Archive for the ‘ General ’ Category

Spokane Hosts Wine Bloggers for WBC10

Spokane is home to 16 quality wineries, including one of Washington’s original 20. From Barrister’s 90+ point Cab Franc, Latah Creek’s innovative cold fermentation, Robert Karl’s top picks (by Paul Gregutt), and Arbor Crest’s historic mansion and amazing grounds, Spokane is becoming a destination for wine.

Spokane is also known as an amazingly generous host city. Spokane is home to the largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament (Hoopfest), and one of the largest timed road races with Bloomsday (over 50,000 runners). Spokane recently hosted the 2010 USA Figure Skating Championships and will host round one of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. GO ZAGS!

As 300 wine bloggers converge on Walla Walla, Washington, Spokane offered to bring three wine writers / bloggers to our amazing city. The Spokane Visitors Bureau reached out to me with a great idea of hosting and touring bloggers that are attending WBC10. With Spokane being less than 2 hours from Walla Walla, this is the perfect opportunity to expose the great wine I experience with some of the best wine writers.

In mid-February the invitation went out for wine bloggers to come experience Spokane Wine with a hosted tour, hotel stay, and arranged transportation to Walla Walla. Response was great. Respondent’s names and information were forwarded to the Spokane CVB. After review, they chose three candidates to host.

I look forward to showing these great wine people why Spokane is the next great wine scene in Washington. Congratulations to…

@BricksofWine – Eric Hwang

@AlaWine – Ken W

@RickBakas – Rick Bakas

Hey Wine Blogger You Want Free Wine?

Do you want a chance win a mixed ½ case of great Washington Wine?

Merlot is making a comeback. After getting pushed around by Miles from Sideways, Merlot is taking a stand and regaining its rightful place of respect. Washington makes some damn fine Merlot and you should be drinking it! Since you’re probably on your way to Walla Walla for WBC10, consider this an opportunity to do some pre-awareness reconnaissance investigation. In the name of science and brotherhood of man, you’ll want to participate! Plus, did I mention the free wine?

March is Washington Wine month. What better way to celebrate the Rocky Mountains, skiing, beautiful pristine lakes, the birthplace of Starbucks, The Mariners, the home of Microsoft, Father’s Day, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Apolo Ohno, Jimi Hendrix and Grunge than to drink Washington Wine. Plus, there’s free wine!

Here is how it works:

  • Register for #WAMerlot http://wamerlot.eventbrite.com/
  • Find yourself some #WAMerlot (Wine Library & Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman have some great deals)
  • Blog (see the details below)
  • Promote and Tweet #WAMerlot: Join us on March 25 and tweet as the world celebrates Washington Merlot

Sounds simple enough.

Blog Details

We’d love your support. One of my favorite aspects of Social Media has been the collaboration and support that the community offers. So, if you’re in, just make sure your blog talks about Washington Wine (in general), mentions #WAMerlot (with the link to the event page), and talks about what you’re looking forward to about coming to the Wine Bloggers Conference in June. You’re invited to help us celebrate Washington! One blogger will be chosen to receive a mixed 1/2 case of Washington Wine as a thank you from the great state of Washington. Thanks for helping us spread the word. I look forward to reading and tweeting your posts.

*To emphasize, this is a thank you for your help in promoting Washington.

If you and your readers need help getting their hands on Washington Merlot, point them to these great supporters of #WAMerlot:

#WAMerlot is sponsored by these great Washington Wine Lovers on Twitter

@SeattleWineGal @WAWineReport @WineBeerWA @Catie @WBCorBUST @Shona425 @WineeYak @YakimaValley @NWwineandRE @lunabeanmedia

and www.drinknectar.com @nectarwine

A Little Skiing, A Little Wine

Today’s post has little to do with wine, and more to do with life…enjoy!

33.2 miles from my doorsteps as a winter wonderland that I’ve neglected for seven years. With life, work, wine and other business adventures and hobbies the winter months have become an exercise in surviving till spring than enjoying the beauty that surrounds the Pacific Northwest.

My step-son has been snowboarding since he was 9. It is an activity that he does with his dad. From time to time he’s expressed interested in going with me, but timing has never worked out. He’s turning 13 soon.  When talking about what he wanted for his birthday, he said, “I want Josh to take me snowboarding.” Not a party? Not a sleep-over? Needless to say I was stoked…and scared. Spending 8 hours with a teenage boy is a little like spending 8 hours with a crazy monkey hyped up on sugar.

I rented my skis, packed the Jeep, and we made the 48 minute journey to the top of Mt. Spokane. The video camera came along because his mom has never seen him snowboard either and she couldn’t come with us. After getting my bearings with a few Bode Miller-esque downhill runs (it’s amazing how the muscle memory remains), the camera came out to film Ian.

