What happens when you step out of your own “filter bubble” and participate in open discussions? We all need our assumptions and outlooks challenged on a regular basis to encourage ideas to develop and for the events to meet the actual needs of our audience, not just what we think they are. Gabriella decided to attend Vinocamp Lisboa to do this with a great bunch of friends and here are some of the lessons learned.

For those of you unfamiliar with Vinocamp, it is a technology and wine un-conference co-founded by Grégoire Japiot and Miss Vicky in 2009. Based on the Barcamp philosophy, the conference aims to merge wine and technology through informal participant initiated workshops as opposed to formal top-down lecturing.

Though previous editions of Vinocamp were hosted in Paris, Beaune and Carcasonne, this one was the very first to have trekked off French terroir and onto the Opaz home stomping ground of Iberia; hence, we felt it was doubly-imperative that we supported the event. Additionally, as we’re always trying to diversify the European Wine Blogger’s Conference (a Vrazon project), it was only logical that we spread the good word among groups that we typically don’t have enough interaction with (e.g. the French – a group very well represented at the last EWBC). So last week, I hopped on a plane and headed west, and returned with many great topics churning in my head.

The Power of Presence

Living in a virtual bubble, we have a tendency to assume that our support of an event through Twitter, Facebook, Livestream, etc is powerful enough to make a significant impact. We retweet relevant information, offer a salient comment on blog post, or simply parlay questions on live video, thus showing our interest in the given discussion. Though this methodology has its merits, the power of one’s physical presence, especially if you’re adding to the conversation, outweighs the virtual presence. Relationships are stronger when people come together in the same physical space, and the goal of what we do online should be to create more offline interaction, not replace it.

Lesson: A physical event, like the European Wine Bloggers Conference or Vinocamp, demands physical presence in order to get the most from it. By attending, I’m not only showing support for the event itself, but I’m transforming virtual relationships into solid and hopefully, meaningful, ones.

Question: How do we get more of our virtual friends to meet us, and each other, in person without having to pay to travel all over the world?

Virtual Versus Physical Events

Vinocamp also highlighted the big difference between a virtual event and a physical event. More specifically, why doesn’t Vinocamp and the EWBC add a virtual component to their physical events? Clearly, I can’t speak for Vinocamp, but the EWBC has always maintained that our event is a 3 day physical conference that grew from our personal desire to brainstorm in the same room and network with fellow content creators. However, back in 2008, when the EWBC was first launched, the idea of a virtual conference was relatively nonexistent in the wine world. Popular virtual events like Wine Blog Wednesday and Taste Live were active, but even they were in their infancy. Today, there are hundreds of niche virtual events taking place around the world, and their popularity is growing rapidly.

Lesson: We need to push ourselves to think outside the box and utilize technologies in innovative and useful ways. Just because an event has always been physical doesn’t mean it can’t utilize alternative technologies throughout the year.

Question: If our physical community is strong and continuing to grow, wouldn’t a virtual event that allows participants from 30+ countries to connect and network also be of use? Could there be a way to nurture the community during the year by providing a platform where people can pitch their current projects, potentially finding people interested in collaborating, consulting or supporting their project?

Formal Versus Informal Events

An unconference, such as Vinocamp, allows participants to pitch their discussion topics at the event in an informal and relaxed setting. The advantage of this being that participants can take relevant topics and debate them, sparking new ideas and questions in a group setting.

The EWBC, on the other hand, because participants don’t already know each other and there may be language barriers, has worked on a slightly different basis: creating panels and keynotes around relevant topics so participants can learn from some great practitioners, but they can also hash out their questions during the various networking times that are plugged into the program.

Lesson: After last year’s event, we realized that debates aren’t as relevant as hands-on experience. Learning without practicing doesn’t translate to education. This is why we’ve changed the EWBC program to incorporate more practical application in our workshops, giving everyone a chance to practice what’s presented. Through the 4 streams of communication: photography, videography, literature and speaking, participants will walk away with experience of what they’ve been taught.

