COVID-19 Update
Due to the pandemic, we replaced our 2020 conference with a very successful virtual summit. In 2021, the Wine Media Conference took place in person in Eugene, Oregon. The next conference will be held September 29 – October 1 at Lake Garda in Lombardia in northern Italy. We have an array of safety procedures in place, will require a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination of all participants, and are confident the event will take place as scheduled.
About the Wine Media Conference
The Wine Media Conference was founded in 2008 and attracts wine bloggers, wine writers, and wine influencers and those in the wine industry who communicate with them. The conference averages around 250 attendees depending on the location, making it the largest gathering of wine writers in the world. In 2022 the group will be smaller due to pandemic restrictions. The current maximum attendance is 64 attendees. Make sure you are one of them!
Lake Garda, Lombardia & Lombardia Wine
Lombardy (Lombardia in Italian) is a province in northern Italy. With Milan as its major city, Lombardy is easy to access for foreign visitors. Lombardy also has the most UN World Heritage Sites in Italy, which itself has the most of any country in the world.
We have an outstanding local partner in Ascovilo, the Associazione Consorzi Vini Lombardi. Ascovilo is the umbrella association representing 13 different winery associations in Lombardy, which means our experience with area wines and vintners will be broad and rich. Ascovilo itself will have a strong presence at the conference, including sponsoring Friday excursions and both of the two Live Wine Social events. In addition, we are in the process of setting up pre-conference and post-conference excursions (at a small extra cost), at least some of which will be in Lombardy.
Host Hotel
Our host hotel is the Acquaviva Hotel, situated at the southern end of Lake Garda, one of the major tourist attractions of northern Italy. A discounted group rate has been negotiated for all conference attendees. Our group rate (159 EUR/ per night) is available through June 6. The group rate is only available on conference days, check-in September 29 and check out on October 2.
Click here to use the hotel’s reservation form and use the discount code “WINE22.” No need to select dates, click “Availability”. On the right-hand side under “You searched Acquaviva del Garda hotels” click “Edit.” You should see a calendar of September 2022 pop up. Select your check-in day and then your length of stay. Click “Availability” and continue the booking process.
What is Included
Please see the Register page for details on costs. The conference includes multiple wine tastings and outstanding content. New in 2022 is a Meal Package that will allow us to provide an introductory reception, two lunches, and two dinners including one as part of our traditional small-group forays into wine country. Not included in the conference price are your hotel, transportation to and from the area, and optional pre-conference and post-conference excursions (generally only $25).
Arrival and Departure
Milan, the capital of Lombardy, is one of Italy’s major international airports. There are direct flights from Chicago, Atlanta, NYC, and Montreal in North America as well as many other cities around the world. The easiest way to get from Milan to the conference site is via train; the local station is Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione. There are local trains running every hour that take 1:23 from central Milan as well as frequent faster trains. From the Milan airport, you can take a train directly into the central station and switch trains there. The hotel is less than four kilometers from the station and easily reached by taxi.
Weather & Dress Code
It is typically a beautiful mid-70s in Lombardy in September/ October! Please be prepared for all weather as temperatures can drop to 40s at night.
Dress is “wine country casual”. What does that mean? Really, you should dress as you feel comfortable. For daytime sessions, jeans and a polo shirt are fine. For excursions into wine country, you should have good shoes and protection from sun or rain. For evening events, many people will dress up a bit.
More Information
List of North American Wine Blogs
List of International Wine Blogs
Past WMC Conferences
Conference Organizer
The Wine Media Conference is organized by Zephyr Conferences, the organizer of the:
For information about our conferences, please email info@zephyrconferences.com. If you are in a region interested to host one of our conferences, please complete a Host Application.
Zephyr Conferences is a sister company to Zephyr Adventures, Taste Vacations, and Travel Montana. Zephyr Adventures has been running active tours around the world for the last 20 years, including active tours in wine regions. Please visit our website for information on hiking, biking, multisport, and specialty tours.
Taste Vacations runs wine, beer, and food tours that leave the physical activity at home. Our industry contacts via Zephyr Conferences allow us to produce outstanding tours with special access for our attendees.
Travel Montana is a new company we created in response to the pandemic and the resulting surge in demand for domestic travel. Montana, our home state, is one of the world’s top outdoor vacation destinations. Travel Montana has a dozen itineraries suitable for small-group private and public vacations.