There have been tours and lunches and this evening an amazing reception by the Oregon Wine Board; and the 5th annual Wine Bloggers conference hasn’t even officially begun.

Tomorrow the registration desk is open and a series of workshops and talks begin but tonight was a night for old friends to come together and new friends to put a face with the blogs they have been following. It was also a night to sample some of the best of Oregon wines.

Over 45 wineries from around Oregon were on hand to uncork their best for the wine bloggers. Allan Wright, Zephyr Adventures and conference coordinator, introduced Charles Humble and Michael Donovan of the Oregon Wine Board who greeted the bloggers.  After a quick toast to the conference everyone got back to the business of wine tasting.

In an article from today’s Oregonian,  Dana Tims reports that  “the real clout [of the wine blogger] is the collective message they will send to the world after the conference, which is precisely why the state’s $2.7 billion wine industry is paying such close attention to them.”  CLICK HERE to read the full article about the Wine Bloggers Conference and the Oregon Wine Board.

Follow the hashtage #WBC12 on twitter to catch all the events as they happen over the next couple of days.