Question: Come 2012, should the EWBC rock the content even further to incorporate a form of unconference model, whereby participants from all walks of life, can pitch their discussion topics at the conference itself? Would you be willing to suggest content and lead workshops?

Bridging the Online Language Gap

When we created the EWBC in 2008, we had no idea who we would attract, and as a result, we made a conscious decision to have the content in English, in part, because it was our first language and the agreed “international” language. Little did we know that we would attract 30 people from 11 difference countries! Was it a success? Absolutely, because despite the fact that not everyone spoke English as their first language, between sessions, people quickly switched to whatever language was necessary to communicate with fellow participants. Call it a little slice of the United Nations. It was awe-inspiring, and on that final evening, as 15 of us sat on a terrace in the heart of Logroño with a full moon and large beer in hand, there was a heartfelt smile on all of our faces that the cultural gap can be bridged.

Today, the conference has grown massively, and despite our best efforts to make people feel warm and welcome, challenges always arise. This is normal with any event, but what makes this challenge interesting, is that the ongoing issue of intercultural communication has become a sticking point to all social media discussions.

For example, at least year’s EWBC, it was the first time that the French bloggers adopted the #ewbc hashtag and began chatting with one another in French using it. From my understanding, the concern was that they would be seen as trying to separate themselves from the rest of the community, but instead, they drew in French speakers from around the world asking questions. This is exactly what we want, because it helps create dialogue, discussion and debate across all cultures. Language should enhance the discussion, not block it.

Lesson: Miss Vicky Wine brought up a fabulous suggestion to bring on informal language ambassadors to help participants feel supported and included in their given languages. Essentially, they could be ‘point people’ listed on the website willing to answer questions in that particular language. The additional suggestion of having live interpreters in the language of the host country was equally appreciated (but will require a generous sponsor!) Check out Ryan O’Connell’s post on the topic as well.

Question: Is this enough to solve the language gap? Are there more ways we can help people feel included, especially in the host country?

I don’t have solid answers for any of these questions, but events like these, not to mention the North American Wine Bloggers Conference that will take place next month in Virginia, will help the wine trade rethink some attitudes and bring to light some truly innovative ideas. And of course, we always welcome your feedback!

Virtually all blogs begin as solitary endeavours driven by the author’s energy and motivation to share some message or theme. In most cases, this energy is lost over time. The world changes. Eventually the themes have been explored and the clever puns have all been made. The blog gets tired, and authors move on.

A great many bloggers have found it easier to continue their online conversations with specific groups of like-minded friends on Facebook and Twitter rather than continue to preach from the lonely soap-box of the blog, and so blogs eventually die.

However, if you driven to create content as well as sharing it, you need a platform.

I’ve long felt that the future for many bloggers was to move on from running all aspects of their sites, from being publisher, editor, author, marketer, ad sales and chief spokesperson, and to pool their knowledge and resources with others and specialise. The effect will be to create bigger, better, more interesting group blogs. These don’t have to be huge publishing enterprises such as Huffington Post or TechCrunch, but niche sites as before where content creators focus on producing quality content without the need for the filler stuff that keeps blogs ticking over.

When I started this blog in June 2006, it was only intended as a small place for me to publish a few comments about what I was thinking about wine culture in the UK. I hadn’t expected it to become a major part of my working life. I didn’t really have any other “social media” channels to participate in – Facebook was not yet available and Twitter was about to launch. However, it grew, partly because I was convinced that this was going to be important for the wine business, and largely because I was getting to know so many cool people.

Two of those amazingly cool people were Ryan & Gabriella Opaz, not only experts on Iberia writing on Catavino.net, but the experts behind Catavino Marketing.

After becoming friends via Facebook (yes, we are a product of Facebook) we eventually went on to create the European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC), the Access Zone, the Born Digital Wine Awards and more. It made sense to create a proper structure for all these projects, and so together we are launching a new business called Vrazon (and you’ll hear a LOT more on that soon).

