How Can Wine Bloggers Improve Engagement - Wine Media Conference 2021

 

How can wine bloggers improve engagement? 

Wine bloggers sometimes struggle to see engagement with the posts they've worked hard to create. Yet there are some simple tweaks they can make in their blogging and social posting that can help. At the 2021 Wine Media Conference in Eugene, Oregon, I was honored to be selected to present a lightning talk  that leveraged my career in digital marketing and my 15 years as a wine blogger. The presentation  was titled “How to Stand Out in an Overloaded Media World.” Here’s a re-cap of my talk.

Message overload

There are 6,000 tweets a second, 350 photos on Facebook per hour and 7.5 million blog posts a day. The digital landscape has definitely become crowded. And while Instagram adaption has been very successful (with the U.S. representing the biggest user base), so many users means more competition for your message.

MUTTS

The key to gaining attention and engagement is a fun acronym – MUTTS. Message, Uniqueness, Timing Testing and Socializing.

Message

It’s never been more important to be focused and not present a scattered message on your platforms. Being newsworthy and including photos and videos also help engagement.

Uniqueness

To have a chance at the first search engine results page (SERP), a narrowly focused topic helps. Don’t just blog about Pinot Noir – write about a rare grape, a specific region, etc.

Timing

The worst time to Tweet is after 8:30 p.m.  For Facebook and Instagram – weekends are a dead zone, while midweek midmorning to early afternoon are best times.

Testing

Marketers always test their message, send time, and more.  For Twitter, try testing the same content at 10 a.m. and then 3 p.m. – and repeat it for a couple weeks. Soon, you’ll have some data to base your audience engagement on.

Socializing

Once the hard part is done and you’ve created content – the fun part is socializing it to all your channels. And remember to adjust messaging to platform – your Instagram should look different than your Facebook than your LinkedIn.

I was honored to be a speaker at the 2021 Wine Media Conference and look forward to the next.

 

 

Velenosi Virtual Tasting Impresses at Wine Media Conference

The annual Wine Media Conference (formerly Wine Bloggers' Conference), went virtual this year like so many events in an effort to keep everyone safe. Fortunately WMC organizers were able to arrange a few wine tastings in which attendees were able to receive samples by mail and taste online together. One session featured wines from Velenosi winery in a tasting led by Italian wine journalist Laura Donadoni.

The family winery was founded by Angela Velenosi in 1984 in the historic Ascoli Piceni area of Marche, just 20 kilometers from Italy's Adriatic coast. The family grew the winery ambitiously over the years, and now they produce over 2.5 million bottles which are sold in Italy as well as 52 export markets. Velenosi wines have been lauded by top wine publications as well as Gambera Rosa, Luca Maroni and more. 

The WMC participants at the virtual tasting of Velenosi wines were impressed by the depth of flavor and quality levels of the four wines presented during the virtual tastings. Many participants were also delighted to taste a new variety they had never tried. The virtual tasting included this selection of Velenosi wines: 

Querciantica Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico - Light gold in color, this wine offered citrus notes of lemon and lime on the nose and palate, along with white peaches and a slight vegetal note. The wine has high acidity as well as a touch of minerality. It was a delicious medium-bodied white that would pair well with many chicken and fish dishes. 

Querciantica Lacrima di Morro DOC Superiore - This rare wine is created from the ancient Lacrima di Morro grape that is indigenous to and found almost exclusively in the Marche region. Described by Laura as a polarizing wine, this is vinified completely in stainless steel, yet offers a vanilla note that is totally from the grape as well as cherries and herbs. 

Il Brecciarolo Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore - A blend of 70% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese, this wine had a very aromatic nose with toffee and rosemary notes. The palate offered sour cherries, medium acidity, and a long finish. Aging in used barrique mellows the wine without overwhelming the fruit with flavors imparted by oak. A delicious red that is widely distributed in the U.S. 

Roggio del Filare Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore - This was an impressive, full-bodied wine with intense aromatics of black fruit, coffee, and violet. The opaque wine was inky purple with a purple rim. I enjoyed the smooth mouthfeel with well-integrated tannin. The wine offered ripe black and red fruit on the palate, and there was a very long finish. The 2019 was drinking well, but I am curious about having this wine again in five or more years. 

The WMC Velenosi wine tasting allowed participants to learn about and enjoy a less-heralded region of Italy that is truly worthy of attention. I'm sure many of us will look for the wines of Velenosi in our local shops and appreciate the wines of Marche more frequently after this instructive, tasty evening. 

