Each year we solicit bids from a handful of prominent wine regions to see if they would be interested to host the North American Wine Bloggers Conference the following year. One of our goals is to rotate the conference to new wine areas to give our attendees a chance to visit other regions and to give those regions a chance to highlight their attributes.
We are currently working with three excellent wine areas who have submitted bids to host the 2012 North American Wine Bloggers Conference. The next step is to gather public opinion. We ask past and current blogger attendees for their ratings in a private poll but are also eager to hear from anyone who has opinions about where we should hold the 2012 conference. This input will be factored into the location bid itself and the 2012 location will be announced live at this year’s conference in Charlottesville.
Please feel free to comment on this blog post with your opinions about why you think the 2012 North American Wine Bloggers Conference should be held in Penticton, British Columbia; Oregon; or Santa Barbara, California.
Penticton, British Columbia: Penticton is in eastern British Columbia and is the heart of the province’s wine region, with more than 120 wineries in the area. The conference would be based at the Penticton Lakeside Resort in this town of about 40,000. Local wine organizers are extremely eager to host our conference (they already have a Twitter account and Facebook page to promote it) and have the support of local and provincial groups as well as wine associations across Canada. Penticton has its own regional airport, with daily flights from Vancouver and Calgary, and the Kelowna International Airport, an hour away, has flights to Seattle.
Oregon: The conference hotel would be in Portland, with easy airport access and more facilities, but we would spend Saturday in wine country in the Willamette Valley. Oregon now has 419 wineries and 849 vineyard owners producing some of the top wines in the country. The state’s bid comes from the Oregon Wine Board with help from Travel Oregon and the Oregon Winegrowers Association. In addition, we have support from the famous International Pinot Noir Celebration, which although it will be on a different weekend is eager to work with us.
Santa Barbara County, California: This is one of the premier wine regions of Southern California, with over 100 wineries and 21,000 acres of vineyards. We would likely be based in the small town of Buellton, surrounded by wine towns including Solvang, Los Olivos, and Santa Maria. Buellton is 40 minutes from the airport in Santa Barbara and two hours from Los Angeles. We have strong support from the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Association, local CVBs, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
Penticton, British Columbia, Canada – definitely! With multiple wine regions based out of Penticton, award-winning wines, beaches, mountains, award-winning restaurants and micro-breweries there is so much to do.
One of the wine-regions to visit from Penticton is the Similkameen Valley, which was named as one of the world’s 5 best wine regions in the world that you’ve never heard of. Wine bloggers need to learn about this unbelievable hidden gem!
Santa Ynez Valley/Santa Barbara Wine Country gets my highest recommendation. First and foremost, more than 100 incredible wineries and vineyards in four distinct AVAs within a 2-20 minute drive of each other–and only two hours up the coast from LA. Yes, this region was featured in the Oscar-winning 2004 movie Sideways–but that was not a documentary!!! It barely scrateched the surface of the wine, the winemakers, the emphasis on sustainable and bio-dymanic practices and most importanly, the friendly, welcoming people in the wine and tourism industry themselves. No disrespect to the other regions under consideration, but when it comes to the level of vino diversity,dining, attractions, scenery and assessiblity, Santa Ynez Valley/Santa Barbara County is eminitely quaffable! Cheers from a 25-year resident!
Santa Barbara all the way! Great wine and food with beaches and mountains nearby.
Go Oregon! It’s beautiful that time of year and the wines are delicious! Amazing food, wine and people. What more could you ask for?
As someone that deals with guests visiting Santa Barbara wine country I think this area is ideal for the wine bloggers conference. most people find that we “feel” like napa thirty years ago. it is the kind of place where you most likly are speaking to the wine maker when you step up to the tasing room. our wineries don’t have restaurants, or hotels unlike many other wine areas. here it is about the agriculture / farming and the production of great wines. many of the wineries are very small production creating fantastic wines. easy to get to, easy to get around, very affordable and very friendly locals all helping to create a really memorable visit.
Having visited Penticton and BC’s wine country, I could see the draw. That said, the remoteness, and the difficulty getting to the Okanagan and around the wine country, makes Portland shine. A bastion for cuisine, music and , of course, world-class wines makes this destination seem the wise choice. Pair that with amazing public transportation, and a world-class airport, and it seems the logical choice, not to mention a much more hospitable location to stage this event.
Penticton. What better way to learn more about Canadian wine?
Imagine a city with Mountains on the East and West and gorgeous lakes on the North and South, with a river channel connecting both that boasts hundreds of inner tubes carrying sun kissed vacationers.
