We are very excited to announce Randall Grahm will be one of our two keynote speakers at the Wine Bloggers Conference this August. Our wine blogger advisory committee put Grahm at the top of their list of potential presenters and we are honored he will be able to join us.
From his well-known Bonny Doon Vineyards, Grahm has made big waves in the wine world. As a writer, Grahm has contributed to numerous wine journals in addition to his well-known blog, Been Doon So Long, which was not only the 2010 Best Winery Blog winner but has also been made into a book, composed of a collection of sometimes-satiric but always thoughtful pieces. Randall is also very involved in social media, with his winery’s page gathering over 5000 Facebook likes and another 5000 Twitter followers.
Grahm says he is thrilled to be speaking at the conference. He says the Wine Bloggers Conference is “a perfect venue to publicly air all of my profound insecurities about the whole proposition of wine blogging. Wine blogging is a fairly imperfect art.”
With a history of pushing new practices within the world of wine, including making the switch from corks to screwtops and listing all the ingredients right on the bottle, Grahm has spent his time implementing Biodynamic farming and winemaking operations. He is a self-described “terroir-seeker” who recognizes that “the real work now is turning his words into deeds.”
We are eager to hear your thoughts on Randall as a keynote speaker!
Reading all the blogs….well most….ok some, I realize that almost everybody has a different perspective on or about wine. Old school meets new school and all the different suspects in be then there is obviously something wrong with you. In Vino Veritastween. Point being let wine be wine as it ofton the interpretation of the wine maker. What is in your glass? I am sipping a Norton wine from Chrysalis. If you never heard of a Norton wine , much less had a glass, then there is something wrong with you. In Vino Veritas ” thegrumpynortonian” aka Ed
Thanks, Rick, for the explanation. I appreciate the feedback!
Getting a good keynote from a famous person is one thing. Getting a great keynote from a person your audience can relate to is even better.
The names you have had in the past are big names to be sure. But did those big names relate to their audience?
Maybe saying “finally got it right” would have been better said as, “got it right” or “nailed it”.
Randall is a keynote speaker your audience will be able to relate to more than the past few years’ keynotes. He’s got more of a presence in the WBC community than Asimov or Jancis. He won’t be an outsider coming in — he’s a peer. And a highly respected peer at that.
Apologies for the confusion. I just think Randall is a better choice for your audience with more relevant content.
I’m a big fan of his. Delighted by your choice!
Rick,
Thanks, I think, for the backhanded compliment. Just so I am clear, did you not think we got it right when we had the wine editor of the New York Times or the Financial Times? When we had blogger and writer Steve Heimoff, who so perfectly was in tune with his audience with his exceedingly well-thought-out speech? Or when we had ex-AOL CEO and current vineyard owner Barry Schuler, who had us all sitting spellbound so much that I let him run 20 minutes over, something we never do? How about Gary Vaynerchuk, about whom we need say nothing?
I appreciate that you like our choice but am sort of shocked you would denigrate all the past speakers so easily.
Allan, WBC Organizer
Finally, WBC got it right.