Wine Bloggers Conference ~ Live

Folding time and space, making connections, defining what a wine blogger is, what we are not, and what it means to the wine business:  That’s why we’re all here.  Joel Vincent kick’s off the Conference today with those thoughts.  It is an exciting time for the wine blogging world, the wine drinking world and the wine business world.

Un-like any conference you’ve ever seen before, think of it kind of like a speed dating session between wineries and bloggers.  Yeah, kinda crazy, but really a blast!  We now have 5 minutes to taste the wine and live blog about it.  I may have to go to twitter next, as this format likely will better serve for summaries at the end of they day (yes, I’ll be spitting as I taste!).

Rest assured, there is LOADS of wine love coming from the Santa Rosa, first ever Wine Bloggers Conference at the Flamingo Hilton Hotel.

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12Seconds: Here’s to keepin it Pithy

A Kiss on 12seconds.tv

I’ll “study” this deal more closely over the next week or so and report back to you…but 12Seconds is a share site where you can post 12 sec. video pieces to share…duh. But it is so supremely easy, fast and may I say a FABULOUS addition to Social Media. More Soon!

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Comfort: It Sucks to be sick!

But thank Dionysus, or whomever you choose…for my Twitterati!  Yes, you.  Thank you.  I now will sing your praises.

It’s pretty basic; in my misery, I sent out a tweet asking: “Ok…what cocktail helps fight off a cold?”  Now I fully expected to be teased or more likely even, ignored.  MY mom certainly wou;dn’t suggest a cocktail for a cold!  But none of the above is what happened.  Instead, I received a list of delightful suggestions.  And damn it, if it wouldn’t cure my cold, at least I could find some COMFORT in the interim.  Both in the cocktails and in the tweeps over my CrackBerry.

Now, like many of you, I am a professional drinker.  No problem, just discretion, judiciousness.  I’d rather have a $100 bottle of bordeaux blend than several bottles of jug wine.  I know what I like and curious about what I don’t know.  I’m committed to finding the best…whatever…in every city I visit.  I’m also committed to running, diving (SCUBA) and my friends and family, so I’m looking for balance.

But to the question at hand:  What cocktail helps fight off a cold?

Here’s what you, my Tweeps, sent me:

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said: “When I was in Russia, they gave me vodka with pepper in it. It only makes u forget for a few mins. that u have a cold… “
2. @winebratsf said: “hot whisky!” <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:”Trebuchet MS”; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Trebuchet MS”,”sans-serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} p {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} span.blsp-spelling-error {mso-style-name:blsp-spelling-error; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
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3. @MustLoveWine said: “when we were kids mom used to warm up orange juice & add scotch & honey. Maybe it just put us to sleep to help her cope.

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4. He then followed that with: ” I think any booze will suffice “

And maybe my favorite:

5. From @LisaAdamsWalter: “VERY cold, VERY bubbly, VERY dry champagne! “

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I tried the one with OJ, but accidentally substituted Brandy…ack! I was a little fuzzy as well. Only got a few sympathetic stares in the grocery store. It was definitely NOT a pretty outing. Yum…yum, and a soft could of rest for the OJ, Brandy, Honey! Wow! I LOVE home remedies. So I’m thinking of working my way through each one over the next few nights as I recover. I have turned a corner. And even if the above “medicine” isn’t the cure, it’s kinda like the “Tea Mind” … a ritual, a moment with yourself…no, not that kind of moment with yourself, just a rest, a toast, if you will, if not to the love of cocktails, then to remembering how much you appreciate being healthy, so you can drink more cocktails.

Who says technology in impersonal!

Thanks, Tweeps.

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California Wine: 30 Seconds of Wine 2.0 Live from New York City

California Wine: 30 Seconds of Wine 2.0 Live from New York City

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30 Seconds of Wine 2.0 Live from New York City

Wine 2.0 featuring Gary Vaynerchuk at Webster Hall in the Village marked the East Coast’s debut of the convergence of Wine & technology. What a fortuitous blend. Techno-philes’ brilliance met the savvy social skills of the wine set and discoveries abounded.

The fabulous old theatre hall hosted 40+ HD screens featuring wine video content from previous Wine 2.0 events, Hahn Estates Winery (that’s us!) & others. Sponsors also hosted wine related web sites including the Twitter Taste Live…an online texting community. You have to see it to believe it. It is very cool.

Here’s what it looked like:

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Wine 2.0 Rocks the California Wines in New York CITY

If you’re a winery or have anything to do with selling wine, you had better know about the web. And I mean more than just e-mail. Because right now, there are hoards of tech-savvy 20 & 30 somethings who LOVE wine almost as much as they love technology.

So if you’re not optimizing, twittering & friend-ing people on LinkedIn, FaceBook or Wine 2.0, AND following TTL (aka Twitter Taste Live …for wine & tech geeks alike), you may as well be…under a rock. But I suppose if you’re reading this, you’ve been acquainted with the Social Media platform. It is here to stay in a BIG way.

Find out more NOW.

View my page on Twitter Taste Live

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California Wine Hahn and WINE 2.0

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California Wine @ Wine 2.0 New York

I’m visiting Wine 2.0 in New York
Will you be there?

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