Wine and conversation are natural allies. The more one flows, the more the other grows. Wine is a social lubricant and connecting adhesive that brings parties to life and people together. For three hours on June 3, a little thing called Twitter brought thousands of wine lovers together for one purpose; celebrate Washington Wine. While #WAWine may not have been the largest of this year’s tasting events by volume of tweets or number of tweeters, it arguably propelled the largest amount of wineries and businesses into action.

Twitter events are still in their infancy and range from specialized single winery focused events on TasteLive.com to worldwide emphasis events like #Chardonnay hosted by Rick Bakas of St. Supery Winery.  The May Chardonnay event established a benchmark with over 600 people contributing 2700 tweets. Our goal with Washington focused taste and tweets is to educate wineries on the benefits of using social media and to provide a collective state wide event leveraging the momentum of many to bring worldwide attention to Washington State wine. Each event widens the net of participation and awareness.

Success Is Consumer Participation

While big twitter numbers are fun to see, and is certainly an area to give greater focus in the future, the success of WAMerlot and WAWine is consumer participation AT the winery or event location. I like to evaluate each event by looking at the strengths and opportunities.

Strength in Numbers

• 105 wineries and 10-20 retail locations were involved at various levels for WAWine (one out of every six Washington Wineries)
• 370 people on Twitter and about 50 people on Facebook contributed 1850-2000 updates about WAWine.
• Between 1000-1500 (approx) people attended various events across the state
• WAWine was a trending topic in Seattle for most of the three hour event.
• Aggregating the number of followers by the main participants puts brand impressions over ONE MILLION.

For me the highlights that bring the most excitement were the collaborative events that were held by the Cascade Valley Wine Country in Wenatchee and Lake Chelan with 15 wineries representing these smaller areas and close to 100 people celebrating between both locations.  The other highlight is how the Walla Walla community came together at Olives Café with 17 wineries hosting a crowd of over 100.

Opportunities for Future

WAMerlot was the beginning, WAWine was an expansion of the idea and a future event (probably in the fall) will provide many opportunities to enhance the idea and continue education. For WAWine we provided several resources to assist wineries in the promotion of the event (Press Release, Tasting Room flyer, video primer, blogger contact information, etc). For greater success of future events, we’ll focus on the following:

• More lead time communication with wineries
• More aggressive PR to media
• Wineries leveraging Facebook and Email lists to ‘promote’
• Collaborative community events (similar to Walla Walla and Cascade Valley Wine Country)
• More winery connection to wine bloggers

Was WAWine a success? Yes, in huge proportion! Considering that zero money was spent in marketing dollars and the use of Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and Email motivated potentially a few thousand people to drink Washington Wine for a night, the event was a phenomenal success. I believe we’re just scratching the surface.

WAWine Posts you Must See

• DecanterBanter.com enjoys a great time with Cascade Valley Wine Country (VIDEO)
• WildWallaWallaWineWoman.com – Walla Walla comes together at Olives Cafe (VIDEO)
• WineTonite tweets from the East!
• WineRocks in Seattle – 189 Pictures
• Oregon_Wine_Blog – WAWine 140 Characters at a Time
• Wine Peeps – WAWine – Oh What a Night
• Woodinville Wine Update – WAWine Woodinville Style

I want to give a huge thanks to my main partner in crime, Sean Sullivan from www.wawinereport.com and the event sponsors www.washingtontastingroom.com and www.washingtonwine.org. Events like this could not be successful without the collective support of the entire wine writing community across the state (and even some across the country). While support certainly went beyond the co-supporters, we couldn’t have done it without you!

The NectarView

2007 L’Ecole Perigee

• The Stuff: 100% Estate fruit from Seven Hills Vineyard with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc. Wine spent 22 months in a mix of new and used French oak. 14.5%abv; 1398 cases produced
• The Swirl: Dark crimson purple with a thick cloudy look. Presentation is about 90% opaque with beautiful jewel tones at the edges
• The Sniff: The Perigee is alive on the nose with rich cherry fruit and hints of clove, tobacco and vanilla.
• The Sip: This is a beautiful elegant wine with amazing balance of fruit, spice and structure. A slight sweetness grazes the front of your tongue as the dark cherry flavors wash across the middle of your tongue. Slight earthy leather, tobacco box, and cocoa prepare the finish for a smooth velvety wash.
• The Score: At $49, this wine may be out of reach for most people, but is certainly a wine I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to taste, buy or try. I can easily score this a 4 (out of 5). Get it down to $35 and buy a case!