This new focus needs a home. It needs a place where all of us can share our thoughts on how social media and new technologies can benefit the wine business. A place where we can inform you about the conferences, events and campaigns that we are participating in, so you might be able to benefit from them too. A place where you can find us easily and contact us with your comments, questions and suggestions.

The obvious solution was this site.

WineConversation was always about the convergence of wine, marketing and social media (well, in the last couple of years anyway), so this is a logical step. I will still be covering these topics, except now the site will have an even greater International focus, it will benefit from an ‘Opaz’ perspective from the US, Spain & Portugal and it will give the site greater access to Ryan’s technical expertise and Gabriella’s insight, editorial skills and management.

Welcome to the NEW Wine Conversation

We are really looking forward to getting started and hearing what you think.

And finally, special thank you to my many readers, commenters, friends and supporters over the first stage of this site’s development. I owe you so much! I will continue to have a space for more personal thoughts on wine, UK events and activities over at thirstforwine.co.uk so do drop by there from time to time too.

Jeremy Bowen, BBC

To listen to the report, click on the link below:

(at least if you are in UK, not sure if it works elsewhere. If I find a permanent download file, I will add this in here later too.)

Vines on the Front Line, BBC Radio 4

My view:

Jeremy is best known, at least in this household, as an international correspondent for the BBC, reporting from the Middle East on conflicts, power struggles and diplomatic wrangling. He is definitely not a name I would have associated with wine reports, but, as he said himself,

“Grapes have been part of my life as a correspondent”

… and I can well imagine!

There are many directions a programme about wine in Lebanon could have gone. It could have been an excuse to treat the people involved as freaks in the context of a war – bombs and suffering sell news better than wine stories after all. It could have been another ‘introduction to wine’ programme rehashing basic wine knowledge with a bit of politics thrown in to make it a bit different.

Instead, Jeremy Bowen’s people skills, and his ability to sniff out real, personal stories, were well matched to his political and historical knowledge, and used to make us understand that what people are doing is neither odd, nor crazy, but actually part of a culture that is older and more enduring than the political, religious divisions that dominate our news of this region. There’s a lesson in there!

I like the fact that he doesn’t actually spend time giving us any detailed tasting impressions, or discussing wine making practices other than a few references. Wine doesn’t have to be about that. What makes Lebanese wine different is the combination of ancient & modern history, the attitudes to wine culture and the imported technology, the recent struggles to keep these traditions alive, and by people whose passion is simply demonstrated by the fact that they continue to do it despite the political, and violent personal, setbacks.

I’ve listened to the programme 3 times. I want to go out and drink some Lebanese wine and learn more about it. That’s the mark of a good programme. Well done Jeremy. Well done BBC.

Can we have a few more like this please?

By the way, if you are inspired to try some Lebanese wines too, here’s a list of key wineries and their UK importers who might be able to help locate a local stockist to you (list courtesy of @LebanonWines)

• Chateau Ka :: Alliance Wines
• Chateau Ksara :: Hallgarten Druitt
• Chateau Kefraya ::  Enotria
• Chateau Musar :: Chateau Musar UK
• Chateau St Thomas :: Seeking distribution
• Coteaux du Liban :: Bekaa Wines
• Domaine Wardy :: Lebanos Food & Wine
• Domaine des Tourelles :: Lebanese Fine Wines
• Heritage :: Lebanese Fine Foods & Wine
• Ixsir :: Seeking distribution
• Karam Winery :: Seeking distribution

Related articles

• Bacchus to Bekaa (bbc.co.uk)
• Lebanon’s government falls as Hezbollah pulls out (independent.co.uk)
• Lebanese wine: Edgy, exhilarating and drinkable (telegraph.co.uk)

The UK’s most popular wine personality, as measured not just in terms of his wine credentials, but also his reach through TV, must be Oz Clarke.

