The HolyDaze are upon us which also means another year has come and gone… don’t ask me where 2009 went though. They say time flies “when you’re having fun” and “when you get older” – I think it’s a mix of both in my case. I’d like to take this time to thank everyone who took the time to visit my blog and Wine On The Rocks the past months: for your feedback, for your support and just for the plain fact that you’ve kept on keepin’ ON! Wishing you and yours a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Since I don’t see the need in sending out offline cards which only wind up being thrown away weeks after they arrived, I prefer the online version – which you can pick up here –>

As the year came and went, I did some tasting in between… and here’s my top 5 list of personal “full bodied red” favourites in 2009 (the keyword being PERSONAL):

1. Quinta Vale Dona Maria Tinto Douro DOC – 2004 (good international availability for this winery – but ’04 was sold out quite quickly)

Beautifully balanced, fruity, complex, length till Tuesday, the harmony is like a tight wire walk: it looks easy but needs years of experience to get to this level – everything you’d expect in an irresistible wine. Enjoying this wine for the first time with Cristiano Van Zeller leading the tasting, in Douro – wine always tastes better where it grows – made the experience that much more special. Needless to say, this is my 2009 Xmas wine! One more quick note: this wine is crushed barefoot – now how amazing is that. I chose this wine because it just gave me the biggest WOW factor and the fact that, even at EUR 28,00 per bottle, it’s still underpriced in my opinion.

2. Valentini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC – 2001 (good international availability for this winery – premium retail)

There are mythical producers and there are mythical producers – Edoardo Valentini (who passed away in 2006) was definitely one of them and his son, Francesco Paolo, is definitely on his way to following in his father’s footsteps. Not only has drinking a Valentini wine become like a Pagan ritual to me but the respect I have for the Myth and his anti-marketing ethic is almost scary. Valentini’s 2001 is still very young but tasting it now and knowing what’s to come in the following years is definitely something to look forward to. Extraction out the yin-yang; an incredible thing when you do it with extreme attention, the taste of the land, notes of cherry, tabacco and a medley of fine spices. The tannins are still ON but rounding up beautifully. Each one of Valentini’s wines are truly unique. Bad year? No wine. Plain and simple. They have their price but in my opinion, they’re more than worth it.

3. Baltieri Amarone della Valpolicella Sortilegio DOC – 2005 (limited international availability – contact winery: www.baltieri.it)

I truly love meeting producers of fine wine, especially when you feel the soul of their work in your glass and it expresses their personality. Andrea Baltieri was one of these people: he’s managed to bottle his understated and humble, yet elegant and complex manner. Once meeting him, you would honestly think that he picked every grape individually, put it on a silk cushion, carried it to the press and gave it a little pep talk before starting the crush – great people really do make great wine. Andrea’s Amarone is so so silky with the perfect amount of freshness. It screams elegance and complexity but isn’t in your face about it. When it comes to meditation wines – this example is surely worthy of the title. Baltieri’s Recioto della Valpolicella… don’t get me started – mmmmmmmm!

4. Querciabella Chianti Classico DOCG – 2006 (good international availability for this winery)

This winery has been making fine reds since the early 70′s and the C.C. 2006 is no exception. Biodynamically produced, fruity/spicy with just the right amount of funk, elegance, complexity, nicely rounded tannins and mucho bang for the buck make this wine a true hit in my books. I love wines which you can drink everyday (price wise) but can also serve on a special occasion without thinking “are my guests going to think I’m being a cheap prick”? Great allrounder. I’ve gone through 6-7 cases of this wine in 2009 as I often use it in my wine seminars – definitely a participant favourite!!

5. Chateu Cos d’Estournel – St. Estèphe – Deuxième Cru Classé 1997 (good international availability for this winery)

Becoming a sommelier, I’ve noticed over the years, has some disadvantages as well as advantages:

Disadvantage: people stop buying you wine because they think it’s never good enough!
Advantage: when someone does buy you a bottle of wine you can be sure it’s a pretty good one!

