The world of wine is more welcoming than I anticipated

WOW!  Is it already Jan 2?

First and foremost, let me just say the world of wine is more welcoming than I anticipated.  What a pleasant surprise to have well-established vintners, writers, and industry rockstars readily accept my friendship and questions.  Given that I'm a novice in the field, I've been absolutely delighted by the support I've received in embarking on my new path.

Starting anything new is concurrently daunting and exciting - like the knot at the pit of my stomach at the top of a REALLY high roller coaster kind of exciting.  Knocking at the door of this beloved industry and hearing, "C'mon in!" has been really encouraging, so thank you!

Each interaction has led to some great findings!  Like what?  Glad you asked!  Here's a few that really churned by butter ...

2010 Wine Entrepreneur Conference in Washington DC (Jan21-22) - Oh my, was this event created just for me?!  I couldn't scrounge the bread so I'm envious for those going.  What a tremendous opportunity for people, ideas and funding to come together.

International Wine Tourism Conference in Barcelona (Feb1-4) - This event will be held near the mountains of Montserrat which is a beautiful, magical place.  Over 300 wine and travel professionals from over 30 countries!  I get starry eyed just thinking about it.  If you're going, please send a daily update, RSS feed, tweet ... email even!

All things Wine 2.0 - Yeah, I'm a tech geek, I've accepted that and I embrace it.  Two spring events I'm really excited about are coming up in my city by the bay.  Please!  I beseech you, not Frisco, not San Fran, just plain 'ol SF or San Francisco will do, but I digress.  There's the SF Wine Expo at Crushpad and The Vintner's Market at Fort Mason - both in April.  Hope to see y'all there!  Perhaps get a wine tip or two from you in person?

And speaking of Crushpad!  I signed up for a wine blending session in February that combines my two favorite red varietals - Cabs & Bordeaux (excuse my ignorance, the plural form would be Bordeauxs?  Bordeaus?) mmm, I'm salivating at the thought!

Lodi's Wine and Chocolate Weekend held appropriately enough during Valentine's.  Truly, could there be better a pairing than wine and chocolate?

And finally, the 2010 North American Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, WA (June 25-27).  I will likely be wrapping up my sommelier program and prepping for the exam but if the dates & stars align, I see a northern road trip in my future.

Exciting, no?  So many events, so little time.  And thanks to Social Networking, it's easier than ever to keep up and stay connected.  I've got to get the bare bones of my website set-up next week so I'm hoping to enlist the help of a web-developer fairy.  Working on my new endeavor has been a blast thus far!

My shipment of Cambria 2006 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir (stocked on no shelf that I've perused!) is coming next week and I can't wait!  I tried the 2007 and it was so good the 2nd bottle was half-way empty before we realized what happened.

Till next time,
Salud!