We could not hold this conference and offer such an unbelievably low price to participants without the support of our sponsors. Please take the time to read about our sponsors below.
Conference Organizer
Your conference organizer is Zephyr Adventures, assisted by co-founder and advisor Vincent Group Consulting. Zephyr Adventures operates trekking, hiking, biking, and multi-sport tours throughout the world, Vineyard Walks in Sonoma County, Inca Trail Hikes, and Self-guided Vacations in Italy. Zephyr’s active wine tours specialize in getting travelers up close and personal with not just the wineries but the vineyards of the world. Zephyr Adventures also organizes the Wine Tourism Conference, International Food Bloggers Conference, Beer Bloggers Conference, and Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference. @ZephyrAdventure
Grand Sponsors
Penticton and Wine Country Tourism is the external marketing function of the City of Penticton. Their mandate is to externally market Penticton to measurably increase tourism businesses growth. The folks at Penticton and Wine Country Tourism were the main drivers behind bringing the WBC to Penticton and we would not be going there without them! @TravelPenticton
The Great Estates of the Okanagan represent five of the best known wineries in the region and are producers of some of Canada’s finest VQA wines. From north to south, the Great Estates include Sumac Ridge Estate Winery (irst operating winery in British Columbia), See Ya Later Ranch (with its enviable perch at Okanagan Fall’s Hawthorne Mountain, Jackson Triggs Okanagan (with varietals and limited edition wines that can’t be found anywhere else), Inniskillin Okanagan (home of the legendary Canadian Icewine), and Nk’Mip Cellars (Canada’s first aboriginal winery). The Great Estates of the Okanagan is sponsoring our Thursday evening reception.
Destination British Columbia is recognized as a leader in tourism marketing and development and is responsible for marketing the Super, Natural British Columbia® brand to the world. The organization’s mandate has been to promote development and growth in the tourism industry, to increase revenues and employment throughout British Columbia, and to increase the economic benefits for all British Columbians. Destination BC will be sponsoring the Saturday dinner at the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference. @TourismBC
British Columbia Wine Institute is dedicated to establishing the Wines of British Columbia as the preferred premium wine brand in BC; create a business climate that encourages investment in the quality of BC wines; provide leadership on key industry issues; and assist members in reaching their full potential. The BC Wine Institute will be sponsoring the Live Wine Blogging at the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference. @winebcdotcom
Downtown Penticton Association is the voice of downtown Penticton, bringing together residents, merchants, businesses, not-for-profit social service agences, arts and cultural groups, governments, educational institutions and other organizations to enhance the economic development and social fabric of Downtown Penticton. You’ll find everything under the sun in Downtown Penticton, from dozens of specialty shops to professional services to a variety of dining options to suit every taste. Downtown Penticton Association is sponsoring the Saturday morning Breakfast in the Park at the 2013 conference. @DTPenticton
The Oliver-Osoyoos Wine Association consists of 23 wineries, united in drawing recognition to the superb terroir of their region—the most prime wine growing region in Canada. Rich with enchanting natural beauty, the region stretches from just south of the McIntyre Bluff to the US border. Bounded and sculpted by two north-south mountain ranges, and hallmarked by the dramatic cliffs of the glacially sculpted McIntyre Bluff, the area is pure majesty of nature. We’ll be visiting the Oliver-Osoyoos region for Friday evening’s party. @UnCorkTheSun
Seasons 52 is a fresh grill and wine bar featuring a seasonally inspired menu and an award-winning international wine list designed to excite and surprise the palate including our international selection of 100 wines, including more than 60 offered by the glass, guests feel both the freedom to indulge and the ability to celebrate living well. @Seasons52
With 49 locations nationwide, The Capital Grille is known for its dry-aged steaks, award-winning wine list and professional service in an atmosphere of relaxed elegance. The restaurant features a wine list with over 350 selections, including wines under $30 to prized vintages from small, limited production vineyards around the world. @CapitalGrille
Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is a fully inclusive body, representing all South African producers of wine who export their products. WOSA, which was established in its current form in 1999, has over 500 exporters on its database, comprising all the major South African wine exporters. @WoSA_USA
Wine Country Ontario For a day trip or weekend escape, in any season, the breathtaking beauty and hospitality of Ontario wine country will capture your heart. @WineCountryOnt
Wines of Uruguay is the organization formed by the wineries member of the Association of Exporting Wineries, and the Association of Wine Tourism, and has three main purposes:a) The diffusion and promotion of our wines abroad; b) The increase in the production of quality wines; and c) The promotion of wine tourism. @winesofuruguay
New Wines of Greece – Eternally Modern! New Wines of Greece’s mission is to increase awareness of Greece’s quality Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication wines in the North American wine market through traditional and cutting-edge education and promotion. @DrinkGreekWine
Premier Sponsors
Tourism Kelowna The Kelowna area is cradled within a glorious range of mountains; a sanctuary blessed with pristine lakes, pine forests, abundant gardens, orchards and vineyards, sandy beaches, and superb amenities. The region has over 29 unique wineries and many opportunities for tours and tastings. @Tourism_Kelowna
Lake Chelan Wine Valley is a new region, with first production wine grapes planted in 1998. Since then 20 wineries and over 250 acres of vines have come onto the scene and our winemaking has hit an award-winning stride. 2009 saw the designation of the Lake Chelan Valley as an official American Viticulture Area (AVA) which has only served to bolster our growth. Each year, a new member joins our community and we encourage you to meet them. @LakeChelanAVA
Rodney Strong Vineyards began more than 50 years ago, when a celebrated American dancer named Rod Strong settled in Sonoma County to pursue winemaking. A trio of winemaking paths crossed when Rick Sayre joined the team as Winemaker in 1979, and again when the Klein Family, 4th generation California farmers, purchased the winery in 1989 and initiated a renewed commitment of modern artisan winemaking. Through the years, Rodney Strong Vineyards has earned the reputation for critically acclaimed Single Vineyard and Reserve wines, stand out Estate releases and best-in-class Sonoma County varietal wines. @rsvineyards
Cornerstone Cellars has one goal: goal: to make compelling, exciting wines that speak clearly of the vineyard, variety and vintage from which they are born. All of our wines receive minimal, gentle winemaking relying more on nature than technology as the path to making great wine. All come from organic or sustainably farmed vineyards. As BevX.com noted, “Craig Camp and winemaker Jeff Keene have propelled Cornerstone Cellars to the top tier of California wineries.” @CornerstoneNapa
Normacorc At Nomacorc, we go to great lengths to create the world’s best wine closures. Closures that allow winemakers to rest assured that the wine they pour their heart and soul into will be enjoyed exactly the way it was intended. @Nomacorc
D.O. Rueda The Spanish Leader in White Wines. The Denomination of Origin Rueda possesses exceptional natural resources for the production of top-quality wines. Specialised in making internationally renowned white wines. Also, from the 5 of August of 2008 the red wines and rosé areprotected by the Denomination of Origin Rueda. @DORueda
Made on the West Coast of Canada without using any of the not-so-great stuff like hydrogenated oils, yeast, or sugar, our team’s focus has always been on using the highest quality ingredients with an artisanal flair to produce fine food. Amazing on their own, Gone Crackers are also wonderful paired with a variety of wines and cheeses, as well as charcuterie, spreads, soups and salads. We are sure you will taste the craftmanship in each of the crackers. @eatgonecrackers
Powerful enough for CNN and the New Yorks Times, flexible enough to create any site you can imagine, simple enough for your Aunt Mary to reblog cat photos: WordPress.com has you covered, whatever you’re publishing to the web. WordPress.com is a community of millions of bloggers just like you, making use of hundreds of beautiful, easy to customize design themes to create anything from photoblogs to magazines, wedding albums to restaurant websites, and everything else in between. With mobile apps to easily create and manage content on the run, and intuitive, great looking ways to share all your media, WordPress.com lets you sign up in seconds, and start publishing in minutes.