When the camera came on, Ian immediately went in to “Welcome to Drink Nectar.com, I am your host…” – It was hilarious and unscripted. From there we put together this video montage of the five senses of snowboarding (and skiing). The best way to end any perfect day on the slopes is with a glass of wine. Ever seen a 13 year old give his best swirl and sniff (no sipping involved)?

The wine featured in this video is a 2007 Cleavage Creek Secret Red. Look for this in Episode 38 of DrinkNectar.com

Taste Spokane Fulfill a Dream

No child should live with the fear of death. No child should die with unfulfilled dreams. The Wishing Star foundation is one of the true heroes of this world, providing hope and fulfilling dreams to children who live with the impending threat and stress of terminal illness.  These young children live their lives with thoughts of doctor’s visits, tests, pain, and medication. The Wishing Star Foundation helps to fulfill dreams of vacations, room makeovers, trips to Disneyworld, Hollywood experiences, and meeting famous people. As individuals in Spokane (and across the internet) it may seem overwhelming for us to do our part. How can we help?

Taste Spokane is an event to support! For four hours on a Friday, you can enjoy Spokane wine, local food, and bid on fabulous auction items. Your $20 ($25 at the door) goes to help fund the wishes of these beautiful children.

Coordinator Taryn Erickson got involved with Wishing Star after a family friend, who was a “wish child” passed away. She watched the miracles first hand and was compelled to be involved. Spokane has 40+ active wishes including 21 year old Andrew who has a rare cancer of the bone. Andrew was diagnosed as a teenager and has given up school, college, job to fight this monster into remission. Your attendance can help fulfill his wish!

This year’s Taste Spokane includes a wider selection of food and wine vendors. Visit the web site (linked below) for a complete list.  Please join Wishing Star and DrinkNectar.com in support of helping fulfill these children’s whishes.

Event Details:

When: Friday, March 5 from 6-10 p.m.

Where: Northern Quest Casino (discounted room rates available)

Cost: $20 in advance and $25 at the door

www.tastespokane.com

www.wishingstar.org

The Tipping Point of a Maturing Wine Blog

Anyone who holds his breath waiting for the ad revenue tipping point to tip is going to suffocate. – Steve Heimoff; Wine Enthusiast Magazine

“Basically the whole wine blog world is like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, a whole bunch of loudmouths trying to shout over each other, only less dressy.” – Ron Washam; Hosemaster of Wine

Recently, two articles surfaced that have caused quite a bit of angst and swirl in the wine world. Each seem to undercut the viability and influence of a wine blog. At the risk of getting “hosed” I step lightly into this post, mostly wanting to provide the counter punch (or maybe that’s just counter flick at my level) to these articles.

While I respect the writing and insight that both of these men provide to the wine world, at the risk of offending, I can offer this, “Those with their head in the sand have their ass in the air.”

Heimoff’s post focuses on ad revenue (or lack thereof) and asserts that most wine bloggers will never make any money blogging. I’ve gone through several responses in my mind to this post. One was “how dare he,” two was, “he may be on to something,” and finally third, “don’t keep your head in the sand too long.” While the post focuses on the lack of a rush toward online ad revenue for wine bloggers, the underlying insinuation (read through the comments too) is that wine bloggers have little influence to warrant any ad revenue. I’ll address this misconception further in the post.

Many of Mr. Heimoffs’ points are right on about the speed in which dollars are migrating online, however I think it’s important to keep in mind the youth of the wine blog. As wine blogging matures quality will rise to the top. Niche blogs will develop that focus on regions and or specific wine varietals. As the collective pool of information, opinion, and reviews grow, so will the consuming traffic. Content quality and data centralization will be huge. Wineries are being exposed to great new tools that allow them to capture and calculate the mention of their brand online which will result in focused marketing efforts.

The move toward online dollars is slowed for the wine industry for a few reasons; wine is a specialized industry (meaning not everyone drinks wine – yet); distribution laws hinder national and global brand awareness; and most winery owners are not marketers by trade, they are farmers.

Ad dollars are not migrating online.
Ad dollars are not going to migrate online anytime soon.
There is no tipping point.
Just ain’t gonna happen anytime. – From Steve Heimoff

Marketing dollars ARE migrating out of print media (take a look at the cemetery of newspapers and circulation magazines). This trend WILL hit specialized print magazines in the future. It may not happen in 2010, 2011 or 2012 but the trend will continue to trickle down to niche magazines. Print media that survives will be the ones that adapt to incorporate a strong online and social presence with its readers.

Heimoff’s stance also teeters on the misconception that wine bloggers are in it for the money.

