Score Success for the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla

Posted on by

More than 200 writers and media influencers gathered in Walla Walla this month to attend the annual Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC).

We are so proud of the Washington state wine community for hosting this successful major event, and introducing the latest wines to wine enthusiasts from all over the country and different parts of the world.

To our delight, we experienced four days of wine tasting, winery tours, live blogging, mystery dinners, and a delicious banquet.

One of the trickiest and fun events was live wine blogging, where we each tasted 10 wines in one hour.

This is 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from L'Ecole 41, one of the oldest wineries in Walla Walla.Live red wine blogging

Twenty-five winemakers each had five minutes to pour wine, share their story, and answer questions from a table of writers. At the end of five minutes, the winemakers rotated to a new table, where they did it again. And again.

Our goal was to describe each wine on our social media channels or blogs. As a former national journalist and an attendee at two previous conferences, I was an old hand at this. But I was still exhausted after the hour was up!

Pictured above, we were lucky to taste this beautiful 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from L’Ecole 41 at the live blogging session. Here are the other wines we tasted, and what I posted about them.

Margot’s live posts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

  • Live speed blogging at #wbc18 – @damawines 2014 Collage – Merlot, Cab Sauv and a touch of Cab Franc. #wawine
  • We have always loved this 2014 @dunhamcellars Cabernet Sauvignon – poured by John Blair. #wawine
  • Red Dog blend from Red Mountain, red wine at #wbc18 — 75% Tinta Cao from Portugal and 25% Cab Sauv. Unique!! Mansion Creek Cellars
  • Brooks 2015 Rastaban Pinot Noir from Amity Hills, OR at #wbc18 A pretty, light Pinot from @brookswinery
  • One of our favorite @troonwines – 2016 Cuvée Pyrenees – Tannat/Malbec co-ferment from Applegate Valley OR at #wbc18
  • 2015 Chambourcin from @missouriwine – $12.99 – medium-bodied red wine from Stone Hill Winery – at #wbc18
  • Lovely nose on this Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah blend from @tertuliacellars at #wbc18
  • Super rich velvety 2015 100% Merlot from @otiskenyonwine at #wbc18
  • How lucky are we – 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from @lecole41 – one of the oldest wineries in #wallawalla – owner/winemaker Marty is now in the midst of his 30th harvest. #wbc18  
  • Fairly new to Walla Walla, @armstrongwinery 2014 David’s Folly – a Cab-based Bordeaux- style wine with 43% Cab Sauv, 43% Cab Franc and the rest is Petit Verdot at #wbc18

GM John Blair poured Dunham Cellars 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon at the live blogging event. We’ve always enjoyed Cabernet Sauvignon from Dunham Cellars, which was poured at the live blogging session by John Blair (pictured).

We also were fortunate to attend the “mystery dinner” at Dunham Cellars. What a delicious meal, paired with amazing Dunham wines, and hosted by the lovely Joanne Dunham, whom we hadn’t seen in a few years.

Come back for more details. Our next WBC post  will feature the wonderful dinner at Dunham Cellars.

A shout-out to WBC sponsors

Hats off to Visit Walla Walla and Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, who proudly showcased the beautiful wines and amazing winemakers of the region at lunches, dinners and other events. In addition to Walla Walla, other wine regions in Washington state — Wine Yakima Valley, Red Mountain AVA Alliance and Cascade Valley Wine Country — sponsored luncheons, dinners and excursions.

Cheers!
Margot and Dave