Dear Alleigh:
As a blogger, you probably read a lot of other blogs.  What ones would you recommend?  Do you have any favorites?

As a wine blogger, food lover, knitter, wanna-be runner, aspiring photographer, and travel enthusiast, to say that I follow other blogs would be an understatement.  Honestly, my Google Reader is a little out of control.  Not counting blogs related to my day job, I follow 291 blogs.

I would hate to pick out favorites, since each blog offers something a little different.  That’s why I read so many of them.  My wine blogroll is on the right, and I try to update it every 3 or 4 months to make sure that only active blogs that I continue to read are on the list.  That said, here is a highlight of what my Google Reader looks like (no laughing please!)

Wine:

• Cheap Wine Ratings—Tim’s blog is all about finding wines that are good quality, but yet won’t break the wallet.  Clearly, that theme fits in well with A Glass After Work.  Plus, I’ve had the chance to meet Tim several times, and he’s a knowledgeable wine drinker and an all-around nice guy.  So, I’m always taking a look at his blog to see what good things he’s tasted recently.
• Corks & Caftans— Rob & Carey started blogging around the same time as I did, so it’s been particularly fun to watch how their blog has grown and changed over the years.  Corks & Caftans is different from other wine blogs. it has a great feel that draws the reader in, and I particularly love how Rob & Carey have been able to weave their personal stories into their love of wine, fashion, and, well, life.
• Girl on Wine—Lesley’s blog is well written and does a nice job of balancing wine reviews with her thoughts on food.  Admittedly, while I love reading her wine reviews and often use her blog as a resource, it’s her reviews of Montreal restaurants that constantly leave me dreaming of gluttonous, food-filled trips to Canada.
• The Reverse Wine Snob—Jon, the blogger behind The Reverse Wine Snob, focuses on wines under $20, with the occasional mention of a more expensive wine.  What I particularly like about the reviews is that Jon breaks down his thoughts on the quality-price ratio of each wine.

Food, Health, & Running:

• 110 Pounds and Counting—There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t read Lisa’s blog.  Her weight-loss story is an inspiration, no doubt about it, but her blog has turned into so much more than just that.  She writes about beer, wine, running, camping, food…and of course, watching your weight, and she does it in a way that is “real.”  Over the last few months, we’ve had the opportunity to trade blog comments, so she’s clearly a blog reader as well as a blogger, and I highly recommend checking out her site.
• Iowa Girl Eats—Kristin’s blog is a wonderful combination of food, fitness, and travel.  She always has amazing photos on her blog, and when if comes to the recipes, they’re always easy to follow.  Granted, my stuff never comes out looking as photogenic as hers, but that is certainly not her fault!
• Skinny Taste—Gina’s blog has such amazing photos that I seriously become hungry every time I look at it.  It is food porn…and I love it.  I’ve used a number of her appetizer recipes for my evenings with the Wine Ladies, and they’re always a big hit and a healthy eating option that pairs nicely with the wines we’re pouring.  Hubby has also used several of her recipes and has been pleased with the results.
• We Are Not Martha—I only recently started recently following thus blog, but have spent the last few months enjoying it.  I’ve pinned several of their recipes onto Pintrest for later, including their Mojito Cocktail Poptail, which will be finding it’s way into my freezer in the next couple of weeks.
• What’s Cooking Chicago—I first encountered Joelen while I was on The Nest, an online community for newly married (mostly) women.  Since then, her blog has evolved into one of my reliable, go-to resources.  Her food is always a combination of comforting deliciousness and ethnic fun.

Others (including several personal friends):

• Capitol Hill Style—While this blog says that it’s a fashion blog for professional women, Belle has created something that is so much more than that.  Sure, there are daily posts describing a fashion style and giving three different price options for achieving the look (the expensive Elected Official, the moderate Hill Staffer, and the inexpensive Intern).  But, she also has at least one “Discuss” post (every Friday) that has nothing to do with fashion.  These posts always have a large number of commenters who respectfully agree and disagree with Belle and each other.  It’s always interesting and often brings out the real, everyday life of working in DC politics without the hyperbole that happens in the mainstream media.
• Click the Good News—Amanda is a friend that I met online back in 2006 when Hubby and I were wedding planning.  Since then, she and I have stayed in touch, as we’ve continued to share a love of wine, photography, traveling, and running.  While she’s actually in the process of launching a new endeavor—Grow Soul Beautiful—she continues to post about wine, her travels, and running.
• Eat, Drink, Run—Ok, I know you remember me talking about my friend Shelby before.  You may even remember when she interviewed me over the 2010 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.  If you don’t, not to worry, just click on the links and you’ll learn all about how our blogs and lives have intersected.  The important thing, though, is that Shelby is snarky, smart, and likes to eat, drink, and run.  So, if you like to do those things too, you will love Shelby’s blog.
• Knit and Tonic—This is one of my favorite knitting blogs, as Wendy has some of the most gorgeous patterns out there.  Plus, while her blog is always about the projects she’s working on, there are aspects of her real life added into the post.  This adds a personal element to knitting her patterns that I absolutely love.
• Messy Jess C—Jess is a friend who lives right here in the DC area.  We know each other through our day jobs, but she also found the wonderful world of blogging as a great off-duty outlet.  Her blog mostly focuses on fashion and food, with some running thrown into the mix.  What’s particularly great about Jess’s blogging style is she really incorporates her Pintrest finds into regular posts.
• Shutter Sisters—This is a collaborative photo blog that really looks at the works of women photographers of all skill levels.  I’ve learned a great deal from the blog and definitely had some photographic inspiration from the women who post.

And with that, you have a sneak peak into my Google Reader.  There are obviously a lot of other blogs that I read, but I tried to pick ones that you may not be as familiar with or that I make sure to read every day.

Question of the Day: What wine blog(s) do you read regularly?  And, non-wine blog(s)?

Thanks for emailing!  Cheers!
Alleigh

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