Discover Walla Walla

Robert Parker, leading US wine critic of the Wine Advocate publication called them "Blobbers." Anthony Dias Blue, Editor-in-Chief of The Tasting Panel Magazine referred to them as "bitter, carping gadflies." Who are these people? Well, hold onto your wine corks as they are coming to a town near you - - that's right. They are coming to Walla Walla!

The 2010 North American Wine Bloggers Conference will take place this month, June 25-27 at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. It is the premier conference for new media and the wine industry. A total of 300 independent wine bloggers, industry bloggers, and other wine and social media professionals will gather from all over North America and beyond to meet, learn about the wines from Washington State and share their wine blogging knowledge.

This is the third year for the North American Wine Bloggers Conference. The last two years it has been held at Santa Rosa, California and sponsored by the Napa Valley and Sonoma Vintners Associations, so 2010 is a big year for the conference to be moved out of California and into second largest wine producer in the US, Washington State. It is especially exciting that the first impression of the Washington State wine industry will be Walla Walla.

For decades wine journalism had been dominated by a few visible critics, such as Parker and Dias Blue and their publications. Today, citizen wine bloggers are having an impact on how wine lovers, from the novice to the aficionado, as well as the wine industry are getting their news and reviews. If you are a wine lover in any degree, wine bloggers want you to know what they know by taking the intimidation and stodginess out of wine. Welcome Wine Bloggers!