While I am not packing my bags and brushing up my Spanish for my trip to Chile (at least not this time!), I was excited to open my box of goodies from the Foods from Chile folks.
Enclosed, packed in a Foods From Chile muslin bag, I found these products made from Chilean foods: a bottle of 100% pure blueberry juice, a jar of onion jam in merlot wine, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, and a can of mussels in oil.
That same day I also received three bottles of Malbec for Malbec Madness April 17–two from Argentina, and this 2011 Casillero del Diablo from Concha y Toro in Chile!
In addition, I’m looking forward to tasting two more wines from Chile that are on their way: new releases from Viña Ventisquero, a leading producer of estate and single vineyard wines–Queulat Sauvignon Blanc and Queulat Pinot Noir.
Well, I guess I’m not going on this trip to Chile. Simply Budgeted, Brian Mellot, (not the Wine Predator!) won the Foods From Chile #TicketToChile contest and will be heading out to Chile in April. Instead of 10, judges actually selected 12 finalists, including myself, to submit a video. Interestingly, a number of the finalists are wine bloggers!
While I am really curious to see those videos, a quick perusal of the following links to the winning bloggers didn’t easily reveal anyone’s videos. It was fun to check out the competition and you might enjoy reading some of these blogs too:
“Congratulations! You’re a Finalist!” said the email.
All I have to do now is convince YOU to choose me, Gwendolyn Alley, the Wine Predator, as the one lucky writer to go on a Guided Culinary Tour of Chile!
Please choose me as the winning blogger who takes tours and participates in tastings at vineyards, olive groves, and fruit plantations. Who better than a wine blogger to wax eloquently about wine and food?
Please choose me to meet with local Chilean exporters and producers, and to eat specially prepared meals at the restaurants of local Chilean chefs. I love all kinds of seafood and shellfish, I love game, beef, fowl, pork, vegetables and fruits! My Wine Predator and Art Predator blogs and my twitter and facebook feeds are full of photos of fine food and wine that I share with my followers and friends.
Please choose me to visit the Mercado Central in Santiago, one of the world’s
top food markets, to see cultural heritage sites in Santiago, and to attend the Nam Santiago Food Festival where I will taste of the culinary innovations of Chile.
I, Gwendolyn Alley, Wine Predator, am the right blogger to write about the food AND the wine of Chile!”
So that’s the script I chose to produce for the video above instead of this one with seven reasons why Foods from Chile should choose me. And sometime in the next 24 hours I will find out whether my video submission and this blog post convinced the powers that be to send me to Chile as the one lucky writer who will go on a Guided Culinary Tour of Chile with members of top media publications from April 7th to April 13th 2013 –flight, transportation, and accommodations all included!
Yes, as you can imagine every few minutes I am obsessively checking my email just in case they decide to pick me and let me know early!
Regardless of whether I win the contest and get to go to Chile in April or not, we had a great time shooting the video–as you can see from the video I submitted as well as the out-takes video below! Continue reading →
Today my video submission for the Foods for Chile contest to travel to Chile is due! Above is a video Jo Diaz did of me exploring Portugal during our trip sponsored by Enoforum Wines. That trip made me realize that travel, food, and wine is more than a passion, but a true vocation. Working on my video submission reminded me of how much I want to travel and taste the pleasures of the world and share them with my readers. Continue reading →
Isn’t the internet grand? I can participate in wine events in two different countries in 48 hours and still sleep in my own bed! Here’s a few more events for February Fun–celebrating wines from Bordeaux then Petit Sirah!
Feb 20-21: 24 hours of Bordeaux starting at midnight Feb 21, Bordeaux Time:
Weds. Feb 20 4-8pm Pacific Time Bordeaux Twitter Wine Party
Thu. Feb. 21 6-8pm GMT City of Bordeaux Twitter Wine Party
said the Foods from Chile folks in today’s email that arrived at lunchtime.
“Just one more step & you could be on your way to taking a foodie dream-trip of a lifetime with Foods From Chile!”
Yes, really! One lucky writer will go on a Guided Culinary Tour of Chile with members of top media publications from April 7th – April 13th 2013 with flight, transportation, and accommodations all included!
— Gwendolyn Alley, Art and Wine Predator (@ArtPredator) February 14, 2013
The winner will visit a number of different areas in Chile known for their wines, olive oils, and fruits (for example, the Atacama, Coquimbo and Valparaíso regions), experiencing tours and tastings at vineyards, olive groves, and fruit plantations. The group will meet with local exporters and producers, and eat specially prepared meals at the restaurants of local Chilean chefs. Continue reading →
While I am not packing my bags and brushing up my Spanish for my trip to Chile (at least not this time!), I was excited to open my box of goodies from the Foods from Chile folks.
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 