Now imagine that this city is in the heart of wine country surrounded by passionate wine makers, gorgeous wineries, plus fruit stands, golf courses, world class dining and so much more. This city is Penticton! Words really cannot describe how incredible Penticton BC is…you should definately come discover it yourself! I truley hope the WBC will be in Penticton BC!
Cheers
http://www.casagrandeinn.ca
I’ve read the other comments and posts and while they make great arguements for Penticton and Oregon, I must vote in favor of Santa Barbara County. We are a wine region with big heart and great flavor, and we thought we were great far before Sideways came out and the rest of the world found out about us!
There are beaches 25 minutes away, four distinct AVAs to explore, and a plethora of other activities to experience from ATV tours and horseback riding to live open-air performances and a great casino, and so much more. I vote Santa Ynez Valley/Santa Barbara County because really, who doesn’t want to come play in the American Riviera?
Though I’m more excited (personally) by Penticton, Portland’s unique position as a bastion of social media and as a wired city make it a better selection. I vote for Oregon.
William, the location is NOT yet selected and DOES depend on the vote we are holding among past and current WBC participants. Feel free to check with us if you need information about the process.
I would have loved to attend the event this year in the USA! It would be even better to bring the event to the Okanagan. Penticton is a place to live forever…..especially with all the wineries!!
sharon@mfvwines.com
Oregon: no sales tax! Portland is fun and friendly, with no shortage of things to do, amazing places to eat, and superlative wines. Oregon is the place to be in the summer for wine lovers from all over. Plus, no one needs a passport to get here.
In the spirit of adventure, I challenge all intrepid wine writers and bloggers to venture into the ‘unknown’. Yes, Oregon and Santa Barbara are great regions with great wines, we know this; what many of us don’t know is just how great the wines can be in BC. Isn’t it time to explore new ground and feel that excitement of discovery? Penticton will not dissappoint!
Oregon all the way. Wine. Wit. Tech. Bring it on.
Oregon has a really strong social media and social business community … perfect marriage of tech and wine.
I vote Oregon. It has some awesome wine and the people are terrific!
Oregon is the place. Great wine, wonderful food, fantastic people, not to mention the mountains, beach, and the gorge!
I would love it to be in Oregon… Just did a week long visit. Took one day to do wine touring and only made it to 6 vineyards… I like to talk…
Sneak a peak at a place you’d like to live forever — Penticton! We’ll show you great hospitality while you’re here and we’ll welcome you to move here once you see what a wonderful environment this is for a healthier lifestyle and your whole family. Our amazing wineries keep winning awards and play well with some of the most innovative chefs anywhere. Come, let us show you around!
The conference would be perfect in Oregon! The wine and food are superb, not to mention the exceptional hospitality and atmosphere which accompany the passion-driven industry there.
Oregon would be the perfect place. Besides Pinot Noir, the state makes excellent cool-climate white varietals, like Riesling and Grüner Veltliner as well. Plus some excellent Pinot Gris. It would also be a chance to visit some of the smaller artisan wineries who aren’t widely distributed or widely covered in the wine press, which would give bloggers a unique opportunity to learn more about some of these excellent winemakers and write about them. Also, if you’ve never visited Oregon before, it’s a beautiful setting, with the Willamette Valley, the prime wine-growing region of the state, nestled only an hour away from the volcanic peaks of the Cascade Mountains and an hour away from a spectacular coastline.Please bring the conference to Oregon!!
— Vic
Blogger for
http://www.thetasteoforegon.com and
http://www.willamettevalleyswines.com
Penticton,BC is one of the most picturesque little cities in this country. The lake,and the desert surroundings make the town unique. The proximity to the wine country from Kelowna to Osoyoos make Penticton the ideal spot for next year’s conference. Pick Penticton,and you will be blogging from the next great wine area on the planet!
Oregon is the place to go. Its wineries include some of the US’s best and Portland is a great city for a cpnference.
Canada’s Okanagan Valley in the pristine British Columbia interior is on the verge of major world-wide recognition. Trophy wins at the IWSC, We are the northernmost viticulture region in the world, and Canada’s only desert climate with ideal conditions for grape-growing.
Come discover our little secret. It won’t be a secret much longer!
July in Oregon is absolutely gorgeous not to mention all the wineries and restaurants.
Bring the Bloggers to Oregon!!
Oregon has an incredibly diverse wine industry, producing over 40 different varieties of wine grapes.
Oregon makes some of the nation’s best and top-rated win
Oregon, Orygun, Oragin!!!
