Last Tuesday I received notification that I’d been selected as a finalist in Millésima’s prestigious Wine Blog Awards—a huge honor, since this is the first time I’ve entered my writing into any sort of competition. I’m also incredibly flattered to have been chosen, because the other finalists are writers I’ve long admired, including Pamela Heiligenthal’s excellent blog, Enobytes, Christian Schiller’s international blog, Schiller-Wine, and of course, Elaine Brown’s ever-popular Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews. To rub shoulders with these talented veterans of wine journalism feels like a rite of passage. For me it means that maybe, just maybe, I’m getting there.
2016 marks the third year that Millésima, an upscale wine retailer with locations in New York and Europe, has held this contest. And they are very serious about it too. They have enlisted a distinguished panel of judges and the grand prize is nothing to sneeze at. Of the 24 finalists selected, six lucky Grand 
Prize winners will spend six nights at Château Fombrauge in the Saint-Emilion appellation, in addition, said lucky winners will also taste barrel samples during Bordeaux’s en primeur week, learn about state-of-the-art winemaking technologies including the use of drones, and will lunch at La Grande Maison de Bernard Magrez, a Joël Robuchon restaurant. These are only a few of the highlights from what promises to be a very busy week.
I’d like to encourage you to vote, it only takes a few minutes of your time. You’ll find my entry Crème Brûlée with Sauternes on Millésima’s Face Book page, under Bordeaux Food and Wine Pairing.
Of course, I’d love for you to cast a vote for me, I’m admittedly biased, but I’m also cheering on the other very worthy finalists. Bordeaux has been a long-held dream of mine that started in 2011 during a two-year stint at Grand Vin Wine Merchants in Olympia, Washington. The family made annual treks to Bordeaux to taste and buy during en primeur. I wanted to tag along so badly, becoming a finalist in this competition has only served to remind me of that particular goal.
Voting ends February 26th. As added incentive, Millésima rewards its voters with a 10% off coupon to use in their online store.