We have two Breakout Panel sessions scheduled for Friday afternoon of the conference, one at 2:00 PM and one at 3:10 PM. We have purposefully lengthened the panel duration from previous years to give our excellent speakers more time to present and engage in Q&A. Here are the panels for 2011:
2:00 and 3:10 PM: Aromas of Wine with Winebow Wines: When it comes to evaluating wine, your sense of smell is much more acute then your sense of taste. Wine contains thousands of scents and only a handful of tastes. Learn how to sniff out the differences in varietals from different regions and terroirs in this fun and educational blind tasting led by Sheri Sauter Morano MW. You’ll build your sensory memory bank and a nose for picking out aromas commonly associated with certain varietals. This panel should be so good we are running it twice so everyone can have a chance to participate.
2:00 PM: Millennials and Wine: This will be panel of millennials who will talk about how young people view wine, the wine industry, and social media related to wine. The panel is not yet completely set and we are looking for volunteers!
2:00 Online Technologies and Wine: This panel will present case studies related to current online technologies and how they relate to blogging and the wine world. Join John Meyer who started 9 Clouds in order to educate people about all the potential that online technology has to offer; Chief Strategy Officer Paul Mabray from Vintank, a digital think tank for the wine industry; and Philip James from Lot 18 and Snooth, leaders in the online selling of wine.
3:10: Drinking Local: Join in this discussion about the virtues and challenges of drinking local. We will have Dave McIntyre, wine writer for the Washington Post and founding member of DrinkLocalWine.com; Lenn Thompson, founder of New York Cork Report; and Rémy Charest, blogger at The Wine Case in Canada. The panel will be moderated by Frank Morgan.
3:10 The Legalities of Wine: Join Michael Kaiser and Cary Greene from WineAmerica for a discussion on the current legal environment for the wine industry. This will include an overview of the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness (CARE) Act and other regulatory issues that affect wineries and others involved in the wine industry. Michael is Director of Communications and Regulatory Affairs and Cary is Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for WineAmerica, a trade association of vintners from more than 48 states.