I have just discovered that his ‘Buddy TV’ format has been adapted further in a programme to be called “Oz And Hugh Raise The Bar” on BBC2. He has obviously moved on from Mr Top Gear (who is probably still playing with his toys in his own series) to match him with Hugh Dennis again (after their Christmas special last year).

According to my sources (aka Google):

Wine expert Oz Clarke and comedian Hugh Dennis will set up a bar serving only local UK produce …(and) will travel the UK and Ireland to discover the best British drinks and snacks and purchase them as stock for their respective bars.

I look forward to giving it a chance. I’m sure there are lots of interesting things out there, but I hope there isn’t too much just-for-television fake drama and silliness.

It is interesting to see that the two most prominent UK wine personalities are now Oz Clarke and Olly Smith, who made their name on TV with wine but are now moving away into more general ‘winetertainment’ (with Olly on Iron Chef UK, and I’m sure more things to come). Hopefully it means their appeal will grow and they can bring wine to new audiences and get a proper wine programme commissioned again.

(Note: the programme is to be made by RDF Media – who I hope will inject more energy promoting this than they do updating their own site as I can find no reference to it there)

It is has been too quiet here recently. I did have some amazing ideas for posts, but none have made it past the draft stage yet. Sorry!

My intention is to keep the main part of this blog for more general wine marketing and communications topics, and to keep details of the wine events that I attend in a separate area. One day soon I shall integrate them here properly (a site redesign is underway). However, I have already started writing about some of my wine and food experiences in the last few weeks.

In case you have missed them, there are two ways to read some of these:

1. Click on the “thirstforwine” tab above and get a snapshot of tweets, posts, videos and photos that I am posting on a daily basis
2. Visit thirstforwine.posterous.com – my new way of sharing details of some of the interesting wine and food experiences I come across

Here are a few of my recent favourites that I hope you’ll enjoy:

• I ate cheese … And I liked it
• Wine Films
• Getting Local with a Global Reach
• Pinot Gris Like No Other

Back soon!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Do wine bloggers have an impact on consumer purchasing? (blogwinecellar.com)
• Divide and Conquer (wineconversation.com)
• Value of social media tools: a wine label example (wineconversation.com)

We attempted to broadcast this live, but I’m not sure it went out or was archived. Thankfully our very resourceful Eduardo Benito of VinusTV was present to record the event.

I hope you agree that there are some things worth thinking about (even if you were not at the event itself).

Related articles by Zemanta

• The European Wine Bloggers Conference has Announced its 2010 Venue in Vienna, Austria (prweb.com)
• Portugal Overcomes Pride to Acknowledge an Unexpected Wine Leader (catavino.net)
• André Ribeirinho: Feeling like a rock star! (delaranja.com)
• Amazing bloggers, new faces and old… (lagramiere.com)
• Ryan’s Speech at WineFuture Conference in Logroño, Spain (catavino.net)

Apologies for another in a line of short hiatus on this blog. Once again work and family take priority over my online musings, and the good news is that there are lots of interesting projects underway – I just can’t find the time (except just before midnight) to share much about them.

Other than the 2010 EWBC (have you signed up yet?), my priority at the moment is to do something a little contrary. I am considering splitting off some of my content from this site to a separate ‘home’ on Posterous, so that I can then re-integrate it here, but as a separate area. As someone who (tries to) blog about marketing and wine in the UK, I also get invited out to wine tastings, dinner and trips and I want to find a way to allow readers to select those parts of most interest to them. I also want to find the easiest ways to make sure I get you the fun stuff faster and more effectively, hence using posterous (if you have not checked it out, do!).

After that, I will try to properly integrate other content streams so that this site, or something like it, can bring more of my ramblings together in one place.

