We’re in a grateful mood here in California in general. The winter rains have finally begun to fall, mercifully marking the end of another fire season. Though harrowing as it was, and not without some tragic loss, compared to the last couple of years, it feels a bit like the state dodged a bullet.

And now it’s Thanksgiving, a holiday that many enjoy for its traditions of eating and gathering, but one that is increasingly understood in the context of historical amnesia of genocide.

But even if we refuse to to celebrate the false historical pretense of the holiday, we can still be thankful for the many blessings and bounties that we enjoy. More than one study suggests the concrete health benefits of gratitude. Giving thanks generally makes you happier and healthier.

I certainly have a lot to be thankful for personally, not least of which are my health, my family and friends, and the fortune we have to enjoy the quality of life we lead.

Those of us immersed in the wine world have even more fro which we should be greatful, sampling as we do the fruits of so many labors, cultures, traditions, and places around the world. “Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing,” wrote Ernest Hemingway. And who are we to argue with Papa?

In addition to the opportunities to travel the world, both literally and figuratively, that wine has afforded me, it remains the inspiration for one of my chiefest joys, namely the writing that I do here on Vinography. As many of you know, I squeeze this avocation in around the margins of my life, in between by family time and the (increasingly severe) demands of my day job. Despite a rather constant dissatisfaction with the amount of time I can spend on my wine writing, and concomitant disappointment in the quality of what that time allows me to produce, I continue to enjoy the practice immensely.

I also, of course, remain quite grateful for those of you who take even a tiny bit of time out your busy lives to read what I write. This effort is first and foremost a personal devotion, but I can’t ignore nor fail to appreciate you my readers for coming along on the journey.

So here’s to you, my fellow wine lovers and gracious readers. I hope you are giving thanks for your own blessings today, accompanied by a glass or two of something fantastic.