Donor/Committe Member Profile Megan Kenney

That’s me. Writing about myself again. Still think it’s bizarre and awkward. I’m Megan. Better known in wine blogging land as Sonadora or the Wannabe Wino. I’ve been blogging for nearly 8 years. I’m about to attend my 6th WBC. I love wine.

I’m also a long-time donor to and co-founder and committee member of the wine blogger scholarship. That’s why I get to write about myself.

I’ll see you all at the conference tomorrow!

 

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Donor Profile Craig Camp

I feel like I’ve experienced this before. Writing a profile for Craig Camp of Cornerstone Cellars. Quite alright though, I’m a huge fan of Craig, so I certainly don’t mind singing his praises every year! Craig was one of the first wine bloggers I “met” via the wine internet world. He got me press passes to an event nearly 8 years ago when no one had really heard of wine bloggers and certainly didn’t consider them press!

Craig has been a long time and fervent supporter of wine bloggers and the Wine Blogger Scholarship. We appreciate his enthusiasm for what we do and his continued support of our scholarship.

As always, looking forward to seeing Craig at the conference!

Donor Profile Craig Camp

I feel like I’ve experienced this before. Writing a profile for Craig Camp of Cornerstone Cellars. Quite alright though, I’m a huge fan of Craig, so I certainly don’t mind singing his praises every year! Craig was one of the first wine bloggers I “met” via the wine internet world. He got me press passes to an event nearly 8 years ago when no one had really heard of wine bloggers and certainly didn’t consider them press!

Craig has been a long time and fervent supporter of wine bloggers and the Wine Blogger Scholarship. We appreciate his enthusiasm for what we do and his continued support of our scholarship.

As always, looking forward to seeing Craig at the conference!

Scholarship Recipient Amy Corron Power

Why do I love Amy Corron Power? Let me count the ways. One, she’s a fellow wine blogging attorney. Two, she’s super smart. Three, she’s damn funny. Four, she is one half a really awesome wine blog, Another Wine Blog. Five, she and her husband Joe make me completely jealous on Twitter tastings with their amazing food pairings. I’m sure I could keep going for quite some time, but that would become nauseating.

Amy is the recipient of a WBC Scholarship this year, after many years as a staunch supporter of and donor to the fund. We’re delighted that she was chosen and look forward to her always fabulous insights into the conference.

Virginia is for… Wine?

The 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference is set for July 22-24th, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Now, when I think of Virginia, I don’t think about wine.  I think about Thomas Jefferson, Washington, D.C., and hot humid summers.  I was one of the naysyers that thought this would be a folly in to a strange wine region, but I was wrong.  One of the exciting things about the WBC is that you can see well known wine regions in a different way, or discover new regions that you might not have appreciated (remember Walla Walla?  Color me surprised).

Wine has been an industry in Virginia since Jefferson’s time, and you might not know that Virginia’s wines are subtle and elegant, offering a taste that is more similar to European wines than bold California varieties. The number of wineries in Virginia has tripled in the last 15 years to over 140, placing it fifth on the list of US states, and the geography boasts six separate AVAs: Eastern Shore, Monticello Northern Neck, North Fork of Roanoke, Rocky Knob, and Shenandoah Valley. For a good analysis of the Virginia wine scene, see the article in Virginia Business.

To help get citizen bloggers to Virginia next summer, the WBC Scholarship is proud to announce a partnership with Enobytes.

Enobytes (“Eno” – short for Enology: a science that deals with wine and wine making, & bytes: A collection of organized bits of information) was founded in 1996 by Marc Hinton and Pamela Heiligenthal, who provided consulting services for the wine and restaurant industry in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2006, Enobytes went online and expanded to educated and share thier passion for wine.

With over half a million hits from 52 countries every month, Enobytes reaches a wide audience!  They pioneered the use of Google Earth based wine region maps, and offer a weekly VinQ twitter wine quiz that educates and humors the wine public.

With their help, the WBC Scholarship is p0leased to announce that we are now accepting donations TAX FREE through Enobytes.  That means that your dollars can go farther, as you will be able to claim them (up to a certain amount, please consult your tax professionals for any specific advice) as a tax deductable charity.  This is great, right?!?!?  So please, dig deep and think about who helped you get to your first WBC.  Wouldn’t you like to do the same?  No amount is too little (or too much).  Every penny helps a blogger who wants to get to Virginia but might not know how to get there.

If you’re wondering why Wine Bloggers are important, how does one measure their value, or the value of an inanimate object?  Value is subjective, and it is difficult to measure innately.  That said, as bloggers continue to spread the love about wines and stories they publish, if YOU my reader are paying attention, my blog and that post become valuable.  If you read a blog, or blogs, and you find value in what the writer is saying, then you are contributing to the value of that blog.  Most bloggers write for the pure love of wine (or whatever they happen to be writing about) and are not in to make money or sell a particular wine.  We dont’ get paid, we occasional get wine sent to us (which I might add is not ALWAYS good wine), and we have day  jobs.

The key in understanding wine bloggers is to know they are sharing information that they want you to know.  If a blogger reviews your wine or winery, they are effectively evangelizing your brand to their reading public.  That is the very definition of word of mouth marketing, in a new format.  For you, this is free advertising that gets more traffic to your site, and quite possibly more bodies in to your establishment.  The power of instant access tools such as twitter allow wine drinkers to review the experience as it happens, and spread that to their followers in real time.  For group tasting, or for people that follow twitter streams but may not be personally aware of your brand, that could mean an unscheduled trip in to your tasting room to check out what the buzz is about.

