Morning program set for DLW 2013

 Posted by  Education, Local Wine, Wine Blogs  No Responses »
Mar 142013
 
DLW Conference

Photo Credit: Christian Schiller

The morning program is set for the fifth annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland on April 13, 2013.

The conference will open for registration at 8:00 am with light refreshments and a continental breakfast. The following sessions will begin at 9:00 am.

Session 1

9:00 am – 9:45 am

Creating Maryland’s Wine Identity

The history of Maryland wine from the 1940s to the present, which grapes grow well here and where, and what styles of wine are prospering.

Moderator: Richard Leahy, author, Beyond Jefferson’s Vines.

Panelists: Marguerite Thomas, author, Touring East Coast Wine Country; Robert Deford, owner, Boordy Vineyards; Dr. Joe Fiola, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Maryland.

 

Session 2

10:00 am – 10:45 am

Drinking Local

Does locavore mean locapour? Do Marylanders appreciate their home-grown wine, and if not, how to get the message out.

Moderator: Dave McIntyre, Washington Post wine columnist, Drink Local Wine co-founder.

Panelists: Jerry Pellegrino, chef, Waterfront Kitchen; Jade Ostner, Director of Events, Maryland Wineries Association; Al Spoler, co-host, Cellar Notes/Radio Kitchen, WYPR Radio.

 

Session 3

11:00 – 11:45 am

Maryland’s New Guard

Who is setting the quality standard for Maryland wine today? What new grapes, trends or wine regions will we be following in the years to come?

Moderator: Kevin Atticks, executive director, Maryland Wineries Association.

Panelists: Ed Boyce, founder, Black Ankle Vineyards; Tom Shelton, owner and winemaker, Bordeleau Vineyards & Winery; Dave Collins, co-owner, Big Cork Vineyards.

An elegant lunch using fresh, local Maryland ingredients paired with select Maryland wines will follow the morning sessions.

Registration for the full conference is $125 and includes a continental breakfast; entry to all sessions; lunch with paired tasting of Maryland wine; and the Grand Tasting of Maryland Wines and Twitter Taste-off. Tickets are also available for the Grand Tasting only for $40.

To attend the conference, you may visit http://www.marylandwine.org/dlwc13 to register and find out more information.

Should consumers drink local wines, just because they are local?

 Posted by  Local Wine, Wine Blogs  1 Response »
May 252012
 

At last month’s Drink Local Wine Conference in Denver, a debate arose about whether being ‘local’ is enough merit for consumers to drink regional wines. After all, some among us go out of our way to buy local produce and meats from farmers’ markets and fruits stands. So, why not purchase local wines as well?

Now, just so we are on the same page, local wine is, as the Washington Post’s Dave McIntyre says, “wine from around here, wherever ‘here’ is.” For example, if you live in Michigan, wines from the state of Michigan would be local to you.

So, what was the crux of the argument? Some claimed that being local should be enough for consumers to purchase and support regional wines. Others argued that local wines should be held to the same standard as wines from more established areas such as California or France, and if they weren’t, that they were inherently inferior. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Based on my experience with local wines over the past several years, there are great wines being made all over the United States. But, there is also a fair amount of bad wine as well. Should people drink crappy wine, just because it is local? No. Nor should they expect a Cabernet Sauvignon from Virginia to taste like one from Napa Valley. The growing conditions and winemaking preferences are too different for that to make sense.

So, to regional winemakers I say, “get out and taste wines that aren’t yours or your immediate neighbors’.” How do you know that your wines are commercially viable/competitive if you don’t know what others are doing? To consumers I say, “get out and try something new.” Buy a wine from your area. If it’s poor quality, oh well, you are richer for the experience. Even better, let the producer know. If it’s good, however, you’ve just discovered a gem that few of us in the rest of the country have access to. Isn’t that worth something?

What we’re reading

 Posted by  People, Wine Blogs  7 Responses »
Apr 032012
 

Wine blogsRecently, our friends at VinTank posted a blog article on The 9 Most Important Wine Bloggers in the US. It’s a great list, and we highly recommend reading all of them. But, in addition to these great industry luminaries, there are also a bunch of other wine blogs that we read on a regular basis and highly recommend. So, here is an addendum to Paul Mabray’s list in alphabetical order.

Beau’s Barrel Room – Beau’s a relative newcomer to the wine blogosphere, having only been doing it since the end of 2009. He’s an insider himself, selling wine for a living. His focus is mostly on reviewing wines and reporting on events and wine regions. We always enjoy reading his posts.

Luscious Lushes – Written by Thea Dwelle, this blog is a true reflection of her larger than life persona. Thea is one of the veterans of the wine blog world and she knows what she’s talking about. She is a fixture at local wine events, and she takes her wine drinking very seriously. She has a day job outside of wine, so the fact that she posts so often is impressive.

My Wine Education – Michelle Lenz is as good as they come. She is a writer and trainer by trade and it’s reflected in her blog. Few are better written or as insightful. Not being a wine expert when she began, this blog has been a journey through her education. She’s another old-timer, having written her blog since 2004.

Vinopanion – Ward Kadel is the brain (they don’t get much smarter) behind this anthology of wine. Ward is a cancer researcher by day and wine hero at night. Not only does he write this blog, but he;s also the West Coast Ambassador for WineLog.net and one of Le Wine Buffs.

The Wine Curmudgeon – Jeff Siegel is your old-school journalist. He’s been writing about sports or wine for more years that we can count. Jeff is the former wine columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but now devotes most of his time to his blog. He specializes in reviewing less expensive wine, which is perfect for most of us. He’s also the driving force behind the Drink Local Wine movement.

Wine Predator – Gwendolyn Alley (aka Wine Predaor aka Art Predator) loves writing and wine. She teaches writing at the local University and coaches people on becoming better writers. She is a free spirit, which is reflected in her writing. We just adore her.

There are many other blogs that are worthy of this list, but if we were to include them all, we’d run out of bandwidth. We like highlighting other blogs though, so you should expect to see other lists like this in the future.