So, this place may seem a little quiet for a bit, but if you really miss me, you can check me out at any of the following places:

• Thirstforwine on twitter
• Thirstforwine on posterous
• Thirstforwine on facebook
• Thirstforwine on flickr
• Thirstforwine on linkedin
• Thirstforwine on youtube
• Thirstforwine on twitpic
• Thirstforwine on audioboo
• Thirstforwine on foursquare

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bibendum Annual Tasting 2010 – the Bibendum Times (wineconversation.com)
• EWBC London gets nasty (alastairbathgate.com)
• Wine Doctrine or Wine Education: How Wine Bloggers Can Encourage Healthy Drinking Habits (wineblogger.info)

I first met Fred Siriex, General Manager at Galvin at Windows, through twitter when he was one of the first top London restaurateurs to explore twitter. By coincidence I also began a commercial relationship with his restaurant when he listed the wines from Dinastia Vivanco not long after.

Fred is a mate and he happens to be an incredibly inquisitive guy, looking for new ideas and relationships, so we hit it off early on with LONG discussions about what social media could bring to restaurants and the wine business. We worked on a couple of projects involving food and wine bloggers, but we also discussed the idea of documenting more about the life of a restaurant.

Galvin organises occasional “inspiration trips” to beautiful places in the world to source new ideas for their now Michelin starred menu and restaurant, where the owner, Chris Galvin, chef Andre Garret and some customers have a brief, fun and inspiring road trip for a few days. I agreed to come the most recent trip, a journey to Champagne to visit Pommery, eat at Chateau Les Crayères and generally explore the region.

I hope to learn a little more about the food, wine and history of Champagne, but also understand what inspires Galvin and maybe inspire others to do something similar.

I trust you will enjoy the results, but I have always encouraged others to openness on their blogs, so I thought it worthwhile to make this clear.

Now, I’m off for my breakfast glass of Champagne. A bientot!

(5/2/10: edited for punctuation lost by posting it  from the iPhone orginally)

Simon Majumdar profile

I don’t claim to be a food ‘expert’ in any shape or form – whether as a taster or cook. However, I do enjoy good food when I am offered it, and especially when I have friends with me who know more about it than I do, and help me learn something about it.

I have met Simon Majumdar, one half of the Dos Hermanos crew, on a couple of occasions. Simon puts on what are probably the most stunning events I know of for bloggers such as myself, under the banner of “Dine with Dos Hermanos” (I strongly urge you to join their facebook group and read the blog to stay in touch with them).

… these guys are DEDICATED TO BEEF!

In the process of talking about wine and food matching at these events, Simon invited me to lunch along with another mutual friend, William Leigh – another accomplished foodie and writer.

Lunch was to be at Goodman, an American style steak house not far from Oxford Circus, and what a lunch it was. 4 ENORMOUS steaks of different provenance and different ages, cooked perfectly, and accompanied by a very nice bottle of Cahors from the wine list (Cahors is the home to the Malbec grape whose more recent incarnation as the ‘signature’ grape of Argentina is generally considered a great match for steak).

However, what really opened my eyes was when we were given a “behind the scenes” tour of the kitchen by Head Chef John Cadieux. Words are not enough to explain this, so thankfully I remembered to bring along my video camera! Do check out my short summary video as John explained the meat, the ageing, the grill and even the charcoal – these guys are DEDICATED TO BEEF!

The great news is that I can put my new-found expertise to good use in about a week when a group of us will gather in Goodman for “Blokes Eat Beef” – so do expect a lot more posts and photos about the food from others too.

I’m increasingly aware that wine, a job, multiple social media channels, regular wine trade events PLUS events spawned by the creative well of my social media friends, as well as a real commitment to building a community around wine online, … plus a young family, … are not compatible with writing this blog regularly. At least not for me.

I’m sorry for those who feel I am not keeping up with this blog (I’ve had a few comments)

I do have a number of articles on the go (the draft folder is bulging) and SO many things I’d love to talk about, I just need an extra pair of hands, a few extra hours in the day, … and, increasingly, some help with the various media channels and daily tasks.

Of course, I’m HEAVILY involved in all sorts of social media every day so you can still hear my ramblings and make any comments you wish, but I thought I had better post SOMETHING to say that it is all ticking along. Honest!