WBC 09 Keynote address by Jim Gordon: Wine Trends Worth Blogging About
This morning at the Wine Bloggers Conference event at the Culinary Institute of America, we get two keynote addresses along with our crusty croissants and coffee: one by Barry Schuler and one by Jim Gordon.
To stand out as a blogger, according to Jim Gordon, editor of Wines and Vines, know your subject, get the facts from the source, get the facts right, stake a claim and mine it, stay ahead of the pack, and look beyond the blogosphere for topics.
Wine industry trends include
climate change and impacts on wine, especially an increase in fires and how that’s going to come out in the wines; water wars over what will be grown and how water will be used with competition between greens and grapes which may encourage more dry farming
finding local wines stories, and encouraging locapours
14,000-18,000 new acres of wine grapes planted in CA in 2009, much of it pinot noir following the explosion of interest in it after the film Sideways came out
new wine packaging–trying to be more green
Saturday Keynote Speaker: Jim Gordon: The Future of Wine Writing and Blogging. Jim has been covering the wine industry as a reporter and editor for more than 25 years. He credits his stint with the St. Helena Star in the 1980s for introducing him to the wine business and many of its emerging stars. He then went on to be managing editor of Wine Spectator for 12 years and is currently editor of Wines & Vines.
Now we break up into 8 groups, all on different buses for some adventures in the Napa Vineyards–with lunch and dinner too!
