Today marks the fifth anniversary of Decanting Monterey, A Central Coast Wine Blog! I really can’t believe what sprang from a pandemic pastime (literally) has persevered and is now an internationally-recognized effort. Whether you get my weekly reviews delivered to your email (sign up today – it is free!), see them on social media (Instagram, Facebook, or CELLAR TRACKER, or discover them via Google search; I hope you are enjoying reading about our Monterey wines through my lens. I value every view, like, and comment. I write this blog out of passion for our Monterey wines, not for profit, and have continued to keep this space ad-free for you. I deeply appreciate each and every one of you who is reading my posts!
HUGE THANKS UP FRONT!
I want to express my gratitude to those vintners in year 5 who have comped me wine tastings, given me discounts, and especially those who have donated wine to the cause! I am grateful to Chesebro, Corral Wine Co., I Brand, Parsonage, and Rombi for their generosity this year in donated wines, steep discounts or assistance with group tastings. I am especially thankful for Sal Rombi who has donated pre-release for us to taste in-depth and replacement bottles for many of the wines I have reviewed. And to my fellow board members at the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society who continue to trust me to organize most of their events. And, of course, the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod who make this all tons of fun!
A BRIEF RECAP OF THE LAST 4 YEARS:
Year 1: Deep in the unvaccinated period of the pandemic in July 2020, Decanting Monterey initially was focused on wines from our own collection sampled at home, with or without our neighboring friends and our daughters, who quickly became known as the COVID Wine Pod. It was 2 posts per week and, mostly, one wine at a time. Back then, some wineries had just reopened with their COVID procedures and we still weren’t venturing out much. I also established the @decantingmonterey Facebook page.
During Year 2, as we became fully vaccinated and boosted – and double boosted, we were able to get out to more local wineries at a more deliberate pace. And the COVID Wine Pod was renamed the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod! I also moved to a single post per week and presented a single wine class to my old DC wine group. Most of the posts were based on event-driven or winery tastings and fewer individual, cellar-driven posts. And I started the @decanting_monterey Instagram feed.
During Year 3, I was able to get recognition as an entity with some stature behind it. Our local Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society invited me to join them as a Board Advisor. As a result, I arranged 8 of their monthly events. I presented our Monterey wines to 3 classes: in Washington DC, in Northern Virginia, and to the Carmel Rotary! I covered 2 local wine events: the Santa Lucia Highlands Sun, Wind & Wine Festival and the Monterey Winemakers Celebration.
Year 4 was the strongest year for Decanting Monterey. I was nominated for Best Local Blog in the Monterey County Weekly’s 2023 “Best of” competition. I covered 8 local wine events, including the 30th Monterey Winemakers Celebration, the Arroyo Seco Winegrowers 40th Anniversary, the 50th Anniversary of the Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association, the Grand Opening of LadySomm in the Barnyard, the East End Passport, and the Santa Lucia Highlands Sun, Wind & Wine Festival. Arranged 7 winery visits and supported 2 tasting events for the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society, and hosted 1 wine dinner. I also presented 5 Monterey wines to an East Coast wine appreciation group.
During Year 5, we kept on going, but covered far fewer events due to serious injury (all better now, thanks!):
- Decanting Monterey was named 2024/2025 Wine Blog of the Year by Corporate Live Wire.
- Recipient of LuxLife Magazine‘s 2024 Hospitality Award for Best Monterey Wine Blogand nominated for 2025 Best Central Coast Wine Blog.
- Nominated for Best Local Blog in the Monterey County Weekly’s 2024 “Best of” competition
- Covered the Monterey Winemakers Celebration put on by the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, which generously comped me VIP tickets. This was the only event I could make it to, due to a long-lasting injury, so I am grateful.
- Selected as Vice Chair of the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society. I arranged 7 of their winery visits and supported 1 tasting event.
I have some high-level stats to share with you about Year Five of Decanting Monterey!
- www.decantingmonterey.com surpassed the 33,000 “views” mark – which more than doubled in a single year!! This statistic is very important to me. If you are seeing my blog on social media or via email, please be sure to click the link and open it!
- In its lifetime, 349 total posts, including this one.
- 183 wines (168 for the first time) were presented on Decanting Monterey in Year 5.
- 138 red wines were presented, as well as 32 whites, 13 rosés, including a single sparkling wine.
- Wines from 11 California counties are represented, with over 60% from Monterey. In addition to the counties depicted on the chart, there were also a few from Madera, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.
- Wines from 7 of the 10 Monterey American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) were covered, with the most from Carmel Valley, followed by the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey.
- Parsonage was the most represented family of wines, followed by Bernardus, I Brand, and Chesebro.
- In addition, we included 5 wines from Washington State, and one each from Australia, France and Spain.
- Finally, we covered 2 wine events at LadySomm, and a trip to Amador.
2024 Monterey County Crop Report: Wine in Decline
I’ve written before about the declining wine market as people focus more on their health and drink less. The recent release of the 2024 Monterey County Crop Report highlights this situation quite directly, with a staggering 21% drop in the value of wine grapes in the county. It’s a worrisome trend for our wineries, as Dave Faries mentioned in the Monterey County Weekly article: The plummeting demand for wine has many in the industry worried. But is the situation so dire? I don’t know how much it affects our smaller, local wineries with their loyal followings, but the shift in the marketplace needs attention, with an eye to both short-term and longer-term strategies. I wrote about this in my Amador post here: Is this a permanent shift? Is wine becoming passé? Is anyone making a good de-alcoholized red wine? Here are the telling stats from the crop report:
- Grapes went down in ranking from 5th place in 2023, to 8th place in 2024 – behind strawberries, leaf and head lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and spinach.
- Acreage of planted grapes declined from 40,200 in 2023 to 39,600 in 2024.
- Grape crop value decreased from $194,642,000 in 2023 to $152,251,000 in 2024.
WHAT’S NEXT?
While I have some posts already queued up for Year 6, let me ask my mighty readers: Where should I visit next? I have a short list of wineries not yet presented and new or relocated tasting rooms. And I do have a short trip to Paso Robles coming up. Beyond that? Please leave me a comment on this post and let me know what some of your favorite, local places are to wine taste that I should not miss in Year 6!
And, if you have not signed up for my free, weekly blog email, please do! I judge how well I am doing by how many views, subscribers, and comments I receive. (Go, Instagram!) No ads and I don’t sell your data. Please help me spread the word and feel free to comment on my posts! And follow my Facebook (@DecantingMonterey) and Instagram (@decanting_monterey) sites.
So, here we go – Year 6! I don’t think I will ever surpass Year 4, but even coasting in this world of Monterey wines has allowed me to access and promote some of the very best California has to offer. I hope you will try some wines from Monterey County and share your experiences with me!
Central Coast Sharon
© Decanting Monterey 2025
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