In December of 2008, I launched an online publication called Rand Sealey's Review of Washington Wines. It was devoted to describing and rating Washington Wines using the University of California Davis 20 Point System. Initially, I was going to use the more popular 100 point system until Chris Camarda convinced me otherwise during a visit to the Andrew Will Winery on Vashon Island (the wines were reviewed in the January 2009 issue). I pointed out to me that no one would buy wines scoring less than 80 points, so 100 points for all practical purposes was 20 points. Over the past five years, I have found the 20 Point System to be more consistent and less subjective than the 100 points one.

The Inaugural December 2008 issue contained 32 wines being reviewed. It included a Profile on the Reininger Winery, west of Walla Walla, where we had bought a second home near downtown in March. And other wines from around the state were included.

Since then, the number of wines being reviewd as steadily increased. in 2010, about 40 wines per issue were reviewed, then in 2012 about 45. At the begining of 2013, the number per issue rose to over 50. This is largely due to the increased number of wineries producing exceptional. Here are some of the wineries that have emerged since the inception of the Review: Tero Estates, Flying Trout, El Corazon, Glencorrie, Doubleback, Corliss, Tranche, Rotie Cellars, Corvus, Maison Bleue, Rasa, Mackey, Robison Ranch, Adams Bench, Avennia, Proper, Lauren Ashton, Convergence Zone, Eight Bells, Kevin White and many more.

In the meantime, the scope of the Review of Washington Wines has broadened as new AVA's came into being, such as Naches Heights (see the December issue for Wilridge) and new wineries emerging (such as A Broken Chair in September). The addition of a weekly Review Blog in 2009 has supplemented the monthly issues. Our move from Seattle to Walla Walla full time in February has facilitated an expanded coverage of the state as well.

Over the years, the number of subscribers has steadily increased and the renewal rate has been over 90%, with many having been with me for five years.

So this month's issue marks a milestone for this publication. It has been largely a labor of love for me, having come from the retail wine business as owner of Esquin from 1969 to 1997, and then as a consultant there until 2009. My subscription base now covers more than my expenses, although I have yet to recover all of my start-up costs. I have all my subscribers to thank for making this endeavor a success, and all my friends in the wine industry who have been so helpful and supportive.

Next week, watch for my semi annual compilation of wines reviewed from July to December 2013, and then the following weeks for listings of the Top Wines of 2013 and the Best Buys of 2013. There will also be lists of of Up and Coming Wineries, and Predicitions for 2014.