*Wine provided as an industry sample with the intention to review

Twenty four hours of Chardonnay? When I heard the concept I was a little baffled. Previous online tasting events have been confined to a few short hours of frenzy and fury. 2000 tweets crammed into 2 hours can be pretty tough to tackle even for the most experienced twitter addict. The expanded time frame allows for other countries to participate in their own time zones and allows for a very relaxed tasting schedule.

Chardonnay? Really – why Chardonnay? I suppose when you think about it the much maligned US version of the grape isn’t really a great representation of what Chardonnay can be. There’s more to Chardonnay than apple pie and oak buttered toast. One of the most widely planted grapes in the world, Chardonnay is a wine makers grape that can take on many different characteristics shaped by the winemaker. The wine can be “naked,” fermented in stainless steel to showcase the pure essence of the grape. It can be fermented in combinations of new, used, American, or French oak to bring out various vanilla and cedar aroma. The grape can also undergo malolactic fermentation (conversion of tart apple citrus malic acid to smooth rich buttery lactic acid). Chardonnay is truly a world-wide grape with a wide range of appeal.

Hosted by St. Supery Winery’s Rick Bakas, the #Chardonnay tasting brought people together from all corners of the globe. During the tasting, I personally interacted with people from New Zealand, China, France, and South America. These type of events provide a vast opportunity to connect to other wine lovers and learn about the various manifestations of the wine. Rick has previously hosted #CaliCabs, #SauvBlanc, and #WineBlends. Each of these events has changed the way we think about online interaction and wine drinking.

Stats from www.wthashtag.com

#CaliCabs (February 11, 2010) 1400 tweets from 275 participants

#SauvBlanc (March 4, 2010) 2700 tweets from 610 participants

#WAMerlot (March 25) 1900 tweets from 480 participants

#WineBlends (April 1) Didn’t track but this analysis shows great participation

#Chardonnay (May 6) 2400 tweets from 605 participants

Activity for #Chardonnay was spread out over the course of the day which meant that I missed a good portion of the overseas tweets. The format allowed more people to participate on their own schedule but the saturation of tweets was diminished by the extended time.

The NectarView

During the event I had the privilege of tasting through four wines of various styles. The amazing observation was that each wine was completely different and unique and could never have been mistaken for the other. Each wine brought strengths to the table which made for a very fun review. The video is fast paced because I had to taste through four wines in under 8 minutes. Below are the notes and formal scores for each wine.

How Wines Are Reviewed

2009 St Supery Oak Free Chardonnay

• The Stuff: 100% estate fruit Chardonnay (Napa Valley) fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation. 13.7%abv 
• The Swirl: Golden tone with green hues. There is a mild cloudiness to the wine.
• The Sniff: Bright dynamic citrus notes of lemon and granny smith apples. Seems fizzy on the nose
• The Sip: If I could take a wine and snap it like celery, this would have a sharp crack to it. The fruit play is moderately sour pineapple and grapefruit. The flavors are abundant and the acidity is on the high side. There is a slight effervescence that comes through. The finish is moderate.
• The Score: At $22, I score this wine a solid 3 out of 5. The score is lowered slightly because of the disjointed balance between the fruit, acidity and minerality. It’s a very refreshing wine that I would buy again to pair with spicy food or to take on the boat!

No cellar tracker reviews for 2009 vintage. 2008 vintage has 5 reviews with 87 pt average

2008 Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay

• The Stuff: 100% Chardonnay from winemaker Charlie Wagner. Fermented in concrete and stainless steel. No malolactic fermentation. 14.8%abv
• The Swirl: Yellow gold tone, clean and clear
• The Sniff: Subdued aroma of honeydew, pear and white tropical flowers. Mild yet intriguing
• The Sip: The impressive part of this wine is the balance from front to back. It does not present itself as an overly round Chardonnay flavor but instead brings hints of honeydew, perfume and minerality (concrete?). The acidity and finish are also very well balance making this wine good for either summer deck sipping or pairing with halibut, rockfish, shrimp, or pork.
• The Score: At $32 this is on the higher price range for most people’s Chardonnay budget but the beauty of the wine’s flavor, balance and finish score it a 3+ out of 5.

This wine comes in the most unique container. The 2008 Mer Soleil Silver is in a grey ceramic bottle.

