Photos: Wine Bloggers Conference and Russian River Valley Hike

Kevin and I returned from California late Tuesday afternoon. I’m still exhausted and still functioning in the west coast time zone.

The Wine Bloggers Conference was jam-packed with activity, wine, and fun. From the tasting at Kick Ranch Vineyards and liveblogging session on Friday afternoon to the Unconference and Luxe Sonoma tasting on Sunday morning, there was hardly a moment to rest. It was an amazing group of bloggers, wineries, and PR folks. I can’t even express how great it was to walk into the room and know so many of the people there, because we’d met through blogging and twitter. It further illustrates my theory that online social media is there to help us meet people in real life. It breaks down barriers for us, and makes those face to face meetings more comfortable.

I’ll cover some different parts of the conference over the next few weeks. I haven’t unpacked yet, which means all my notes are still buried. You can, however, track what happened at the conference by our overwhelming Twitter feed and, until I get everything up, I leave you with a slideshow of the conference and our excellent hike (really, a strenuous walk) through Saralee’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. You can see all of our photos, including our personal trips through San Francisco, Tiburon, Santa Rosa, and the Dry Creek Valley by visiting our California Flickr collection.

Cincinnati Wine Events 10/12 – 10/18

For now it seems as if the weather has turned and fall has finally arrived. I hesitate to get too excited. An indian summer might be right around the corner. Festivals and Halloween are on the horizon, as well as some great autumn food events.

As usual, it’s a big list of events, so we’ve compiled it on one page for your reading pleasure. (For information on Dayton, you can refer to Mark’s blog at Uncorked.) If you know of tastings or events that we missed in the Cincinnati area, or if we have incorrect information, please email us and we’ll add it to the list.

You may note that the tastings in KY are mostly free, and the tastings in Ohio charge at least .25. It’s illegal for a retailer to give alcohol away in Ohio, so they charge you, but many times it’s a nominal fee.

Tell them we sent you, and happy tasting!

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

You can also click the map icons in the detailed listings to view the maps. 

Download 1012.pdf (An easy-to-print PDF of all the events in this blog post. The PDF may not contain the latest and greatest information, as this list is often updated after publish.)

As usual, the Friday photo is brought to you from the talented folks at Cincy Images.

Follow the "Continue reading" jump at the bottom for Friday – Thursday tastings. Upcoming events are listed at the end.

Cheers!

Read the rest of this entry »

Cincinnati Wine Events 10/5 – 10/11

As usual, it’s a big list of events, so we’ve compiled it on one page for your reading pleasure. (For information on Dayton, you can refer to Mark’s blog at Uncorked.) Are you accessing this list on the go? Visit our streamlined mobile site on your cell phone (http://winegirl.mobi).

If you know of tastings or events that we missed in the Cincinnati area, or if we have incorrect information, please email us and we’ll add it to the list.

You may note that the tastings in KY are mostly free, and the tastings in Ohio charge at least .25. It’s illegal for a retailer to give alcohol away in Ohio, so they charge you, but many times it’s a nominal fee.

Tell them we sent you, and happy tasting!

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

You can also click the map icons in the detailed listings to view the maps. 

Download 1005.pdf (An easy-to-print PDF of all the events in this blog post)

As usual, the Friday photo is brought to you from the talented folks at Cincy Images.

Follow the "Continue reading" jump at the bottom for Friday – Thursday tastings. Upcoming events are listed at the end.

Cheers!

Read the rest of this entry »

Cincinnati Wine Events 9/28- 10/4

As usual, it’s a big list of events, so we’ve compiled it on one page for your reading pleasure. (For information on Dayton, you can refer to Mark’s blog at Uncorked.) If you know of tastings or events that we missed in the Cincinnati area, or if we have incorrect information, please email us and we’ll add it to the list.

You may note that the tastings in KY are mostly free, and the tastings in Ohio charge at least .25. It’s illegal for a retailer to give alcohol away in Ohio, so they charge you, but many times it’s a nominal fee.

Tell them we sent you, and happy tasting!

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

You can also click the map icons in the detailed listings to view the maps.

Download 0928.pdf (An easy-to-print PDF of all the events in this blog post)

As usual, the Friday photo is brought to you from the talented folks at Cincy Images.

Follow the "Continue reading" jump at the bottom for Friday – Thursday tastings. Upcoming events are listed at the end.

Cheers!

Read the rest of this entry »

Bourbon Country

I can’t tell you much about our recent trip to the distilleries here in Kentucky, as it’s going into print. But I can direct you to the photos. My favorites are of the Bed & Breakfast and their dog Gabe. We were also able to attend the Opening Night Gala of the Stephen Foster Story, a musical on the grounds of My Old Kentucky Home that is heading into its 49th season.
Enjoy!