Charlottesville to be first East Coast site for wine bloggers' conference

Tourism and business leaders say the annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference, slated for July 22-24, could call national attention to the region’s tourism and viticulture industries.

The conference is expected to attract an estimated 350 or more wine cognoscenti to Charlottesville to talk, write and taste local vintages.

Central Virginia was chosen over Santa Barbara and Paso Robles in California and Finger Lakes, N.Y., officials said. This will be the first time the conference has been held on the East Coast.

“This was a real coup,” said Dave Norris, Charlottesville’s mayor. “It was a real feather in the cap of the [Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau] and our community.”

Citizen bloggers, industry bloggers and wine industry officials are expected to mingle and mix at the conference, which will include wine writers from The New York Times, The Oxford Companion to Wines, Wine Biz Radio, Wines & Vines and a variety of websites and magazines.

Last year the event was held in Walla Walla, Wash., the heart of that state’s wine country. Officials there told Central Virginia organizers that the conference created more than $1 million “in exposure for Walla Walla as a destination.”

“What makes this such an important event — especially for the wine industry and the region — is that there are 375 attendees who will be writing in real time on the Internet, on Twitter and on Facebook, uploading video and pictures and saying ‘this is the restaurant I’m eating in’ or ‘this is the wine I’m drinking now.’ That will have immediate impact,” said Lee Catlin, Albemarle County spokeswoman.

“This represents a large audience, a live audience with people who may be thinking about where to take their next vacation or where to do business,” Catlin said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

The three-day conference will include keynote speeches; technology sessions; discussions of Virginia’s winemaking history, geology and business climate; and dinner. The sessions will be held at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel.

Also on tap for the wine bloggers is an official welcoming event at Monticello with Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore and offerings from 31 Virginia wineries.

Robert P. Hodous, a Charlottesville attorney and chairman of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, said chamber officials are excited about the conference because it combines agriculture, business and the wine industry.

“This is a chance to show off those industries to people coming in,” Hodous said.

Hodous noted that area tourism and business officials already have a presence on various social media and the Internet.

“The increased use of these media will be very beneficial,” Hodous said. “This is going to be a real potential benefit to the community and we certainly welcome it.”