No cellar tracker reviews for the 2008 vintage. 2007 vintage has 18 scores with 88 pt average

2006 Kiona Winery Chardonnay

• The Stuff: 85% Chardonnay, 9% Chenin Blanc, 3% Rousanne, 3% Viognier. Fermented in 75% stainless and 25% new oak; 13.7%abv with 2500 cases made
• The Swirl: Light pale straw, nearly clear in color. Medium viscosity
• The Sniff: The aromas are slightly disjointed with hints of pear and a baking spice or herb that throws it off a little.
• The Sip: The mouth feel is more reminiscent of a traditional Chardonnay without the heavy coating and thickness. The moderate melon and pear are thrown off by only what I can pinpoint as brown fruit or herbaciousness and soil. It lacks any significant acidity and the finish is limited.
• The Score: At only $10, this wine is no slouch but seems slightly off on the flavor profile. I score this wine 3 out of 5.

Check out JJ and Molly from Kiona Wine as they do a Chardonnay food and wine pairing video.

Cellar tracker score of 87 points on one review

2007 Mer Soleil Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

• The Stuff: 100% estate Chardonnay fermented in 100% new French oak (sorry, no other info)
• The Swirl: Very golden like a blond lager. The gold was so pure it seemed to ooze value and wealth.
• The Sniff: Beautiful notes of honey, sugar, and citrus melon. During a blind tasting of this wine (on another night) I pegged this wine as being the only oak fermented Chardonnay. It’s not overly oaked but the beauty of the vanilla comes through as a giveaway.
• The Sip: Wonderful mouth coating feel without being flabby and buttery. The aromas from the nose repeat themselves here with a balanced acidity that refreshed your palate and creates a crisp lengthy finish.
• The Score: At $35 this is a 4 (out of 5). The Mer Soleil Barrel Fermented Chardonnay brings credibility back to the process of using oak in a balanced and flavorful way. The regal Chardonnay fruit shines and presents a vast array of food pairing potential.

Cellar tracker score of 86 on 9 reviews

**Wines were provided as an industry sample with the intention to review

 WAWINE EVENT SITE

From the team that brought you WAMerlot on March 25, DrinkNectar, Washington Wine Report, and 12 prominent Washington wine writers are bringing Washington wine to the world through Twitter, Facebook and one hundred on location events.

The June 3 event is a connection between the virtual wine tasting community using social media and wineries across the state. WAWine allows people from across the world to interact with each other while drinking and celebrating Washington wine. Wineries also use the event as a springboard to bring people together inside their tasting room. WAWine is an opportunity to learn, connect and engage regardless of where you are in the world.

The event is sponsored by Washington Tasting Room Magazine and the Washington Wine Commission and will leverage the collective reach of 14 wine writers and Washington wine events Wine Rocks in Seattle, Taste Washington in Spokane and the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla. “Hundreds of wine loving eyes will be on Washington during June. This is a perfect event to kick off the month and connect people,” says the events co-creator, Josh Wade. As wine writers descend on the state, WAWine will get their palate primed for great Washington wine.

The first event in the series, WAMerlot saw millions of brand impressions for Washington state merlot, over 2000 tweets from 500 people on Twitter and over 1000 people in 80 locations across the state! Leveraging the momentum from WAMerlot, WAWine will bring even greater exposure to the variety and complexity of wine that grows in Washington.

HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE?

Participation is simple. Visit the event site for details and tips. Support one of the participating wineries by buying one or more bottles of Washington wine and join in one of three ways: 

• Join in person at one of the participating wineries! Follow this link to see who is hosting an event.
• Log on to Twitter at 5pm Pacific Time on Thursday, June 3 and follow the hashtag #WAWine. To be connected with other participants be sure to use the words #WAWine in all your tweets.
• Lot on to Facebook and join the community at http://facebook.com/tasteandtweet. You can use this page to upload photos, share your experiences and connect with others.

Attention Wineries

Visit the WAWine for Wineries page to see how you can maximize the event.

• Social Media Tutorials
• Media Packet
• Downloadable print materials
• 7 ways to maximize sales
• and more…

Attention Wine Writers and Trade

We will be intentionally connecting YOU to Washington Wineries. Please register at the event site so we can connect with you, or leave a comment below.

ABOUT DRINKNECTAR.COM

DrinkNectar.com is an independent blog dedicated to exploring wine and coffee. Using primarily video reviews, DrinkNectar begins its focus in Spokane, WA and moves out to cover the Northwest and the rest of the wine world. DrinkNectar.com began in November 2009 and is now ranked among the top 10 wine blogs in the country by traffic and engagement (according to PostRank.com/wine). Josh Wade is the editor and also contributes for Corkd.com.

