After sixteen years of publishing this website, you’d think I’d know how to write a birthday card, right?

Happy 16th birthday Australian Wine and Drinks Review.
Lots of love,
Andrew.

Job done!

I was reminiscing with Mrs Ozwinereview tonight about writing this annual birthday card seven years ago from our sun-bathed Airbnb balcony in La Morra (good times, pictured above) and how it felt like yesterday. Time flies when you’re having fun/children! Skip forward from 2017 to 2024, and my wine world is different (even from a year ago), while the whole Australian wine media circuit is basically gone.

On that topic, it’s fascinating to do the annual check-in on how that ‘scene’ has changed from sixteen years ago – when there were at least four regular wine print mags, weekly wine columns in all of the major newspapers, and shitloads of wine blogs/review sites. Aside from a handful of notable names and slots (hello Halliday, Winefront, Real Review, Qwine Reviews, Vinonotebook, Winsor’s reviews, Angus Hughson’s words/Winepilot and Nick Ryan + Max’s newer columns), they’re all gone. The pay-per-word for the remaining print gigs is exactly the same as when I was first published in 2009, too…

Still, this Australian Wine and Drinks Review boondoggle has continued because it’s still fun. What started in 2008 as a place to store my tasting notes (still is) continues to be an entertaining stretch of the legs, even if my tasting notes are now far shorter and rants far longer (which is probably just a sign of middle-age).

Anyway, as I said, I’m crap at writing this birthday card, so let’s make this important part short. Thanks to everyone who makes this site run, from the wineries who still send me wine even if I take ages to review things (and give lower scores than everyone), to the kind people who pick up my dumb grammar errors, to everyone who regularly emails to check in/tell me what’s tasting good, and those extra generous people who donate to keep the lights on. It takes a village – and a lot of beer – to keep a wine website running!

Thanks + lots and lots of love xx