Skip to main content

Wine Bloggers Conference Update

Quick update - great venue and my first time attending the Wine Bloggers Conference. Last month I mentioned that I was going to miss-out on the sold-out conference in Walla Walla, Washington. Nope.


Zephyr Adventures, the organizers of the Wine Bloggers conference, called me Wednesday and asked if I could volunteer and lend a hand. Lend a hand? You bet! Working as a volunteer is nothing new. Working as a wine event helper is one of the perks of keeping active in the Washington wine community.

What an amazing time. I have videos and photos to transfer from phone and camera to computer. Maybe tomorrow. Great turnout, bloggers like me, bloggers for companies and wineries, sales reps, marketing types (Hi Matt). Did I mention the wines? It's been a gauntlet of wines from Washington, California, Spain, Portugal, France, Australia, Austria and Italy. Did I miss anyone?

I'm not a good speed blogger, but I made my best efforts on Facebook. It'll take me a few days to gather thoughts, photos and video. There's some good stuff I'd like to share. But still have the rest of the morning to go through, panel sessions, seminar and a wine food pairing.

Cheers!

Popular posts from this blog

Three Albariños and Several Food Pairings | Taste Rías Baixas

As promised, more reviews of  Albariño wines from Rías Baixas.  My previous post ( My Favorite White Wines this Summer are from DO Rias Baixas ), I emphasized more traditional food pairings, grilled shrimp, Ceviche, and watermelon. This time, I wanted to try some different pairings to see how well Albariño wines would match. I love seafood, but I was curious about the flexibility of this variety. My test pairings began with a series of mini quiche I made at home, spinach, hamburger, tomato, dill and steak. Following are my tastings notes on the wines and the food pairing results. Results were mixed. Map of DO Rías Baixas and sub-zones. While twelve grape varieties are permitted in DO Rías Baixas, the white Albariño grape represents 96% of all plantings. Albariño refreshes as a drinking wine and appeals to diverse cuisine. Albariño from Galicia delivers for me on many levels. Bright acidity, refreshing citrus flavors and that compelling salinity which in...

2 Badger Mountain Organic NSA Red Wines Reviewed

Some of you prefer organic food, but have you tried organic wine? I had a great experience at a red wine tasting at Badger Mountain Organic Vineyard and Powers Winery. Mickey Dunne, winery Owner and Sales Director, was my host. I was delighted by the Badger Mountain Organic NSA wines. It all made perfect sense. Rejoice because these are top-notch wines, big on flavor and modest on price.

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine.  That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d...