ABOUT WASHINGTON WINE REPORT

Washington Wine Report is an independent blog focused on bringing Washington wine to readers and bringing readers to Washington wine. The goal is to help readers select Washington wines at a variety of price levels, to keep up-to-date about the state’s wineries, vineyards, and individuals, to help plan trips to wine country and to connect people to the larger wine community. Washington Wine Report blog began in June 2007. Sean Sullivan is the editor.

Additional Sponsorship by:

The online Washington Wine Tasting Event of the year is on March 25. This leaves only a little time to secure your Washington Merlot and prepare your activity for the evening. The beauty of a Twitter Tasting is that you can participate however you feel comfortable. With nearly 80 Washington State wineries participating and hopefully 1000 tweeters, there will be plenty of opportunity to join the conversation. Think of it as a giant cocktail party. You may not be a part of every conversation happening in the room, but the opportunity to network, connect with other wine lovers, and learn about Washington State wine and the great wineries is awesome! You can even participate from the comfort of your living room…in your boxers (just close the blinds).

Below are two videos that showcase ways to maximize your participation in a taste and tweet event.

WINO PARTICIPATION

• If you’re near a participating winery – stop by their tasting room for a bottle of their Merlot. Join them for the event on March 25, starting at 5PM.
• OR…Get a group of friends together and host a tweet-up. You can do this from home or at a local bar or restaurant (just make sure they have Washington Merlot).
• OR…Shop local! Support your local wine shops and buy a Washington Merlot to drink from the comfort of your own home.
• Follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #WAMerlot (video shows instructions).
• Tweet what you’re drinking, join in the conversations, share your tasting notes.
• After the event you can search the hashtag #WAMerlot to follow new wine lovers and connect with the wineries
• HAVE FUN!

*If you’re not on Twitter, follow along at http://search.twitter.com – enter #WAMerlot in the search box to follow along.

WINERY PARTICIPATION TIPS

• Sign up at http://wamerlot.eventbrite.com so we can properly promote you before and after the event
• Promote your tasting room gathering using your email list, Facebook fan page, and on Twitter (use the #WAMerlot hashtag so we can re-tweet you)
• Offer a special on your Merlot through the event
• During the event, encourage people in your tasting room to tweet using the #WAMerlot hashtag. Even better, have them mention you too!
  • Some wineries are projecting a twitter stream on a wall for a visual Twitter interaction too
• Hopefully you’ll be busy, but if you have the opportunity tweet fun facts about your winery, Merlot, and Washington State
• Interact and have conversations with people tweeting
• After the event, search the #WAMerlot hashtag to follow new wine lovers and connect with people who mentioned you and were drinking your wine.
• HAVE FUN!

This is a celebration of Washington Merlot. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to @ me or DM me (@nectarwine) or send me an e-mail josh@nectarcoffeeandwine.com

This event would not be the success it is without the inspiration and participation of the following people on Twitter @RickBakas, @WAWineReport @SeattleWineGal @WineBeerWA, @Shona425, @yakimavalley @wineeyak, @wbcorbust, @nwwineandre, @catie, @lunabeanmedia

Tweet, re-tweet, friend, fan, follow, hashtag, status update, like, comment, @reply, DM, micro-blog.

Five years ago were these words in our everyday vocabulary? When did it become normal to verbally tell 3028 people that you have a headache and bacon is the cure? Do people really care that your dog just spit up on the new carpet? While skeptics argue that Social Media is removing all sense of privacy and creating a generation of narcissistic people with a lack of interpersonal skills, the new normal is an interconnected world of information that moves at the speed of light.

So, what now? You know you should be twittering on the interwebs. You’ve even created a Facebook “fan page” and have a Twitter Account. Why do you still feel unsure about the difference between a tweet and a re-tweet?

The following video posts will help uncover ways to maximize Twitter and Facebook. These videos are intended to be basic and quick. Stay tuned for additional posts in this series that uncover more in depth uses of Twitter and Facebook.

The Strategy Basics: 5 minute tips

If I could distill the benefits of social media for business into one sentence, I think it would be, “Extending the relationship and engagement with your customers beyond your brick and mortar (or web site).” This manifests itself in so many ways from customer service, to relationship building, product launch excitement, and more. A good strategy can turn your fans into brand ambassadors.

Fantastic Facebook Fan Pages: 5 minute tips (okay, six minutes)

Most people are familiar with Facebook for their personal lives. 350 Million people use Facebook. What are the ways to maximize Facebook for your business without being consumed by Farmville and Mafia Wars? Facebook is a one to many conversation. When you speak, many people see your message. There are strategies to develop conversation and engagement with Facebook, but the nature of the platform remains largely a one to many communication channel.

