2011 Wine Bloggers Conference

June 28, 2010Conferences, , , , , ,

Wine Bloggers ConferenceDrum roll please… After an online vote against steep competition, Charlottesville, Virginia has been selected to be the host of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference to be held July 22-24. Coming off a successful 2010 conference in Walla Walla, Washington, the selection of Virginia is a win for local wine and demonstrates the growth and maturity of the other 46 states. Selection is based on a wide variety of factors including geographic diversity, strong wine community, eager local partners and most important, your vote.

Conference registration is already open to the public. The cost of the conference is $95 for citizen wine bloggers (those unaffiliated with a business or organization), $195 for industry wine bloggers (those whose blog is affiliated with a winery, retail store, or other business or organization), and $295 for non-blogger participants (industry, media relations professionals, friends and family, etc).

A special thank you to the many who voted and to the Virginia Wine Board, Virginia Tourism, the WBC, and last but certainly not least, Charlottesville, Virginia, the birthplace of American wine. Cheers!

Click here to vote TheOther46.com as your favorite wine blog!

Comments

Joe

This is a huge opportunity for Virginia. I really hope they rise to the occasion in a big way, because I see it going one of two ways:

1) If VA doesn’t put its best foot/root forward, I don’t suspect the WBC will venture to a non-traditional site again anytime soon. The negative backlash from the west coast bloggers could set the other 46 back by years.

2) The perceptions and prejudices against East Coast wine (which I heard ad nauseam this past week from Cali folks) will be shattered, and mutual respect and growth will blossom as bloggers around the country eat their words and preach the gospel of VA wine to their readership.

Please let it be #2!!

Valerie

I voted for Virginia.

I was shocked by the negative outcry when Virginia was announced at the conference. People at my table were vowing never to support the conference again.

I do remember there was a negative view of Walla Walla too.

California makes some lovely wine – and some awful swill. So why the snobbery?

I suggest, as journalists, we keep an open and inquisitive mind and let the wines speak.

Brian Kirby

Hi Joe,
As always, thank you for your readership and comments. I must admit, I was a bit surprised to hear the announcement. I was both excited and nervous, and agree 100%, Virginia will need to put its best foot forward (which I have no doubt they will) and ensure the local wineries open their doors to the wine world. I’m very confident in the pours and feel Virginia’s Cab Franc and Viognier are the best in North America and can compete on a global scale. Of course, I’m sure there will be plenty that will take a sip of a Cab Sauv or Chard and begin to compare and contrast with a $100 Napa Valley wine. I hope that crowd stays home. Nonetheless, the selection of Virginia (no matter how you slice it) is a victory for local wine and the start of something big.

Excited to meet you in Virginia. Would love to catch up on the North Georgia wine trail soon and sip some Georgia juice. Cheers!

Brian Kirby

Thanks for stopping by Valerie! I was unable to attend this years conference in Walla Walla, so hadn’t heard about the reaction to the selection of Virginia (although I’m not surprised). Unfortunately, if the label doesn’t read Napa or Sonoma Valley (and doesn’t have a Wine Spectator or Robert Parker score), people ignore the wines and region. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ll put Virginia’s Cab Franc and Viognier against the best of California any day. Hopefully conference goers will come with an open mind and palate. I promise they’ll be glad they did. Cheers!

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