When, where and why did you begin blogging?

We started blogging Sunday, 3rd August 2008, while I was in Barcelona starting my summer vacation!! We started because Catavino emphasized the necessity for us to communicate with the world what we are doing in our winery, vineyards and our lives. At first, we thought this was not so important to sell our wines. But then we said, why not?? We started to write and set up the Quevedo Port Wine blog. And now we have a opened window to the world!

In a few short sentences, summarize your intention with your wine blog.

We want to let people know more about Port, about Douro, and about table wine from Douro. We also want people to learn more about Quevedo, in regards to how we started, who we were and who we are now. And beyond all else, to learn from the people who want to share their knowledge with us.

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When, where and why did you begin blogging?

I started working with Emilio Sáez van Eerd two years ago in the amazing world of the wine. We were very open to work with the new technologies and we were always looking for new ways to promote the wines, especially Tintoralba’s wines. When we met Catavino, and they opened our minds to make us think in a different way when in Spain there was still wineries working without Internet or email in their office.

We began to collaborate in several projects, one of them was the creation of the first Cooperative Wine Blog in Spain last year, which was my first experience and where I began blogging.

In a few short sentences, summarize your intention with your wine blog.

The Tintoralba wine blog arose from both the need to make Tintoralba’s wines better known, especially in the international market, and to participate as a winery blog with the point of view of a Cooperative sharing its experiences.

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When, where and why did you begin blogging?

I’ve started nearly three years ago. I’ve heard about blogs for the first time from Antonio Tombolini, (Simplicissimus Blog Farm), a person that I consider among the first Italian entrepreneurs to understand the implication of the internet on our businesses and our lives. So I started my first blog, Poggio Argentiera, on Blogger and after a few months I moved to Antonio’s platform, where I still am ,as well as many other bloggers of food and wine scene in Italy. However, I’ve always been an avid user of wine’s newsgroups (such as it.hobby.vino) and forums.

In a few short sentences, summarize your intention with your wine blog.

As a winery owner, my blog reflects what I do, and what I do is 90 % wine oriented, like the harvest or the wine making. But I try to focus on other aspect of this industry as well, such as agricultural politics, my relationship with restaurants, wine shops, wine reps, and sometimes other things more personal. I’m constantly trying to give an honest representation of me and my family business so that people can have an idea of who I am and what we do.

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The consumption of wine has a pyramidal shape. On the wide part you find the large producers, who make commercial, appealing wines at good prices, since they can reduce their costs with their buying potential. We are attending at a strong concentration of brands in this segment, with many wineries being bought by a few groups. These names count with strong funds for marketing and publicity, for what they get the attention of the generic and specific mass media (most of these publications live out of their advertisers, not their readers).

In the high, narrow part of the pyramid are the independent producers, usually making a very small production, with almost no money for publicity at all, and strongly dependent on their quality and originality. Obviously, wine magazines have also eyes for these wines, since these are the most interesting stories for their readers and, in a way, legitimize the use of their paper. However, standardization affects wine writers -who try to follow the trend settled by one or two leaders- and also attacks the wine makers, who see themselves trying to please these leader’s taste to receive high scores.
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When, where and why did you begin blogging?

I began blogging because I had read other blogs and thought, “Hey, I want to put my two cents in too.” I love talking about wine and could just sit around and chew the fat all night long. I’m relatively new to the blogging world having just started The Wine Sleuth four months ago, but I really enjoy it. It makes me really think and do research on what I’m drinking. It’s also good practice for the WSET Diploma, which I’m starting this Fall.

In a few short sentences, summarize your intention with your wine blog.

At first, I it was just a platform for me to put down my thoughts about what I was drinking but now it has evolved into bringing lesser known wines into the spotlight. I get a kick out of finding new wines, varietals or wine producing regions. I think that the average wine drinker is stuck in a rut of chardonnnay, s. blanc and merlot so my goal is to introduce them to something other then the usual.

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How were we to know, when we started this event a few months ago, that we would receive so many requests from eager bloggers interested in participating, right up until the very last moment?

A few keen friends would surely come, and a few of the more internationally focused blogs would consider it, but our targets were modest.

In our more excited moments, we hoped we’d reach 30 participants, but I don’t think we ever honestly expected that we would get up to 40 participants! Nor did we expect that many of our last minute entries would be from winery bloggers from Italy, Portugal and Spain - countries which have traditionally shown a bit of resistance when the conversation of technology and wine blogs have been muttered by marketing magazines and international press.

Well today, we are proud, and very excited, to announce that we are officially closed for registration! Allow us to stress “officially”, as we had already cut off registration once before, but with so many worthy and interested candidates interested in participating, we couldn’t quite say no. Instead, we gleefully said yes, while immediately ramping up our creative juices to both extend our resources and reconfigure our game plan. For some organizational committees, this might have caused havoc, but fortunately for us, creativity runs wild at the EWBC headquarters and admitting more interested bloggers was considered an obligation, rather than a discussion.
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What is your profession?

Wine producer. My family has a vineyard just north of Melbourne in Australia. 450 m altitude so cool climate wines. I am a Master of Wine student, based in Paris while studying for exams. Champange and Burgundy are my special regions and wines..

Why is wine blogging relevant to you?

It is important for the future of communication evidenced by many successful print journalists hosting blogs. Fast and relevant communication where there are many voices, not dominated by a few opinions. Other industries have recognised this and realise the relevance and importance of blogging. Eg fashion bloggers have been rewarded for their influence by invitations to ready to wear and haut courture fashion parades. Wine is no different.

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What is your profession?

I am a software consultant.

Why is wine blogging relevant to you?

Because I represent a pool of managers who are working on a wine project.

What is the main difference between print and wine blogging?

The real interaction between the writer and the readers.

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Last week, I cozied up to a small worn wooden table in a dive seafood restaurant alongside 5 Catalan friends on the coast of Barcelona. The six of us are but half of a larger group of sailors, all dedicated to a 40 foot German sailboat that races on the unpredictable Mediterranean waters on the weekends. However, this was a goodbye dinner than a merry gathering, as our friend Marc was heading off to China to study both a masters in business and mandarin.

A little forlorn with the ever approaching day of his departure, we sat down with the full intention of sharing heartfelt stories over a hearty seafood dinner paired with a few bottles of wine.

As the waiter set down six mangled plastic menus on the table, which had clearly seen the hungry paws and cigarette butts of many a local, the wine menu was promptly passed to me. Listed on the menu were two house whites, reds and roses; all completely nondescript, leaving my choice to be based more on whim than on variety, style or producer. The day was steamy hot, and since the last thing I wanted was a red, I opted for their “Vino Blanco de la Casa #1”.
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About the company Winepick / Vinissim:

Winepick / Vinissim Exportación is a winery consortium intent on providing a spectrum of tastes and broad selection of wines to an international market. This syndicate spans a breadth of vineyards, from estates who harvest by hand to producers who use full computer modernization. Our services have built an exceptional connection between the creators and the clients.

This is an organization built for an audience looking for real wines made by people who are passionate about their work. We understand that there is no universal wine; that there is a wine for every occasion, and a person for every wine. In order to bring this concept to the forefront, we deliver limitless variety with our unique approach.
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