This is a short post for a momentous occasion, but I’ve been so busy working on the new version of Able Grape that I almost forgot: on January 28th, Able Grape turned one year old! (That’s not counting the three year gestation period prior to launch, of course…) I wanted to thank all of you for your incredible support during the past year. It’s been quite an adventure.
On a separate note, some of you may have noticed that I’ve been quiet for the last few weeks, and database refreshes have been delayed a bit. This is because I’m hard at work on new infrastructure to handle the incredible growth Able Grape has been seeing. Early tests have been going well, and I hope to crank up the new system to full scale as soon as I finish testing. The new database should come in at about 17 million documents, with 40,000 sites worth of trustworthy wine information. Thanks for your patience, the new database is going to rock! And when it’s up and running, it’ll be time for a proper birthday party. Looking forward to bringing lots of great things your way in this, Able Grape’s second year!
(P.S. that photo isn’t just a stock image, it’s a mille crêpe cake a friend and i baked recently for another friend’s birthday; 20 layers of crêpes (well, almost; we ran out of batter) with pastry cream in between, and a brûlée top. A “mattone,” as the Italians would say, but oh, so good. And so much fun with a kitchen flamethrower making it)
Able Grapes and Garbled Peas 
Congrats, Doug!! This is a great tool for us enjoying, studying and working with wine!
happy birthday doug (or, rather, doug’s great site)!
Thanks, Beda and Jill! It’s been a lot of fun. One of the best things is that I’ve met great people from near (e.g. LA) to far (e.g. Brazil) who share a passion for wine. I’m excited about all the things planned for the coming year, and thank you so much for your support!
Happy B-Day ablegrape!!!!!
This continues to be such an awesome resource!
Tanti auguri di Buon Compleanno! Able Grape è una grande realtà per gli amanti del vino.
Parabéns! Congratulations on the hard work and great product!
André
anche se un po’ in ritardo… infiniti auguri ad un grande amico Grande! Ti aspettiamo per festeggiare al più presto il tuo immenso lavoro che cresce a vista d’occhio.
un 2009 meraviglioso è cominciato… vai avanti!
Giovanna
ChrisO, Vittorio, Andre, Giovanna,
Thanks so much for the great wishes, and more importantly, thanks for your support in so many ways! I really appreciate it.
Giovanna e Vittorio, non vedo l’ora in cui tornare in Italia per festeggiare nel modo giusto! Fra poco, spero…
Doug!!
I know I’m late, but a heartly congratulation also from me!!
Can someone imagine internet without able grape?
I’m not
Thomas, danke schön! This will also be the year when I get a German version of Able Grape going…
Yeaaaah!!
Let me know if you need help for this!!
I’m sure there might be a few german winebloggers which would love to help if needed!
Belated but hearty congratulations! Here’s to much, much more.
Thanks, Francisco!
Belated Natal Tidings! Looking forward to the new update!
Congrats sir! Let’s celebrate!
hehe I wanna try it!
Has to be nice thou…