Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to visit my new site. I am so excited to be here, though I admit making this switch came with some trepidation. Re-building my SEO is a bit scary and I’m grateful to all of you who have shared my new URL, visited the site and signed up to receive the posts via  RSS feed. I truly could not continue to do this without the support of my readers and it means so much that you keep coming back. For those of you who subscribed to the Blogspot site via RSS reader, please be sure to update your feed link, as I understand the change I made to Feedburner only worked for email subscribers. Ah, technology!

Still working through my wine reading – my 2016 goal is to finish even more of these.

So far 2016 has brought big changes for Upkeep: Wine, Body & Soul and there are more to come. I continue to be a student of all things wine and want to share with you the books I’m reading, the places I’m going and, of course, the wines I’m trying. I’m also hoping to include even more about how I’m incorporating healthy choices into my life so that I can pay that #winetax and still indulge in some of my favourite things. You’ll see those articles in the new ‘Drink to Your Health’ section.

Upkeep has a new look and I continue to feel inspired by the experiences that allow me to write here. In keeping with that, I started a new course at the end of January to learn more about spirits. I was so intrigued by my recent tastings with Canadian Club, Brugal Rum and Sauza Tequila that I wanted to learn more about the history and science behind spirits. While wine will remain my main sip of choice, I see this as a way to branch out a little and cleanse my palate after a few years of diving deep into wine, wine, wine. So far the experience has been a wonderful one and I expect these classes will lead to some interesting posts about spirits.

I’m also planning to take some photography classes. This new layout is making visuals so much more important and my photos aren’t always as strong as I’d like them to be. It’s hard to take good pictures of wine bottles. Really, between the glare and the reflections it’s a challenge and a half. Add to that dim lighting at a lot of events, crowded tasting stations and the hands/legs/torsos/dish racks that pop up in any photo taken at a tasting bar, and I have developed a huge respect for those who always take amazing shots. So I’m going to take some classes and try to improve just a little on my skill-set there.

Upkeep will also be more story-driven moving forward. I’m under no illusions that I’m the best source for wine reviews. I have a huge respect for the professional wine writers and more experienced bloggers who are writing reviews and tasting wines almost daily. For me, I love to talk about the wines I like, but I’m often more interested in the stories—the winemakers, the history, the production methods—than just a simple tasting note. I’ll continue to chronicle great wines I try in my monthly round-up, but look for more interviews and features moving forward.
I truly want this blog to be a place where cork dorks and wine divas come together to celebrate wine, body and soul. I hope you’ll stick with me on this adventure!

What do you think of the new look? Are there any other changes you’d like to see at Upkeep: Wine, Body & Soul? Share them in the comments or on social!