Wine Predator Gwendolyn Alley on a pre-WBC13 press trip in WA

This week, several hundred of my wine blogging and wine writing and wine industry friends are gathering in Walla Walla WA for this year’s wine, food, travel, and social media educational extravaganza known as the Wine Bloggers Conference.

showing off my zin temporary tattoo at WBC09 in Santa Rosa; photo by John Cocoran

Before missing this year, I’d attended all but two Wine Blogger Conferences — and those two took place on the East Coast, too far and expensive for me to travel to.

That’s right: I attended:

• the first Wine Blogger’s Conference in 2008 in Santa Rosa,
• 2009 to Santa Rosa,
• a press trip to Portugal in 2009 which included the European Wine Bloggers Conference,
• on a scholarship to go to Walla Walla in 2010,
• NOT– I skipped 2011 when it was in Virgina and instead visited Idaho and revisited Walla Walla and spent time in Oregon and northern California on a 3 week and 3k mile road trip,
• and spoke at the 2012 WBC in PDX,
• on another scholarship in 2013 to attend WBC in Penticton BC,
• by driving an hour up the 101 to Santa Barbara in 2014,
• NOT — I skipped 2015 in the Finger Lakes,
• and spoke in 2016 at WBC in Lodi CA
• 2017 back in Santa Rosa CA

And this year it’s in Walla Walla, Washington, where it was also held in 2010 at the Whitman Hotel which I loved. I also loved how walkable Walla Walla is — and of course the wine… and the food… and the friends…

So why am I not in Walla Walla? It’s not even on the east coast! Continue reading →