European Wine Bloggers Conference 2011
October 17, 2011 - The 2011 European Wine Bloggers Conference was held on 14 - 16 October 2011 in Franciacorta, in the Italian wine–region of Lombardy. Franciacorta lies just a few kilometres from Brescia, and is best known for its sparkling wines produced by the traditional method. Yet this year, some 85 Wine-Bloggers from fifteen nations, including Brazil, Argentina and Taiwan, took the opportunity to taste a wide range of outstanding Austrian wines.
- Christian Zechmeister and Willi Klinger at the European Wine Bloggers Conference 2011
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board chose to support the 2011 EWBC conference, following the highly successful 2010 event, that was held over two days in the spectacular rooms of the Orangerie in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Wine-Bloggers also took the opportunity to visit one of three wine-growing regions (Burgenland, Weinviertel and Kamptal/Kremstal) as part of the post-conference trips in 2010. Thanks to W-Lan equipped coaches, the bloggers were able to continue posting their experiences with Austrian Wine.
One highlight of the 2011 EWBC conference was the Sweet Wine Workshop, hosted by AWMB-Boss Willi Klinger and Wein Burgenland Managing Director Christian Zechmeister. "This was a great opportunity for the Wine Bloggers, who after the successful 2010 meeting have a real understanding of Austrian dessert wines. They could now taste some of the outstanding wines from the grapes they saw ripening in the vineyards during our post-conference trips from last year" adds Willi Klinger.
The popularity of the 2011 EWBC tells us that Social Media shall continue to be an increasingly important channel of communication for both winemakers, retailers and enthusiasts. People now think in "context" - and refer to what their "friends" or "followers" on mediums like Facebook, twitter, Google+ or Wordpress "like". For example, if you share an appreciation for jazz, fine dining and Austrian Blaufränkisch or Grüner Veltliner with a friend or follower, and he or she then recommends a particular winery or wine, then you are highly likely to follow up on this wine, based on your similarities - i.e. thinking in context. Social Media is the future, and the EWBC wine–bloggers, that are made up of highly respected wine merchants, wine journalists and experts, shall continue to take wine communication to a completely new level.
Statistically, Austrian Wine makes up just 1 percent of the world wine market, yet after an event like the EWBC, it enjoys a much higher percentage in popularity and newsworthiness.
Austrian Wine Marketing Board
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