The annual Wine Bloggers Conference brings together wine + words in a powerful way through content programming and wine country events in a different wine region every year. One of many educational, content-oriented programs at the Wine Bloggers Conference are the Wine Discovery Sessions. Offered on BOTH Friday and Saturday, the Wine Discovery Sessions offer in-depth tasting experiences with wine leaders from different regional, national, and international wine regions.
How the Wine Discovery Sessions work:
You do NOT have to physically sign up to attend a particular Wine Discovery Session but! You do have to choose to attend one of three sessions offered on both Friday and Saturday. We know making a decision about what session to attend is difficult! But please know that all sessions will provide awesome and unique information delivered by wine educators who have a demonstrated knowledge base about the region/s they are presenting on.
Wine Discovery Sessions offered at the 2015 WBC:
Friday, August 14 | 1:30 – 2:30 PM
- Fizzyology 101: In-depth Study of Lambrusco Styles, (Keuka Room) – presented by Bill Whiting, Director of Wine Education with Banfi Vintners
- Si What’s Next with Ribera y Rueda, (Seneca Room) – Sommelier partner and ambassador, Charles Ford of The Bristol, Chicago will lead this interactive tasting by walking you through the unique regions, immersing you in the history of select wineries, and giving you a chance to win a few prizes along the way! Join us to Si What’s Next and taste the unexpectedly unique wines from Spain.
- Riesling, King of the Finger Lakes, (Cayuga Room) – Sponsored by Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association, this session provides comparative tastings of Rieslings from the three primary lakes—Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka—within the Finger Lakes AVA. Julie Caplan, Program Manager of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, will lead this lively discussion and sensory experience.
Saturday, August 15 | 1:15 – 2:15 PM
- Wines Across the Andes, (Calder Room) – Aurelio Montes Jr., Second Generation Winemaker at Kaiken Winery, will compare and contrast unique terroir-driven environmental approaches in Chile and Argentina via Montes wines from Chile and Kaiken wines from Argentina. Presented by Montes & Kaiken Wines.
- The Spectrum of Dry Riesling, (Seneca Room) – One of the greatest and most versatile varieties, Riesling is also one of the most misunderstood by consumers. This “king of grapes” is often perceived as only being sweet, but some of the world’s best dry expressions come from France’s Alsace region. With its enviable climate and complex mosaic of soils, Alsace produces a wide range of dry Riesling styles, from lean and racy to rich and powerful. Join Wines of Alsace’s Louise Jordan DWS to discover the exciting diversity of this noble variety and learn more about this exceptional region. Presented by Wines of Alsace
- Cellaring Sense: The Ageability of Finger Lakes Wines, (Cayuga Room) – Sponsored by Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association, this session will help to answer the age-old question—does wine get better with time? Winemaker Brandon Seager, Chair of the Wine Marketing Program at Tompkins Cortland Community College, will share his expertise on the ageability of wines. Using library wines from the Finger Lakes region, Brandon will guide the conversation, and offer general cellaring tips to share with your audience.
Six unique opportunities to dive into the nitty gritty of different aspects of the Spectrum of Dry Riesling from France’s Alsace region, Ageability of Finger Lakes Wines, Wines from Across the Andes, a Comparison of Riesling from the Finger Lakes, Wines from Ribera y Rueda in Spain, and Lambrusco Styles from Italy.
Cheers to the Wine Discovery Sessions at the 2015 WBC!