The world of wine blogs will today be absolutely rife with articles about pairing wine with traditional Thanksgiving food. As the food never really changes, the wine options are remarkably similar every year so expect to see recommendations for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Beaujolais and other medium bodied wines, perfect for a plate of turkey, stuffing and yams. I myself will be heading to spend the evening with a friend and their excellent party that I first attended last year and will be bringing a magnum of La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2001; it’s going to be delicious!

That’s not why I’m writing this short piece, though. Last year was my first ever Thanksgiving and I enjoyed it a great deal. It wasn’t so much the food, the wine and the company which are usually top of my list, but the fact that the holiday felt like it still has meaning. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas but it does appear to have lost its way somewhere along the line, with adverts in Western countries going up in late October and time spent with friends and family taking a backseat to the increasingly commercialised process of buying vast quantities of presents, usually more by obligation than a real desire to celebrate the holiday. By comparison, last year my favourite part of the evening was sitting down with a great group of people and saying what I was thankful for. Now in 2016, a year that has kicked an awful lot to the curb around the world, I actually find that I have more to be thankful for than ever. So whilst I will keep it short and simple tonight (the turkey will get cold otherwise) I’d like to offer a Thanksgiving note here instead.

2016 has been a remarkable year for me. 2015 was my first year working in the wine industry, learning about the amazing world of wine and meeting lots of new friends and 2016 has been a rapidly accelerated version of that.

I’ve had the enormous pleasure of starting and getting halfway through the WSET Diploma with Merit and Distinction marks for every exam. I’ve met several new, good friends in the process and look forward to returning to London for classes in early January. I’m more committed than ever to my goal of becoming a Master of Wine and the support I receive as I move towards this means a lot to me.

I started a local wine tasting group in Barcelona known as Maestrazgo Wine Club, and it’s now the most active group of its kind in the entire city. This wouldn’t be possible without the wonderful people who attend and I’m enormously grateful to all of them. I’m also very thankful to my friend Jose of Bodega Maestrazgo; without him, Maestrazgo Wine Club simply wouldn’t be the same.

I’ve been able to start branching out and working with one or two different companies on projects. Devour Spain have been a big part of my life this year, leading their Wine and Tapas Tour has been a distinct pleasure and I’m very fortunate to have found such a wonderful group of people to work with. I now meet and introduce Spanish wine to people from all around the world every week, which is incredibly satisfying. I’ve also had the pleasure of working closely with Le Petit Ballon in France, another great group of people currently enjoying their hard earned success in the UK and constantly looking to improve wine culture.

Wine Cuentista has gone from strength to strength, again largely thanks to the wonderful people who’ve attended my tastings, booked my time privately and read this blog! Thank-you to you all, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us all!

Locally in Barcelona I’ve met a wealth of new, lovely people in the wine industry, many of whom are now personal friends. Having a network of support is not something I take for granted and I always look forward to tasting, chatting and sharing wine with them all.

I’ve gotten my fitness and health back on track with an exercise program that saw me lose 15kgs of weight after spending 3 years working in an office and getting very out of shape. I now feel much healthier and happier and I owe a debt of thanks to Alberto and Diana for getting me started. Onwards and upwards!

Last but certainly not least, I’m enormously grateful to be surrounded by people I love. My family, my beautiful girlfriend and all of my friends are instrumental to my well being, whether they know it or not. Living in Barcelona is exactly where I want to be, working with wine is exactly what I want to do and the people in my life make me smile everyday; what more can a man ask for?

My thanks to you all for being a part of my wonderful 2016. With all the external noise and issues the world is facing right now, I couldn’t feel more fortunate to be in the position I am in and I look forward to continuing to share the world of wine as we move forwards. Whatever you’re doing today, whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving or not, I recommend taking a few minutes and thinking about what you’re thankful for, you might be surprised by just how much that is!