From Steve’s Bio: Steve pondered his twin passions of writing and wine, earnestly contemplating how he could combine the two interests in order to be gainfully employed. Taking a major leap of faith, Steve set out to become a wine writer.

This sentiment is echoed hundred-fold across the wine bloggersphere. The majority seeks to combine passions of writing and wine. Some will make money (through events, ad revenue, speaking, syndicated writing, books, etc), but the majority will continue to combine those passions for the same reason there are blogs tracking the mating habits of the Peruvian Water-Beetle…it’s a passion that people want to share. As Steve experienced great success with his leap of faith, is it too much to ask to support others (through success or failure) who attempt the same.

 

Now, on to the Hosemaster piece in the SF Chronicle; I usually wouldn’t devote any server space or brain power rebutting someone who devotes his time to heckling people. I respect his place in the online world and actually enjoy reading his humorous, exaggerative, narcissistic posts. However, when a large “news” (used loosely) organization devotes ink to such opinions, I’m slightly unnerved. To Derrick Schneider’s credit, he did bring in two sides of the opinion. Steve’s basic snarky premise is that wine bloggers have no influence and that we’re all a bunch of attention seeking, wine grubbing winos attempting to take our jabs at the establishment.

My foray into the wine blogging world is quite young (going on four months). I interact with quite a few bloggers. My observation and is that 98% of them take their work seriously. Their desire is to provide a value add resource for their followers – whether that is their immediate family or 10,000 people a day. While the writing quality varies from the moderately average (see the author you’re currently reading) to the down-right inspirational (see 1WineDude, Good Grape, Vinology, etc) these folks are making a marked difference. While a 4+ score from DrinkNectar.com may not “register on the radar” nationally – I have irrefutable proof that a winery interview with DrinkNectar.com doubled a winery websites visits for the week, thus increasing brand awareness. The cost to the winery – 1 hour of time.

Additional influences that I can speak to are the local awareness of wineries and the wine scene in Texas by Vinotology and in Phoenix by Weekly Wine Journal and Arizona Grape Escapes. A little grass roots event in February drew hundreds of people together online and in tasting rooms across California promoting California Cabernet.  In interviews with five wineries on Twitter, each speaks to the increased brand awareness they receive by interacting with and even sending samples to bloggers. Can this influence be measured in direct case sales?  I think it’s far greater AND it’s only just beginning. To Tom Wark’s point in the article “wine bloggers have about the same influence as wine writers, none.” But, as I mentioned above, as bloggers specialize, develop niche brands, as information repositories centralize (i.e. Cellar Tracker / Grape Stories and Cork’d), and social media forums like Twitter and Facebook explode the potential for influence is far greater than all print magazines combined.

In closing, I say – Bring it on Hosemaster!

P.S. For an incredibly humorous and witty response similar to this one (only written way better) – See Hardy Wallace at www.dirtysouthwine.comWine Bloggers Bite the Big One!

WAMerlot Twitter Tasting

You’re invited to the largest simultaneous online Washington Wine tasting event ever (well at least that we know of). Gaining inspiration from @TasteLive (focused tasting events) and Rick Bakas’ #CaliCabs event (and the #SauvBlanc event on March 4), a group of Washington wine writers and bloggers are hosting a national #WAMerlot taste and tweet.

RSVP for the Event at http://wamerlot.eventbrite.com

Join us Thursday, March 25 from 5 – 7 PM (PST)

Participation is simple – Find a Washington Merlot, open the bottle, drink it and tweet about it using the #WAMerlot hashtag. Using a program like TweetDeck will make participation easier (see the video on the upper right of this page).

Can’t find WAMerlot? Fear not, a special collaboration with Wine Library brings you three choices in various price ranges. Buy one or buy all three. Click the image below to see the killer deals Gary Vaynerchuk and team put togther for us!

Are you a Washington Winery? Click here for details on how YOU can make this an effective event for you!

Why Merlot? This is not a screw Sideways and shaft Miles event. This is an event to celebrate a wine variety that helped put Washington on the map. Previously I asked the question, “Which one grape best defines Washington?” The challenge, many grapes grow well and thrive in the various climates of the state. Along with smooth and rich Merlot, Washington is known for big Cabernet Sauvignon, bold Syrah, richly crafted Chardonnay, inspiring Riesling and more. With 122 votes, the outcome is below. While Merlot may not be the clear winner, it is more widely planted and more wineries across the state feature a Merlot or a predominant Merlot blend. Over the next four week’s leading up to #WAMerlot, I’ll feature a special segment on Merlot!

This event is co-sponsored by some great people on Twitter:

@seattlewinegal, @wawinereport, @nwwineandre @shona425 @wineeyak @yakimavalley @lunabeanmedia @winebeerwa @catie @walla2winewoman

Drink Happy!