This example can definitely be logged in the ADVANTAGE file. I received this bottle from a good friend and after drinking it together, we became even better friends. I love left-bank Bordeaux and examples such as the 1997 Cos d’Estournel is exactly why. The wine, just shy of its teens, developed with such an elegance regardless of its heartiness – I can only imagine how “green” it was 10 years ago – and there is still good things to come. The bouquet was so attractive that I had trouble getting my schnozz out of the glass, some wines really are a pity to drink: it was like pixies dancing and leaving a fresh scent of wild berries and spices in their wake. The palate didn’t dissapoint one bit either – full bodied YYEESSSNEESSS – that’s all I could think when drinking it – YYYEEESSSS! C’est tout mes amis :-)

Wishing you all the best in 2010!! And of course, keep on keepin’ ON!

What a whirlwind week it’s been. Miss Earlywood and I flew in to Lisbon a couple of days early in order to take in the Lisbon sights, scene, food and wine – the calm before the storm.

Take 1 – You have to visit Lisbon

I love this city! Not too big and not too small. Big enough to fill 3-4 days without having the feeling you’ve missed anything. Lots to discover.

Take 2 – Culinary treats, great value wines out the yin-yang and man, do they know their coffee

My favourite place to eat was RESTAURANTE BEIRA GARE (R. Primeiro de Dezembro), a stone’s throw from the Theatre. As the first rule of thumb goes – if the locals eat there, you should too. This is not the kind of place to go on a first date since the set-up is all but romantic but if you happen to score on the night of your first date after it being spent in that “other place” (and yes, that goes for the gals too), it’s the place to “regenerate” the day after with a medley of tasty tid-bits, protein loaded bacalhau and vinho verde… then go home and start all over again. Yes, you know what I mean. Recommendation: the pork sandwiches if pork is your thing!!! Yummé!

Coffee – I had the fortune of enjoying every cup ordered. Even the drip coffee in the hotel (VIP Hotel Lisbon – viphotels.com) was very good. In a perfect world, great coffee would be served everywhere. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.

Take 3 – The EWBC an overview

Thanks to Gabriella and Ryan Opaz (Catavino.net) in coop with Andrea and Emidio of the Adegga team (adegga.com) and Robert McIntosh of (wineconversation.com), the conference was a huge success. The logistic details for such an event are endless and everything worked like a fine oiled machine. When Robert asked “Who can’t connect to the internet?” in a room with 100 people and only four raised their hand, my thought was WOW! Only 4? And you know what? Andre and Emidio DID get those four people online.

Not only were the conference sessions well organised, questions & open discussions were encouraged and many took part. The eclectic mix of participants, languages, backgrounds and projects was overwhelming. Everyone mingled, there was absolutely no feeling of competition and everyone seemed to be genuinely interested in what others were doing.

The events organised around the conference had something for everyone and the sponsors didn’t skimp a bit. Very impressed I was and kudos to the progressive Portuguese wine scene. A definite highlight in anyone’s calendar, a guided tasting with the Douro Boys (douroboys.com) which took place on Friday the 31st! And not only that, followed up by a trip to Douro with the Boys opening up their cellars and dining rooms for the lucky 30 or so who were lucky enough to take part on the following Monday and Tuesday. My head is still spinning. Another tip when visiting the Douro Valley – Aquapura Hotel (aquapurahotels.com). There’s 5 star and there’s 5 star. Enough said!

There were also various trips on the Sunday, three to be exact, to choose from. Miss Earlywood and I chose to go to Tejo where we visited Quinta da Lagoalva to take part in a wine tasting as well as visit their cork oak groves and then on to visit Amorim, the world’s largest cork producer.

Not to mention the fabulous and numerous wine tastings and dinners organised around the conference. I now have to go on a diet – but that’s nothing new.

