The Road to Walla Walla

So that time of year has come again - it's time for the annual American Wine Bloggers Conference. This year we're convening in the city of Walla Walla over the Washington side of the Columbia, the same river that runs through my new home in Portland. I drove past the area on my way to the Willamette Valley, and now I'm headed back, seeing the scenery from another angle.

It's a four hour drive from Portland to Walla Walla, but well worth the trip. The views and changing landscape along the Columbia are just amazing. And since Lynnette is driving, I can type on my new iPad!

The conference will offer a chance to reconnect with many people I met last year (and more importantly make a human connection with all the Facebook/Twitter wine folks I follow).


I'm excited about this year's conference, especially given the focus on wine AND food. It seems more and more I get into wine and talk about it, I nearly always come back to discussing it in relation to food. I find this an excellent way to bridge the imaginary gap between what people want to know and what they do know. Wine isn't always an easy topic to learn about, so what better than to relate it to something as everyday and basic as what we put in our mouths?

The Marcus Whitman Hotel hosts the 2010
American Wine Bloggers Conference
in Walla Walla, WA

I'm also anxious to get exposure to the Washington wine industry. Hardly six months in the Willamette and I'm ever eager to explore the rest of the Pacific Northwest. It's amazing to me that just across the state line there are incredible warm weather varieties being produced like syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and zinfandel. I'm not by any means pinot weary, but it's a great opportunity to expand my tasting experiences.

So, despite my continuous absence from the blog-o-sphere over the past months (I actually got yelled at for not being a more active Tweeter!) I'll be making efforts to do some live updates while exploring Walla Walla. We'll be doing lots of tasting, learning about wine and food, discussing wine writing, visiting wineries and vineyards, and overall having a great time. There are bound to be things I'll want to share.

So if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow the hash tag #WBC10. Lots of folks will be using this to track their experiences. I'll also make some more updates to oe•no•phile too! Happy following, thanks to all our hosts, sponsors, and organizers, and here's to a good time in Walla Walla! And if you're able, please try and support the WBC Bloggership Fund - receiving a scholarship last year was what got me into this whole glorious mess to begin with.

Santé!