Wine News & Articles

It’s the dead of post-holiday winter, and you know what that means.  In a couple of weeks we get to watch the Super Bowl, then a few short weeks later, we get to watch the world’s longest marathon of acceptance speeches.  Two of America’s greatest contests in two activities that help define our culture.

While the wine industry may lack the glitz and glamour of Hollywood (though I am told the making of a movie is about as difficult and dirty as the making of fine wine), we now have the ability to compete in our own version of awards, thanks to Tom Wark over at Fermentation ("The Daily Wine Blog").

In addition to doffing my hat (were I to wear one) to any professional with a daily Blog, I must do double doff to Tom for organizing this new way to recognize the best of the 400+ authors toiling to publish today’s wine blogs.  Tom Wark is among the early visionaries who recognized that Blogs are good for more than teenage diaries (though they’re quite good for that too, I’m told).  It was the impressive work of Bloggers like Tom and Alder Yarrow that inspired me to participate in this new medium.

It is our hope that Tom’s idea takes root, and develops into an anticipated annual affair within our industry.  Blogs are in their infancy, a mere five years old.  And as more people discover how to incorporate them as a feed into their My Yahoo page, their Google home page, etc. they will become an increasingly common part of our daily landscape.

Because, as any avid wine Blog reader knows, the quality of writing is astounding.  Not all of it, of course, but the best wine Blog wrters are as good as or better than those of our industry’s expensive glossies.  And one thing I’ve noticed about advertisers, in my 25 years in marketing, is that their money flows towards good content the way a river seeks the sea - slowely at first, then with gushing enthusiasm.

So I encourage you to nominate your favorite wine Blog on Tom’s site.  Whether nominating my site or another favorite, we will all benefit from your participation.

As I thank you for your participation, I should note that it may be a while before my next posting.  Over the last nine months I’ve partnered with some hard-working people to open a Wine Bar in Solvang (the epicenter of "Sideways Country") called Tastes of the Valleys (a Sideways Wine Bar).  We are in our final days prior to launch, pending our final three inspections.  It’s nail-biting time.

So for the next week or so I’ll be working to get everything ready, and encourage you to keep tabs on our progress in our photo gallery (left margin of this Blog).

Cheers!
Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant
SidewaysWineClub.com & Tastes of the Valleys
Toll Free 866-746-7293