Take 4 – The EWBC and why I hope it takes place in 2010

The Wine Blogging scene in Europe is quite large but in my opinion it’s puttering along with quick tools and is having trouble shifting gears because of it… keeping up at such a quick pace without a map isn’t easy. But the great thing is, everyone I met loves to drive and wants to get better at it (myself included). None of the participants were resting on their laurels and progression was surely the general objective, regardless of how long or how often one’s been blogging or has been in the wine industry – and yes, there were some very seasoned professionals in attendance.

The energy and motivational level was very high and the feeling you were taking part in something new, something with potential, was quite electric. The only way is up and that’s a good thing.

In my opinion, it’s extremely important that the EWBC take place in 2010, regardless of where it is, in order to keep up the momentum currently won. The objective should be to progress exponentially by next year and take things to the next level. Without a goal such as the EWBC to look forward to, it will surely be more difficult.

I would love to see people working more collectively. Not just by adding buddy links but through creative exchange. If you feel you’re missing a resource (photography, writing, video, tech stuff, whatever…) find it one way or another and give back. We aren’t going to do this as loners.

Take 5 – What I’d like to see at the EWBC in 2010

Blogger Case Studies – a yearly review of three or four blogs based on the practical use of things learned at the 2009 EWBC.

Video Blogging Workshop (hardware, software, conception shooting, editing and sound basics) Choosing 2 or 3 volunteers to conceive a EWBC trailer, shoot footage over 2 days time, edit it on the spot and have a showing at the closing dinner?

Hhhmmmm – more to come if I think of anything! Any suggestions??

In conclusion – an experience I won’t forget anytime soon. I met so many people I can’t wait to see again and you know what? I’m sure I will!

You can expect a vid soon and I’d love to hear your feedback :-)

FB

PS: In addition to those mentioned above, greetings also go out to the following people (in random order) – thanks for adding to the great time I had:

20 Dollar Wine Blog – Jason Mancebo
Reign of Terroir – Ken Payton
Wine and Dined – Jill and Andi Freedmann
Spiltwine – Louis Villard
Uncorked in the Alps – Julia Sevenich
1000corks.com – Sam CRUSHER KOWALSKI
Art After Science – Zev Robinson
Miss Vicky Wine – Anne-Victoire Monrozier
MocaMedia – Gwen Alston
The Wine Maestro – Brett Jones (man, why weren’t you on the Benny Hill cast??)
Dan Carbon – Symington Family Estates
BKWine – Per Karlsson

The 2009 European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 30 – November 1, 2009. Bringing together bloggers of all backgrounds including: winemakers, wine writers, marketers, foodies, retailers and distributors from around the world, this year’s conference will address, “The Future of the Social Wine Brand”.

Founded and organized by Gabriella and Ryan Opaz of Catavino, and Robert McIntosh of The Wine Conversation, the 2008 conference, in La Rioja, Spain, was the first international event for Wine Bloggers and the first of a growing series of conferences and events under the “Wine Bloggers Conference” banner. In addition to the annual European event, there is also an annual US event based in California and plans to include a series of local events beginning in 2009 and 2010. Our goal is to create a network of wine bloggers across the globe to spread information, broaden the culture of wine, improve industry standards, and above all else, create a physical space to communicate and share ideas.

The Social Wine Brand is the sum of interactions and relationships created by a wine brand through social media platforms in order to improve its overall sales. Bloggers are key to this process and the EWBC will bring together bloggers, with different roles to play, to learn from each other – wineries who are creating the brands, reviewers who are evaluating and sharing them, and retailers who are delivering the brands to the customer and generating the revenue in this value chain.

The 2009 European Wine Bloggers Conference programme will include several panel sessions addressing topical subjects for all online wine communicators, as well as several streams of smaller group sessions to generate and nurture some practical discussions.

The 100 wine bloggers expected at the EWBC 2009 will not only attend a wide range of educational sessions, but also visit several key wineries within easy reach of Lisbon in addition to a host of traditional Portuguese meals. The entire event will provide ample opportunity for bloggers to experience the food, wine and culture of Portugal, all while discussing issues pertinent to the future of the social wine brand.