If you belive in bloggers, twitter, or social media in general, won’t you consider donating to our effort?  There are many bloggers that are unemployed, or simply cannot afford to make a trip to the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, washington.  OUr Scholarship aims to select bloggers who wish to learn more about blogging, develop their writing style, and network with other bloggers and industry professionals in a  creative fun enbvornemtn for three days.

We’re open for business, so click on the little donate button below!  It’s the holidays.  C’mon, be generous!  And remember to file your taxes in April

~The Management

Now, don’t forget THE RULES.  Applicants may submit their applications starting January 1st!

 

Donor Profile: Hudson Valley Wine Goddess

Debbie Lessner-Gioquindo is the Hudson Valley Wine Goddess!  Growing up in the Hudson Valley, she became interest in wine in the late 90s.  Through the years, she has learned a lot about wine, and meandered much of the world’s wine country.  through her blog, Debbie shares her knowledge, and focuses on the oldest wine region in the US – the Hudson Valley. Debbie loves to spotlight this region to bring attention to an overlooked area.  Last year, she brought some of the areas wines to Sonoma, so us west coasters could taste the history and unique wines of the region.

Debbie is a great supporter of social media, and while we will miss her greatly at the WBC this year (something about a kid graduating from high school), she will be following along on twitter and our blogs.

Please say hi on TWITTER and visit her blog to learn about the Hudson Valley!

Blogger Profile: Passionate Foodie

Richard Auffrey is a Passionate Foodie, wino, and sake lover!  He currently writes for his blog, as well as local newspaper, while also teaching wine education classes.  Being a certified Spanish wine educator, Richard will be a great resource for us!  Richard is a prolific blogger, with over 2000 posts to date, which range from cider to sake, and are always interesting.

This will be Richard’s first WBC, and he is looking forward to the opportunity to meet in real life, many bloggers that he has built relationships with online.  He is also looking forward to trying the wine s of the Walla Walla area, and learning more about Washington wine country.  He will bring another East Coast body to the conference, as well as a foodie perspective, which will highlight the wine and food pairing we will be participating in.

Please take a moment to say hi to Richard on TWITTER and check out his blog, Passionate Foodie!

Donor Profile: Valeri the Wine Lass

Valeri Smith is becoming an institution around twitter, with her wonderful updates and tastes of wine in 140 characters or less.  She describes herself as a SuperRecruiter (currently for the health care industry) and a wine lover, and can be seen around the twitterverse tasting wines and enjoying travels in wine country.  Valeri has the dubious distinction of being the very first donor for the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference Scholarship, and we thank her for her support!

While we won’t see her at the WBC this year, I hope that she will soon start her own blog and join us on the dark side community wine channel soon.

Please take a moment to give Val a shout on TWITTER!

Blogger Profile: Notes from the Cellar

In Steve’s own words:

In the seemingly-limitless journey that is a life enjoying wine,
sometimes roadsigns are roadblocks, and other times we need wayfinding
markers along the way, illuminating our path like the
nigh-indestructible lights that line airport runways. In the
time-honored tradition of the blind leading the blind, I do my best to
keep from steering people off cliffs as we travel–together–along the
vine-lined pathways of existence. So, yeah, in other words, I review
wine.

His blog, Notes from the Cellar, Notes From The Cellar is Steve’s personal journal of tasting notes and wine reviews, where he explores his passion.  Like many of us wine bloggers, he is a tech geek software developer, and spends his time and resources seeking out wines that inspire him.  His latest project, which pairs wines with TV shows of the 80s is sure to have you in stitches, particularly if you are of Generation X who grew up with these shows.

Steve’s motto is to taste a lot of wine, good bad and downright scary, and post the ugly truth on his blog as often as possible.  In a world where there have been questionable ethics, Steve pushes for honesty and detailed critiques, making his blog one of the go to resources for information for many wine lovers.

Steve started blogging about in 2009, an d wasn’t able to attend the previous Wine Bloggers Conference.  As he supports his wife’s path through graduate schoool, and (like most of us) does not get paid for his blogging efforts, he was unable to attend the WBC this year without your support.  Please stop by and visit Notes from the Cellar, and follow Steve on TWITTER.  This will be Steve’s first Wine Bloggers Conference, and he is very excited to share information and techniques with bloggers with some time under their belt, professional writers, and wine lovers of all persuasions.

See you in Walla Walla Steve!

Donor Profile: Cleavage Creek Winery

Cleavage Creek Cellars is a unique business that was founded on the philosophy that with enough money, energy,a dn passion, we can find a cure for breast cancer.  Budge Brown was a successful businessman and farmer, when he lost his wife Arlene to the disease.  From this tragedy, budge took action.

In 2007, the first Cleavage Creek wine was released, to national and international acclaim.  With bottles that feature images of breast cancer survivors, each bottle tells a story.  Ten percent of the gross profits are donated to the cause, which has been over $70,000 to date which has gone to establish an oncology research center, assist in medical bills, and capital equipment purchases.  It doesn’t hurt that the wine is pretty damn good too.

The team at cleavage Creek works tirelessly to spread the message about breast cancer,b ut they have also been very active in social media, which has been a powerful tool in sharing their mission.  They are engaging, active, and funny – which allows them a seat in the inner circle of wine bloggers and wine community members in social media.

We salute you and your efforts to wipe out a disease that should never be a death sentence!  Kind readers, please consider purchasing some of these eight different wines to support their cause.  Please follow them on TWITTER and read more about Budge Brown and Cleavage Creek on their website!  Thanks for your support!