Not every year at the Wine Bloggers Conference but, often, we feature a session called Wine Blogger Reports in which 8-10 bloggers each get five minutes to relate to the audience something they are doing of interest. They not only give our attendees an opportunity to share but also serve as inspiration for you to go home and develop your own blogging, writing, or wine endeavors.
This year, the Wine Blogger Reports will take place from 10:45 – 11:45 AM on Sunday, August 14th, effectively closing out the conference.
We are pleased to present these Wine Blogger Reports participants:
- From Blogging to Your First Book: Rachel von Sturmer, Wine Fox: Harness your blog and get published! This talk will cover the steps in writing a first book from a blogger’s perspective, from how she channelled her passion for the local wine region, hatched a plan for writing a guidebook, organized research and tasting trips, hired a graphic designer, and put together a fun wine tour guide to BC’s Okanagan.
- The Blog as Platform for Building Personal Community: Amy Collins, Pig&Vine: Thinking she was a “big damn deal” due to her decade of experience in the wine and restaurant industries, upon moving to New Orleans Amy found out better. Using Pig&Vine as a springboard to make friends and business connections helped her to plant roots quickly and embrace my new home. We all want more followers and to monetize our passions and hardwork, but it’s deeply rewarding to simply form friendships.
- It’s all about you! One Blogger’s Attempt To Match People With Wines They’ll Love: Stephanie Byington, My Wine Tribe: You and a wine critic don’t necessarily share the same palate. It was Stephanie’s own inability to find wines that suited her palate that started her on the path to becoming a wine blogger. With the help of chefs and sommeliers, she developed a way to help people identify their own flavor preferences – their wine tribe. Now, mywinetribe.com gives readers customized wine recommendations based on palate preferences while providing accessible, humorous and experiential education to demystify the world of wine.
- Expanding Your Writing From Wine to Other Products: Justin Koury, Wizard of Whiskey: Justin is a sort of jack of all crafts, with experience in wine, spirits, and cooking. Are you a wine writer interested in expanding your horizons to other products? Justin will provide some of his experiences and quick tips.
- From Aligote to Zweigelt – It’s Tasting Time: Valerie Stride, The Demystified Vine: Who doesn’t love a good party? How about a tasting party? Whether it’s helping local wine clubs plan galas or throwing her own private tasting parties, Valerie enjoys organizing events revolved around tasting wines from A to Z. This brief presentation will examine how wine bloggers can approach planning tasting parties. The goal: to have a lot more blogging material at the tip of your fingers all the while having a lot of fun!
- Interviews With Artisan Winemakers: L.M. Archer, binNotes: L.M. has a section on her blog called the redThread, which is a series of interviews with artisan winemakers. As she writes “Behind the glamour, prestige and popularity of wine makers and wine making hides another story – a story about struggle. A true modern day hero’s journey, winemaking includes leaps of faith, mentors, battles fought and won, and a return home with the treasure – in this case, wine – the redThread™ that binds us all.”
- Finding Your Wine Blogging Niche: Holly Shaw, Wine Not Whine: There are over 1,500 wine blogs in the blogosphere, so how do you find your niche? Blogger Holly Shaw took what she knew (being a mother of three kids) and used that as the best for her blog, Wine Not Whine. Holly will talk about creating a blog that that offers a unique perspective based on your qualifications, without writing in a way that just isn’t you.
- Attending Festivals as a Wine Blogger: Emily Martin, The JetSetting Fashionista: Emily is a travel, food, and wine blogger with a fashion background in New York City and seven years of blogging experience. So there were lots of topics she could have covered in her five minutes. We asked her to speak on Attending Festivals as a Wine Blogger since she has attended dozens and can relay tips for how wine bloggers can connect with festival organizers so both sides win.
- Around the World in 80 Harvests: Amanda Barnes, Around the World in 80 Harvests: We normally ask bloggers not just to tell us about their blog but this UK blogger’s concept is so cool it is worth sharing. Amanda is spending two years traveling the world to document 80 harvests in 80 different wine regions. She’ll relate what she plans and how she goes about making the connections that make her trip feasible.
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Romancing the Language: Gwendolyn Alley, Art Predator: “Go for the jugular,” advises Natalie Goldberg in her books on writing. This is not just advice about writing (or life) but how to go beyond tasting notes to provide a visceral experience for your reader, one that combines story, insights, risk. The wine will tell you what to write about if you listen to what it has to say about which glass it prefers, which food it wants to be paired with, and what story it wants to be told. It’s about romancing the language, not just publishing tasting notes. Learn how to evoke feelings, memories, and emotions through wine from Gwendolyn.
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