Though you may have read our previous post about the Wine Bloggers Conference, you may still be scratching your head and wondering – what does that actually mean?
This past weekend I, along with my esteemed colleagues, were lucky enough to join about 225 wine bloggers, writers, and industry folk in Corning, NY for the 8th annual Wine Bloggers Conference. In some ways, this conference is like any other. There are seminars, breakout sessions, and a keynote speaker (distinguished author of The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil featured to the left) that provide tips, data, information, and inspiration on how to better your craft and move the industry forward.
On the other hand, there are also hour-long wine discovery sessions where attendees get to taste anywhere from 4-6 wines while listening to wineries or wine distributors expound upon the various aromas, flavors, vintages, terroir, and food pairings of their wines, as well as, wine excursions where groups of bloggers are whisked away to experience first-hand what the outstanding wineries of the Finger Lakes have to offer.
This may sound like a leisurely wine vacation but I assure you there is a jam-packed schedule of exploration, learning, and networking, with the fastest-paced event being the live wine blogging.
This event has been dubbed the “speed dating” of the wine world. Each winery has 5 minutes to pour a tasting, explain their wine, and answer any questions before time is up. Then they rotate to the next table to do it again. The whole time bloggers are tweeting and blogging their impressions and opinions as fast as they can, with a live twitter feed streaming on the big screens at the front of the room. Still confused? Check out the video below.
Zephyr has already begun organizing next year’s Wine Bloggers Conference in remarkable Lodi, CA. Interested in signing up? Registration is open for all citizen/industry bloggers and wine industry attendees!
Not a blogger but still looking for a memorable wine experience? Check out our tours to New Zealand or Chile & Argentina wine country.