Wine Bloggers to Gather at SecondAnnual Conference in Wine Country

July 24-26 Event Sees Forty-Percent Increase in Attendance Over 2008
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Wine bloggers from across the country will converge on Sonoma and Napa Valley in
July for the second annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference. The
three-day conference for the increasingly influential citizen wine writers will
explore blogging technology and techniques, the craft and legalities of wine
writing, the impact of social media on the wine blogosphere as well as include
wine tastings, adventures in "speed blogging" and forays into the heart of Napa
Valley.

The July 24 to 26 conference is expected to attract 250 wine bloggers as well as
members of the wine industry all looking to better understand the implications
and potential of the growing number of wine blogs. Keynote addresses will be
delivered by Chris Alden, CEO of SixApart, Ltd, provider of award-winning
blogging software and services that changed the way millions of individuals
connect and communicate, Barry Schuler, former Chairman and CEO of AOL, current
managing director of investment firm Draper, Fisher, Jurvetson and a owner of
Napa Valley winery Meteor Vineyards, and Jim Gordon, editor of Wines & Vines
Magazine.

Potential of Wine Blogging and Responsibilities on Agenda at Conference

"The world of wine blogging appears to be rapidly transforming the way consumers
understand wine and the way the wine industry communicates with itself and its
customers," said Joel Vincent of OpenWine Consortium, one of the producers of
the conference. "As the genre grows in size and influence, the community wanted
to learn more about the potential for blogging now and in the future and the
responsibilities that puts on wine bloggers."

OpenWine Consortium and Zephyr Wine Adventures are organizing the event for the
second year. Sponsors include Sonoma County Vintners, Sonoma County Winegrape
Commission, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma Valley
Vintners & Growers Alliance, Bouchaine Vineyards, ViniPortugal, Russian River
Valley Winegrowers, and Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley. Events are scheduled to
take place at the Flamingo Resort in Sonoma County, Culinary Institute of
America at Greystone, as well as at numerous Napa Valley wineries.

"The almost fifty percent increase in attendance at this years conference is due
in large part to the success of last year and the exploding interest in wine
blogging as wine lovers explore other options beyond the traditional wine
media," said Vincent.

For more information on the 2009 American Wine Bloggers conference see
http://www.winebloggersconference.org.

About OpenWine Consortium

The OpenWine Consortium (http://www.openwineconsortium.org) is a global wine
industry association, featuring the world's premier online wine business
network, on a mission to improve the world of wine.

About Zephyr Adventures

Located in Montana, Zephyr Adventures (http://www.zephyradvetures.com) creates
and organizes active adventures including trekking, bicycling, inline skating,
and wine adventures.

Wark Communications
Tom Wark, 707-933-9313
tom@warkcommunications.com
or
OpenWine Consortium
Joel Vincent, 408-889-9993 -
joel@winelifetoday.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009