My Next Big Adventure: Wine Bloggers Conference 2018!

It’s been a busy couple of months dealing with non-Sips N Tips things, and I’m more than ready to get back to blogging more regularly! I figured what better way to kick it off again than to announce my next big adventure:

Where: Walla Walla, Washington
When: October 4-7, 2018
Why: Because I’m a first-time attendee at the annual Wine Bloggers Conference!!

A few months ago I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Vindulge, when I stumbled upon a post talking about the Wine Bloggers Conference. It sounded too good to be true, so I did some more digging and found that there was no way I could pass up this opportunity. Fast forward a few months and now I’m preparing for a weekend in Walla Walla wine country dedicated to all things wine!!

I’m so excited.

You can find a detailed agenda for the weekend here, but this conference will give me an opportunity to learn how to improve my blogging and social media techniques. I’ll also get to interact with renowned winemakers and learn about wines from all over the world. Some experiences I’m particularly excited about are the pre-conference excursion and seminar at Force Majeure Wines, Live Wine Blogging (like speed dating, but with wine!), and a wine and cheese paring with Cheeses of Europe. It all sounds like a dream!

So, why Walla Walla?

If you aren’t familiar with this wine region, you should be! The Walla Walla Valley is located east of the Cascades along the Washington/Oregon border. In fact, this American Viticultural Area (AVA) is split almost down the middle with vines in each state! The name “Walla Walla” means “many waters”, which is one of the reasons it offers such prime agricultural land. More than 100 wineries call the Walla Walla Valley home as the region is known for producing some of the best wine in the Pacific Northwest. The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance provides all sorts of additional information on the area, from precipitation rates to soil types, so check them out if you’re interested.

This year marks the 11th year of the Wine Bloggers Conference, and the second time it will be hosted in Walla Walla. It will be my first time visiting the region. I can’t wait to learn not only about Washington wines, but about wines from around the world. In fact, I’ll be attending a session all about wine in Uruguay! Next year the conference will hit the road and go international for the first time in its history, with Australia as the host-country. It’s an exciting time for wine, that’s for sure!

I’ll be posting on Instagram throughout the conference, so be sure to follow along there! Many more updates to come on the blog, too. You can follow the conference itself by searching #WBC18 on social media.

What updates would you like to see from me on the blog or on social media throughout the conference? Let me know in the comments below!