Top Twitter Tips: 5 minute tips (maybe a little longer)

Twitter was developed as a mobile tool. It provides real time instant access to information and interaction with other people. Currently 75 million people passionately engage in twitter conversations. Tweets range from the mundane “I ate a huge stack of pancakes for breakfast” to the TMI category (too much information) “My toe fungus keeps spreading, does anyone know how to make it stop.” Tweets can be self serving, informative, conversational, inspiring, derogatory, etc. Twitter is a many to many conversation. When you say something, not only do your followers see it, it is easy for them to share that information with their followers. Good content, information, and news can travel across the world at a breakneck pace.

Social Media = Business

• Before the car, the horse and buggy let you connect to your customer across town
• The car let you more easily connect to your customer across the state
• The plane let you more easily connect to your customer across the country
• The internet let you connect to your customer across the world
• Social Media lets you connect to your customer immediately, personally, and passionately like never before

Use the tips in these videos to maximize your Social Media presence. Watch for future video posts that expose greater Twitter and Facebook engagement tips.

Social Media is changing the way we interact. The idea, an online wine tasting. The subject, Sauvignon Blanc. The marketing medium, Twitter / Facebook / Blog. The result, nearly 600 people simultaneously tasting, tweeting, and talking about Sauvignon Blanc. That is just online. Add in the dozens of wineries who hosted local tweet-ups as a part of the event and the economic impact is staggering. A non-scientific guess puts Sauvignon Blanc consumption at over 3000 bottles in a two hour period.

The cost of promotion: ZERO $$

The economic impact goes beyond the wine consumption and expands into brand awareness, food consumption, and more.

Rick Bakas, Social Media Director of St. Supery Winery, organized the event and promoted through his influence on Twitter and Facebook. Rick’s previous event #CaliCabs focused wine lovers on a single grape from California. He has arranged two future events that focus on #WineBlends (April 1) and #Chardonnay (May 6). Save the date for these future events.

The Next Event: #WAMerlot

In celebration of Washington Wine Month, Washington invites you to turn Sideways upside down and celebrate #WAMerlot. Join dozens of Washington Wineries and hundreds of people on March 25. All you need is Washington Merlot (or a Merlot blend) and the Twitter hashtag, #WAMerlot. If you’re looking for Washington Merlot, check out the great deal from Wine Library (shipping to 36 states) – thanks, Gary!

The NectarView

2007 One Hope Wine Sauvignon Blanc

• The Stuff: 100% California Sauvignon Blanc 50% of profits donated to charities that help save the planet
• The Swirl: Light crisp and slightly darker than water. Very pale
• The Sniff: Floral, melon, lemon peel and acidity
• The Sip: Smooth and tart describes the wine. The wine has a slight Chardonnay buttery coating but then opens up to a crisp tart apple flavor.
• The Score: At $18 (and because of the charitable support), this wine scores a 3+ (out of 5)

2007 Desert Wind Winery Sauvignon Blanc

• The Stuff: 100% Wahluke Slope Sauvignon Blanc, Stainless Steel fermentation; 432 cases made
• The Sniff: Wholly tropical fruit Batman. This wine instantly transported my nose to Hawaii with Guava, Peach, and Pineapple aroma. I instantly fell in love with the nose and wished it could be bottled as a summer body spray for my wife.
• The Sip: Less dynamic on the flavor profile. The guava was mellow on the front and earthy herbs presented themselves on the mid-palate. The finish was lemon/lime tart but washed away nicely after a few seconds.
• The Score: At just $15, I score this a 4 (out of 5). This is a great value and is a wine that will impress at parties and provide a fantastic drinking experience in the summer months.

*The wine was provided as an industry sample with the intention to review

Final stats of the night show that nearly 600 tweeters contributed 2700 tweets (according to www.wthashtag.com/sauvblanc). Tweeters represented from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, United States and more. The top tweeters of the night were @cestbeth (with 131 tweets), @mmwine (with 101 tweets) and @SIPthegoodlife (with 64 tweets).

Cool Facts on SauvBlanc

#SauvBlanc was one of the first wines to be distributed with screw cap

Did you know that there are nearly 200,000 acres of #SauvBlanc planted worldwide

Top #SauvBlanc producers are France (60k acres), New Zeal (22k acres), Chile (22k acres) S Africa (21k acres) California (15k acres)