Australia’s Mudgee region offers delicious wines and warm hospitality

The people of Mudgee, Australia, have been cultivating wine grapes since 1858. The downtown is full of two story buildings with upstairs porches and arcaded storefronts that have a romance of yesteryear.

There is plenty of charm in both the town and the extensive wine region – wineries in cozy wooden structures, but also modern marvels with floor to ceiling windows providing achingly beautiful views of the lush vines in the valley and brown undulating hills in the distance.

A small group of wine writers from the Wine Media Conference had the chance to explore the rugged terrain and visit a group of producers from the region. Here are some highlights of a trip through the area:

Gilbert Family Wines

The winery offers a range of wine, heavy on the whites. I found their 2015 Riesling Single Vineyard to be particularly noteworthy with a nose of white flower, palate of zesty lime, and high acidity.  A 2016 Chardonnay L.C.R. was a contrast to this – nutty notes, yellow apples, with rich texture.  Interesting bottles included a couple of petillants and a delicious skin-contact Gewurztraminer.

Logan

Highlights of this winery, which offered a modern, glamorous tasting room were Pinot Gris.  The winery offered some wines that were labled “Adventure.”  These included the Weemala Pinot Gris 2019, which had light body with hints of melon and refreshing acidity.  The Clementine Pinot Gris 2019 was an orange wine that had savory notes, spice, and tangerine.  The winery had made some ambitious moves to offer unexpected flavors including an “Orange Shiraz” – Ridge of Tears.  It’s a beautiful wine tourism destination.

Burnbrae

This is a rustic tasting room that offers an authentic outback vibe, with a big open porch and natural wood tasting room.  A light-hearted approach to the wines is evident in the fanciful names. My personal favorite was the first sparkling wine we tried – Twinkle Toes – what a marvelous name for a sparkler. The full range of their wines were tasty, uncomplicated, and winning.  Worth the drive to visit.

De Beaurepaire

Truly a world apart – the winery tasting room lies down a dusty road surrounded by hills.  There a gentile sensibility derived from a Burgundian ancestry provides a refined wine experience.  Some of their most outstanding pours included a sparkling, 2018 Blanchefleur Blanc de Balance; 2017 Perceval Pinot Noir, which had a tart sour cherry palate; and 2016 Leopole Reserve Shiraz Viognier, which had a rich mouthfeel, loads of black cherry fruit, and lovely balance of tannin and acidity.

Mudgee is only a few hours north of Sydney, and the drive there takes you over some beautiful stretches of the Blue Mountains.  Once you arrive in this rolling landscape of vines visited by kangaroos at sunset, you’ll know you’ve arrive at truly a world apart.  I recommend making it a weekdend wine trip during a vacation down under.

Hunter Valley wine legends honored at Wine Media Conference

Australia is a new world wine region, right? Well, even though the vineyards don't have the same length of history as some in Europe, doesn't make them exactly new. Case in point is the wine region of Hunter Valley in New South Wales. This area, Australia's oldest, was established in the 1820s by James Busby. It's old enough, in fact, to have "legends," and I had the good fortune to meet a number of these distinguished gentlemen at a special Wine MediaConference event at Brokenwood Winery.

According to winecountry.com.au , "The status of 'Hunter Valley Legend' is an honour bestowed on individuals who have given many years of outstanding service to the advancement of the Hunter Valley as a wine producing region."

Hunter Valley legend Brian McGuigan was one of the featured speakers at the event. The attendees of the Wine Media Conference, which included wine bloggers, marketers, and trade professionals from a number of countries, were excited to hear from him.

Brian established his first winery, Wyndham Estates, in the 1970s, and then moved on to create his eponymous winery in the early 1990s. McGuigan wines are now distributed across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the US.

In addition to introducing conference participants to the Hunter Valley legends, the event also featured dozens of fine wines from the region. At the conference, participants straight-away learned that the region is proud of its Semillon. At the event, we got to taste a delicious 10-year-old bottle from McLeish Estate. Aged Hunter Valley Semillon has a textured mouthfeel, lemon curd on the palate, and makes a rich impression.

Coming with the expectations that there would be plenty of Shiraz, we weren't disappointed. One of the outstanding offerings was poured by Pepperwood Winery. However, those of us from the US didn't expect to taste Shiraz with restraint and elegance as well as plentiful fruit. Earlier harvesting is a trend in the region that's contributing to these wines possessing a new-found finesse.

The event also showcased the gorgeous, open air tasting room - or as referred to in Australia, the  cellar door - at Brokenwood. Recently opened, this is a destination winery that is already attracting numerous visitors.