WiFi
Launched in November 2012, the Amazon Wine store offers thousands of wines from hundreds of wineries located around the United States, enabling wineries of all sizes to sell their wines directly to customers. Customers can explore wines from wineries of all sizes using easy-to-use tools and robust information to help customers find the perfect wine. @amazonwine facebook
World of Wines
Wines of Uruguay is the organization formed by the wineries member of the Association of Exporting Wineries, and the Association of Wine Tourism, and has three main purposes: a) The diffusion and promotion of our wines abroad; b) The increase in the production of quality wines; and c) The promotion of wine tourism. @winesofuruguay
Peter Lehmann Wines Established in 1979, an Internationally acclaimed winery located in the heart of Barossa Valley. Wines enjoyed all over the world. @PLWines
New Wines of Greece – Eternally Modern! New Wines of Greece’s mission is to increase awareness of Greece’s quality Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication wines in the North American wine market through traditional and cutting-edge education and promotion. @DrinkGreekWine
D.O. Rueda – The Spanish Leader in White Wines. The Denomination of Origin Rueda possesses exceptional natural resources for the production of top-quality wines. Specialised in making internationally renowned white wines. Also, from the 5 of August of 2008 the red wines and rosé areprotected by the Denomination of Origin Rueda. @DORueda
Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is a fully inclusive body, representing all South African producers of wine who export their products. WOSA, which was established in its current form in 1999, has over 500 exporters on its database, comprising all the major South African wine exporters. @WoSA_USA
Event Sponsors
Banfi Vintners is the sole U.S. importer of the Mariani family’s internationally renowned wine estates in Italy: Castello Banfi of Montalcino, Tuscany, and Vigne Regali Cellars of Strevi, Piedmont. Banfi also imports the wines of several other producers, including category leaders Bolla, Cecchi, Florio, Fontana Candida, Placido, Riunite, and Sartori from Italy, Concha y Toro and Emiliana from Chile, and Trivento from Argentina, Wisdom & Warter Sherries from Spain and Stone’s Ginger wine from England. The company has ranked as North America’s leading wine importer for more than three decades. @BanfiBanter
Napa Valley Vintners has long been a supporter of the Wine Bloggers Conference and wine bloggers alike. Napa Valley is home to diverse microclimates and soils uniquely suited to the cultivation of a variety of fine wine grapes. Among the internationally acclaimed wines produced in this small region are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc. @NapaVintners
Partners
DSI Wines has been an importer of wine, beer & spirits for over 20 years! We are a privately owned licensed agency with an entrepreneurial style and our direct customers are the Provincial Liquor Boards of Western Canada including British Columbia, Alberta & Manitoba. @DsiWines
Mutineer Magazine is a fine beverage publication unlike any other you’ve ever read, covering all things fine beverage with an emphasis on wine, beer and spirits. Released in July of 2008, the 44 page magazine quickly grew to a national status with its fifth issue of 84 pages being featured in bookstores including Barnes & Noble and Borders. As informative as it is approachable, Mutineer Magazine will change the way you read about fine beverages. @mutineermag
Orchard & Vine Magazine offers the latest informative, interesting and innovative articles specific to the BC fruit and the BC wine industry, across Canada and around the world! Articles on fruit growing in and around the globe, agriculture issues, government programs and funding opportunities, viticulture and wine making techniques. @orchard_vine
The Beanery Coffee Co is a a family owned coffee roaster based in the beautiful community of Summerland BC. Their organic and ethically sourced beans are hand blended and roasted-to-order ensuring you the freshest possible coffee. @beanerycoffeeco
Okanagan College offers courses in Landscape Horticulture, Viticulture, Wine Sales and Winery Assistant Certification. @OkanaganCollege
Live Wine Blogging
Live Wine Blogging is brought to us by the British Columbia Wine Institute @winebcdotcom
Live White, Rose, Ice Wine Blogging Wineries
Haywire Winery @Haywirewine
Bartier Scholefield @okcrushpad
Bartier Brothers @bartierbros
Tantalus Vineyards @tantaluswine
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards @TinhornCreek
Hester Creek Estate Winery @hestercreek
Church and State Wines @ChurchStateWine
Therapy Veinyards @therapywines
JoieFarmWinery @JoieFarm
Poplar Grove Winery @poplargrovewine
Monster Vineyards @monsterwines
Black Hills Estate Winery @blackhillswine
Gray Monk Estate Winery @graymonkwinery
Cedar Creek Estate Winery @CedarCreekWine
Quails’ Gate Winery @Quails_Gate
Bench 1775 Winery @bench1775
Terravista Vineyards @terravistawines
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery @township7
Summerhill Pyramid Winery @summerhillwine
Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery @mtboucheriewine
Upper Bench Estate Winery @upperbench
Little Straw Vineyards @LittleStrawSue
Intrigue Wines @intriguewines
Perseus Winery @perseuswine
Nk’Mip Cellars @nkmipcellars
Steller’s Jay Brut @StellersJayBrut
Inniskillin BC @inniskillinwine
See Ya Later Ranch Winery @sylranchwinery
Sumac Ridge Estate Winery @sumacridgewine
Jackson Triggs BC @jacksontriggsbc