Oregon – a place with outstanding natural resources, independent thinking and fabulous wine and food. Definitely hold it in Oregon. then I would attend for sure!
Oregon
Best wine, best food, best views! Come to Oregon!
Its Willamette Valley, not Southern OR. Applegate etc doesn’t have the infrastructure.
It’s already decided. Why waste this energy on pretense and a vote…lets move on already.
Portland would be awesome. In addition to the Willamette Valley, there’s a blossoming wine industry in Clark County, WA (just across the bridge) that’s producing some excellent wines from a lot of still-unknown (except to us local folk) producers!
Then again, I’m biased, because I live a hop, skip & a jump from Portland and in said blossoming wine industry county. 😉
Although we share many of the topographic advantages which also make BC beautiful, I have to admit, Oregon. Why? Because everybody wants to visit here.
BESIDES the wine:
2011 #1 city for public transit (US News & World Report)
2011 #1 best beer city (Travel & Leisure) — hey, we love our beverages
2010 Best city for summer travel (Travel & Leisure)
2010 Greenest city in America (American Business Journals)
2010 #2 city for bicycles in USA (Bicycling Magazine)
2010 PDX top-ranked airport in USA (Conde Nast Traveler)
And to add: most progressive food scene in the USA right now; incredible distilleries; mecca of independent music and film; Voodoo Donuts and the maple bacon bar; 24-hour Church of Elvis; 2 Project Runway winners (that has to count for something!); home of Pink Martini; gorgeous coast which you can visit on the same day as a mountain with the only year-round skiing in the US; largest bookstore west of the Missippi river. And our own national TV show, Portlandia!!
My vote is for Oregon. The vineyards are beautiful and the wine is delicious!
Southern Oregon Wine rocks! My vote is definitely Oregon.
Canada!
Oregon without a doubt!
OREGON!
A twitter account in BC does not compare to 419+ wineries and Pinot Noir that compares with the greatest Burgundies ever produced. Plus Portland and the valley is crazy foodie. And gorgeous. Plus y’all can stay at my house.
Oregon for sure! With close proximity to so many different regions – all within minutes…even the fabulous South Willamette Valley (with 15 tasting rooms including King Estate!) is only a short 2 hour drive.
Bring the WBC to Oregon! Add in a tasting focusing on our wines other than Pinot Noir- primarily from Southern Oregon.
– Did you heard about the Okanagan before?
– Ever heard about “sage” flavors in red wine?
– 30C plus in Summertime and still call it a Coldclimat region?
– Terroir changes within km from pure sand to rocks to solid clay. How does that work out in the wine?
– Why does so many international Winemakers work (and then stay) in the Okanagan?
– Do you still think they just do Icewine in Canada? HA!
One thing for sure: There is way more to discover then I can say in words…
Don’t forget the Fraser Valley wine region on your way to or from the Okanagan. Only 45 minutes from Vancouver, the Fraser Valley region has numerous wineries, both grape and fruit, and meaderies too!
Portland is the right choice, despite my obvious local bias. Easy access to Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge plus you can hit Umpqua, Rogue, Red Mountain or Walla Walla easily if you want to road trip after the event and really see a diverse growing area. Until the Canadian monopoly changes their ways and allows those much heard-about but never seen BC wines to the US, it seems torture to write more about them when we can’t have them. Paso would have been a good second option, SB – not so much.
Wouldn’t it also be great for bloggers from other parts of the world to discover what bloggers here have been writing about for YEARS>?>>?
Okanagan is the logical choice because it is the best undiscovered wine region in North America.
I’m sure bloggers don’t want to rehash what a thousand other writers have already written many times before.
BC is new, making great wine already, is very scenic (like Napa Valley with clean freshwater lakes), and the wines are almost all artisinally made in small quantities.
The wines range from cool-climate, Germanic types north of Kelowna, to California-types in the Southern Okanagan.
Best Choice: Okanagan, get the scoop before it’s old news.
Rick Schofield
Port Ewen, NY
The WBC would be a huge boost to the BC wine industry. The WBC in Penticton has the support of local governments and the local wine industry. Bloggers would experience a very passionate wine region. The wines produced here are world class with a few winning the Chardonnay du Monde in France. This is an area attendees will never forget.
Been to the Okanagan, twice first on my own and then with the Society of Wine Educators pre conference trip . We were treasted like kings. the same goes for our precon trip to Santa Barbara with SWE Very tough choice. Portalnd is one of the prettiest cities in North America + Beer,
Can’t realyl miss with any of them, great choices.
We’d love to have WBC12 in Canada. It even says that in our Twitter bio @wbcokanagan!