Living life to the fullest... one glass at a time
How Anna became Uncorked:December `07 - in a fit of boredom and feeling sorry for myself while on dialysis, I defiantly started a blog about drinking wine. Originally, just to share my thoughts on Drinking my way through Trader Joe's Wine Shop on 14th St. in NYC.
Now, it is many years later, I am living with a kidney transplant (no more fluid restrictions) and I'm living in Connecticut, after a few years in NYC and suburban Long Island. In these years since `07, my blog became "Anna Uncorked" - it suits me.
Why so many three and four star reviews? I don't like slamming wines. I have had a lot of bad wine over the years and I prefer to not review the bad ones.
Going Semi-Pro: I am (very loosely stated) "semi-professional". I've taken many wine classes and plan to take more (I am studying for my CSW). I make money from this blog through advertising with Google AdWorks and Amazon Associates. (advertising revenue paid for my attending Wine Bloggers' Conferences) Although I have been compensated for my published restaurant reviews, foremost, I am a consumer wine blogger who is educating her palate and writing about it - sip by sip, meal by meal, and class by class.Except for tours, tastings and industry events (marked by the twitter hashtag of the events e.g.: #WBC12; #EuphoriaGreenville) and those marked "Sample" in the header, all wines reviewed are paid for (retail, either by me or others). Reviews are simply my notes and diary of the meal/event. I have a day job. I write as a hobby. Sometimes, my hobby pays and it does afford me a certain lifestyle - I write for food and travel but everything that I write on this blog is my honest opinion. There are a few times that I won't write a review if it is going to be scathing. (Review Policies)
I do what Stephen King says in his book: On Writing: "Writers Write". He's my homeboy; he wrote Carrie twelve miles from where I grew up. Of course, Carrie was fueled by Miller Lite and my first novel Westover was fueled by Trader Joe's Wine. His career took off, and well, you are reading my wine blog.☺
About Me:
Cooking, entertaining and drinking wine are a huge, joyous part of my life but just as huge (not as joyous) was my daily dialysis session (my kidneys stopped working due to a genetic disease - Polycystic Kidney Disease "PKD"). Because I was dialyzing frequently at home (via NxStage - training diary here), I was healthier and my diet was not as restricted as when I was treated 3x a week in-center. Which is why in December '07, sitting at home in my recliner, while tethered to my dialysis machine, I decided that the best thing I could do for my morale was pop a cork, take a drink and start a wine blog. (The liver is the organ that does most of the ETOH processing, and while not optimum, a little wine wasn't going to kill my already dead kidneys).
In November `08, after 3.5 years on the UNOS waiting list, I received a call; a man had died and his kidney was a match for me (story here). My wine drinking was put on hold for a few months while my body adjusted to my medications and my new kidney. For more information and support in dealing with kidney disease and dialysis, check out the forums at I Hate Dialysis.
And, because life is more than just eating, drinking and dealing with kidneys that don't work, here is a work in progress 20 years of travel journals in blog form.
Contact: Anna Bennett
