This week I will be immersed in wine…more so than usual! Beginning Wednesday, July 9 with tours and tastings at heralded Paso Robles wineries, I’ll be attending the Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Barbara which officially kicks off on Thursday evening. Hundreds of wine bloggers, industry pros, winemakers, and more will convene to do more than reminisce about the movie, Sideways, which was filmed in the area or snag a swag bag with corkscrews, maps, keychains, and perhaps a bottle of wine. Among the variety of offerings are seminars focusing on the various wine regions around the world, the business of wine, and data as it pertains to the U.S. wine consumer. You can be assured that I’ll be meeting new wine lovers while rekindling the friendships of those I already know.
And there will be wine. A lot of it. I’ll try my best to rock the Live Wine Blogging session (think speed dating with wine…) and will attend a “wine discovery ” workshop hosted by Sanford Winery from Santa Rita Hills, a food and wine pairing brunch hosted by Wines of Portugal, the after hours party featuring wines from Santa Ynez Valley, and a few invitation-only events. I’ll be participating in other workshops and events, too. The conference agenda is a full pour of activities sure to please anyone’s taste so check it out. You may want to start a wine blog one day and attend!
As an active participant in the wine blogging stratosphere, I constantly strive to discover more about all things wine. Tweaking my writing skills in order to appeal to a broad base is crucial and sometimes I have to chuckle when I read a few of my first posts from almost three years ago. So how do I learn more? Obviously, going to conferences, seminars, wine tastings, food pairing events, and talking to winemakers and others in the field are some ways I am able to increase my knowledge while at the same time writing about these “grape experiences” for you!
Yet there is another strategy which I employ regularly to fuel my passion: I read others’ wine blogs. But not just any old wine blogs…I review those that have useful content, excellent writing skills, and interesting stories. I’d like to share some of those blogs so that you, too, can learn even more about wine in a fun and casual way! Just don’t forget to keep following Grape Experiences!
**Wine Folly – Madeline Puckette was awarded the 2013 Wine Blogger of the Year by the International Wine and Spirits Competition and there is a reason for that. Her blog appeals to wine newbies and seasoned wine-ohs thanks to her right-to-the-point articles, videos, and (my favorite) infographics. Readers can learn the basics about wine, explore the world’s wine regions and what they produce, purchase her fabulous infographic posters, regional maps, and more. Once you start following Wine Folly, you’ll be hooked!
**Vindulge – How a busy mother of twin toddlers, founder of Vindulge Wine Education and Consulting, a staff writer for Palate Press Online Wine Magazine, and a wine contributor to Barbecue America has time to write a blog is beyond me, but she does it…really well. I met Mary Cressler last summer when we traveled together as part of a press trip through Spain’s region of Murcia on the hot trail of Monastrell and we had a ball (and alotta wine). At that time I began following her blog for recipes, food and wine pairing suggestions, terrific photographs, and her newest topic, barbecue (with drink pairings of course!). If you love all of the above, this is the blog for you!
**Vinography – Founded in 2004 by Alder Yarrow, considered by almost everyone as the pioneer of wine blogging, Vinography is one of the most influential online wine blogs. What I love about this blog is that its content is broad and appeals to a worldwide audience of all levels of wine knowledge. Restaurant reviews, editorials, book reviews, wine news and reviews, wine event coverage as well as some “ramblings and rants” are interesting and objective. You won’t find any ads for wineries, wine products, or services on Vinography. Alder Yarrow is committed to maintaining a blog for an “intelligent community of civil and respectful wine lovers”. I like that.
**Wine Camp Blog – Grab your hiking shoes, big hat, and sunglasses…it’s time for Wine Camp (the blog, that is.). Maybe it’s because I know Craig Camp, Managing Partner of Cornerstone Cellars, have waxed poetic about his amazing wines on Grape Experiences, or respect his Midwestern upbringing (he’s from Illinois), but Craig’s blog is one I go to for great wine writing and gorgeous photography. My review of the 2011 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Franc, Black Label Stepping Stone Cuvee will be posted July 17, but you can get a heads up right now with his June 15 backstory of the Cab Franc. You may also enjoy his recent post about the comments Alder Yarrow (see above!) shared about Cornerstone Cellars. Yes, the blog is specific to the winery, but to me that’s fantastic…You’ll like it, too!
Cheers to lifelong learning about your passion. ~ Cindy
Alina
Alissa Leenher
Craig Camp