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.
Santa Barbara is the obvious winner!
Santa Barbara!
I’d like to see a Multnomah Falls Ice Sculpture at WBC11.
Penticton deserves to be showcased. The southern Okanagan is a very beautiful area to visit. The Town of Oliver claims the title of Wine Capital of Canada. The Golden Mile is an area you will never forget. Once you have been to the Penticton area, you will be back for many more visits. The wines here are beyond compare.
Santa Barbara county is one of the premier wine regions, and we’d love to host the wine bloggers!
Santa Barbara
SB
No questions…Santa Barbara!
Santa Barbara. The best wine. Great hospitality. Why would you want to go anywhere else?
Santa Barbara, hands down!!!
I love for Santa Barbara!
After looking at some amazing photographs of British Columbia wine country, I am going there on my own if it is not selected for the next conference. Beauty is half the fun of visiting wine country. Joe
I vote for Santa Barbara.
I’m for Santa Barbara too!
Although i am from the Penticton region originally and do love it, I have to say that Santa Barbara county has the breadth of varietals and styles that would really enhance the conference.
Santa Barbara County, for sure. This world class wine region needs to start getting the recognition it deserves and what better way than holding the WBC there? Getting the appreciation of the blogging community is the key to getting the word to the wine-loving population at large!
Santa Barbara, for sure!
Santa Barbara is the right choice. Absolutely the best wines plus it’s the American Rivera and #1 destination wedding spot in the U.S. So thousands of brides a year can’t be wrong.
Topnotch wines and bucolic charm of Santa Barbara County have earned the region international renown with pinot noir, syrah, and other Rhone-style varietals in a valley of breathtaking beauty. There is no other choice than SANTA BARABARA COUNTY!
Portland has a lot of small wineries that sell only in Oregon or are not well distributed out of state. Come discover them! Portland is beautiful with snow-capped mountains, only a little over an hour to the beach with wine country between Portland and the Pacific. Other regions are warmer, down the Columbia Gorge–must stop at Multnomah Falls, or further south to Roseburg and Medford–much hotter, can do big reds there.
Santa Barbara of course. Im surprised you’re asking! 🙂
Absolutely Santa Barbara County! One of the most beautiful places and definitely some of the best wines of the world!
Oregon. Definitely Oregon.
Santa Barbara!
santa barbara county – we are the best in the west
Not that I’m biased or anything , but I vote for Oregon. Great wines, vineyards and people who are passionate to share their story with the world.
Santa Barbara County! We have perfect weather, perfect wines, perfect hospitality and other perfect things to do while in the area. Have I mentioned we’re perfect?
Santa Barbara!
Santa Barbara County without doubt. Terrific transportation availability for in and out, over 300 days of sunshine every year, and is the most up and coming wine region in the U.S. From a convenience standpoint to a plethora of wine towns alone, plus the intimacy and support of Santa Barbara County’s CVB, great “other” things to do like olive oil tasting, fine dining in wine country, etc…did I mention the perfect weather almost daily?!
Come to Santa Barbara – it’s gorgeous, friendly, clean, and has the most delicious wines! It’s home to “America’s Riviera” and some of the most beautiful scenery in the US.
SANTA BARBARA, trust me you need to base your decision on a HIGHER
AUTHORITY, you’ll be having your best conference EVER in the same zip code as HEAVEN. How can you go wrong! Santa Barbara ROCKS with WINE.
OREGON!!! The owners are the winemakers, and they, themselves, will greet you with a glass of artisan, hand-crafted award winning Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with down to earth kindness and views that will take your breath away. There’s nothing like the Willamette Valley! I’ve attached a picture of the view from Sarver Winery of the Cascades and snow-capped Three Sisters…
Diversity Perfected in Santa Barbara County! The Santa Ynez Valley AVA includes 3 sub AVA’s that all produce world class wines ranging from the western cool climate Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays to the eastern warmer valley’s Rhone Varietals. Oh and did I mention S.B. County hospitality ROCKS?!!
Portland isn’t pretty? I beg your pardon!
Come join us in beautiful Santa Barbara! Sit back, relax and sip wine beneath the oak trees surrounding our vineyards. With breathtaking views of the valley and mountains, enjoy a nice bike ride or trail ride by horseback. Santa Barbara County offers a unique experience in both wine and culinary arts and we would love to share this with the North American Wine Bloggers in 2012. Come taste it for yourself!
I notice quite a few Santa Barbara County winemakers in the comments. They’re in SBC for a reason! Great weather, great soil, great grapes, great people, great wines!
We’d love to see you in Santa Barbara County!
We would love to welcome the 2012 Wine Bloggers’ Conference to Santa Barbara County!
Been to all three regions and they’re all beautiful in their own way, not to mention the wines. However, I believe folks will be truly amazed and surprised by what Penticton and the Okanagan Valley has to offer. Yes, there really is life, good wine—and even fun—above the 49th!
Santa Barbara… world class wines, culture, and absolutely beautiful!
Santa Barbara County!
Santa Barbara County has one of the most diverse series of micro-climates enabling the area to produce a broad array of outstanding wines, from cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to warmer climate Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. A visit here is an opportunity to taste a wide range of varietals and blends.
Santa Barbara County welcomes the Wine Bloggers Conference. World-class
wines with a several fabulous AVA’s to explore, beautiful country,
perfect July weather, friendly wine enthusiasts….it is a wine
blogger’s paradise!
Although each of the 3 locations have a lot to offer….there is no doubt for me that Penticton and the surrounding area is the top contender. Looking forward to hosting the WBC in the heart of BC’s Okanagan Wine Country in 2012!
Penticton, a city nestled between 2 shimmering lakes, surrounded by glorious vineyards, a place to sip away the time! Discover it!
Santa Barbara has it all and then some. We have the characters, scenery, storyline, and, oh yeah, great wine!
Santa Barbara, particularly around Ballard Canyon, offers some of the most inspiring terroir and outstanding results.
Penticton BC, We will blow your mind!
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY!!!!
Penticton BC Please