Live life with fine Spanish wines

This time last year, I would not have even considered writing a wine blog but thanks to the increasing number of customers at Excel Wines, and the persuasive powers of my colleagues Anna and Sandy, that since last April we have been doing exactly that. We still feel like novices and we realise that we have a long way to go before our blog is the polished and professional site that we woud like is to be.

Hence, I will be attending the first ever European Wine Bloggers Conference to be held in La Rioja at the end of August. It is being organised by Gabriella and Ryan Opaz of Catavino.net and Robert MacIntosh of The Wine Conversation. I hope to meet other wine bloggers, share experiences and, above all, learn, learn, learn all I possibly can.

This is the press release that has been sent to the media in several languages:-

Old World Wine Meets New World Marketing at the First European Wine Bloggers Conference, in La Rioja, Spain.

London & Barcelona, 16th July 2008. Leading wine bloggers from around the world will gather in La Rioja, Spain this August 29-31, 2008, to participate in the very first conference of its kind. Participating wine bloggers who collectively represent a growing number of wine lovers, will discuss the impact wine blogging is having on the wine world, and its benefits to winemakers and wine consumers.

Catavino’s goal in co-organizing the first wine bloggers conference is simple, “We want to bridge the communication divide between Iberian winemakers and wine lovers around the world”, says Ryan Opaz, co-founder of Catavino. Recognizing a wine lover’s constant quest for a great bottle, Catavino is on a mission to educate and spread the word about the great Iberian wines, while also helping winemakers understand the connection and value that technology and blogging can have on their business.

European sites are still hampered by lack of scale, language issues and limited commitment from retailers. But Catavino believes, “wine bloggers circumvent this impasse by writing in multiple languages, using the latest technology and social media to get the message out, all the while creating a more intimate relationship between wine producers and wine consumers” says, Gabriella Opaz, co-founder of Catavino.

The 30 or so wine bloggers attending this event generate, together, around 200,000 unique readers every month which is a substantial reach if you compare it to, say, Decanter Magazine’s 40,000 monthly printed copies. Bloggers are also building relationships with these readers who increasingly interact with the sites.” says Robert McIntosh, of The Wine Conversation. The First European Wine Bloggers Conference is a perfect opportunity for wine makers to engage with this highly influential group.

“We are excited to work with significant partners such as Amorim, Dinastia Vivanco, La Rioja Turismo and Vinus TV, all who are interested in bringing a new level of appreciation to the high quality of Iberian wines we have here in Europe”, says Gabriella Opaz.

Catavino is looking forward to working with Iberian wine makers to spread the word about Spanish and Portuguese wines, and making the European Wine Bloggers conference an annual event, hosted in key wine producing locations throughout Europe, “This is really just the beginning of an entirely new chapter in wine appreciation. Technology is finally touching the world of wine, this gives wine makers enormous potential to reach wine lovers around the globe, faster and more economically than traditional advertising ever could”, says Ryan.

At the moment blogging is still a new concept to many, but those wine makers who are quick to understand the benefits and leverage the new way the world is communicating, will certainly fill more wine lovers’ glasses than any competitor who is slow to adapt. The European Wine Bloggers Conference provides an open door to this highly influential group, wine makers who want to learn about this new medium are invited to get in touch with Catavino.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm and is filed under About. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.