anyway, here are the top 10 most popular 1WD articles of 2016, as measured by the Google Analytics Gods…

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Holy shnikies!

We have arrived at the ninth (!) annual recap of the most interesting wines of the year. I feel old. Really, really, f*cking old.

Anyway, while I am coming to grips with the fact that there have been nine (!) incarnations of this list, you can check out the previous entries for 2015, 2014, 2013 (parts 1 & 2), 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 & 2008.

“What the sh*t?!??” It’ll make sense in a few minutes…

I have written about the process behind the garnering of this list nine (!) times, but it’s worth repeating for those of you who might be knew to this particular little game of mine:

These are not the “best” or “highest rated” wines, they are the wines I tasted which most stuck with me during the entire year, those that I felt offered the most geeky, thought-provoking experiences. Please note, these are not necessarily wines released during the year, they are releases that I tasted during the year. Also, I once again attempted to select only wines that you’d have at least some modicum of hope of obtaining. The final ranking is my own, and is totally subjective.

Once again, we have a tie. Actually, we have two ties, so the list is really a top 12 rather than a top 10. Once again, the list has some very expensive wines on it. Having said that, there are several bargains that made the MIW list this year, specifically because I found their QPR to be incredible.

In the words of Bugs Bunny: “Okay, Smokey, roll ’em!”…

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Here we go again! It’s time for the 2015 edition of the Most Interesting Wines of the Year. Yeah, it’s late, but given that this list is an indulgent exercise in subjective arbitrariness (or is that arbitrary subjectivity?), who cares?

A few teasers: the 2015 MIW list includes four dessert wines, is heavily dominated by Old World beauties, is technically a list of 11 wines instead of 10 (because we had a tie), and has an average bottle price at a whopping $157 (sorry)!

It’s a bit difficult for me to fully come to terms with this, but 2015 marks the eighth incarnation of this annual round-up. If you want to check out the MIW history, see the versions from 2014, 2013 (parts 1 & 2), 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 & 2008.

Since not a damned thing about how this list is inspired has changed since 2014, I quote last year’s preamble/background on how the wines were selected:

“These are not the “best” or “highest rated” wines, they are the wines I tasted which most stuck with me during the entire year, those that I felt offered the most geeky, thought-provoking experiences. Please note, these are not necessarily wines released during the year, they are releases that I tasted during the year. Also, I once again attempted to select only wines that you’d have at least some modicum of hope of obtaining.” I’ll only add that the final ranking is my own, and is totally subjective.

So, in the immortal words of Joseph II of Austria, “there it is.” Let’s get to it!…

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Normally for these year-in-review recaps, I start by going into some details about my life over the last twelve months.

F*ck that sh*t this time. I’m focused full steam ahead on the future, baby.

If you need a summary, 2015 was the year that I gifted myself my freedom. The results are much more positive than I’d expected: while far from being perfect, generally speaking my life is great. Most importantly, my kid is doing great. And what I do for a living is still, well, great (although, from here anything else would be a pretty serious letdown, unless I could finagle a paying gig as a hammock nap tester).

So this year I am skipping the detailed recap, and getting right to the good stuff (you’re welcome!).

Here are the top ten most popular 1WD articles published in 2015, as measured by visits (if I’m utilizing my website analytic skills correctly, that is… which is a seriously sizable if)…

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