Drink Local in Virginia

By now, you should know that I am a big supporter of the local wine (and food) movement. This year, the DrinkLocalWine.com conference will be held in Virginia, shining a spot light on the state’s burgeoning wine industry. I am planning on attending if I can swing it. I’ll report back with any special insights.

Below is a copy of the announcement:

DrinkLocalWine.com will hold its second annual conference April 24-26, 2010, in Loudoun County, Va. The event, presented by the Virginia Wine Board, will focus on the diversity and quality of the 157 wineries in The Old Dominion.

“The Virginia Wine Board is pleased to sponsor the second annual Drink Local Wine Conference,” says Rock Stephens, the wine board chairman. “In 1979, Virginia had only six wineries and today we have well over 150. From the Shenandoah to Jefferson’s Monticello to George Washington’s birthplace to Virginia’s Eastern Shore, we are proud of the diversity and quality of wines produced in Virginia and look forward to providing attendees the opportunity to experience, as well as, sample some of our outstanding vintages.”

The conference, which is open to the public, will feature some of foremost wines in Virginia and Maryland, the top winemakers and growers, and the region’s leading sommeliers. In addition, some of the best wine bloggers and writers in the country will attend.

DLW 2010 will include three panel discussions focusing on issues unique to Virginia and regional wine – its grapes and terroir, how the state’s winemakers have used social media to advance their cause, and why local wine should be part of the local food movement. There will also be a Virginia Twitter Tasteoff, where participants will be able to blog or Twitter about the wines they’re tasting. Admission is $65, which includes the three panels, lunch, and the Twitter Taste-off.

Virginia is the fifth-largest wine producing state in the country, and the state has made important strides in the past decade in producing world-class Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc and red Bordeaux blends.

DLW 2010 follows the success of DrinkLocalWine.com’s first conference in Dallas in 2009, which featured Texas wine and sold out within days. DLW also holds an annual Regional Wine Week in October, in which more than 40 wine bloggers, writers and columnists from the U.S. and Canada write about their favorite regional wines, ranging from Ontario to New York to Florida to Texas to Colorado.

DrinkLocalWine.com’s goal is to spotlight wine made in the 47 states and Canada that aren’t California, Washington, and Oregon. It’s the brainchild of Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre and wine blogger Jeff Siegel, the Wine Curmudgeon.

Other conference sponsors are Landsdowne Resort, Tuscarora at the Mill and Magnolias at the Mill.
For information or to register, call (978) 276-9463 or send an email.

Tags: drink local wine, drinklocalwine.com, virginia