More about bloggers and the wine industry

My friend and colleague over at California Life: Better Than Happy Hour continues the discussion that has been going on here and at other online wine forums about how bloggers and the wine industry interact. Winedivergirl starts off on just the right note with her opening paragraph:

I believe wineries and bloggers have a LOT to offer each other.  And together they have so much to offer consumers.  So I’m looking for all the ways wineries and bloggers are currently connected (if at all) and new and improved ways for them to evangelize the beautiful power of wine.

The power of wine is beautiful, isn’t it? What a nice way of putting it. She then comes up with some very unique and original ideas that I like. I really like this one:

Other possibilities I see for wineries and bloggers to come together?  Host a guest blogger for a month: either pay them or the charity of their choice for them to write about your winery, winemaker, wine, vineyards, etc.  Events:  sponsor or offer scholarships to various wine tasting events to help bloggers get there.  Host a guest blogger to pour in your tasting room for a day.  Ok, this may be a strange one, but especially if there are winery tours available, what an amazing way for a blogger to learn and connect with the company/family and your consumers for a day.  Kind of like an exchange program. (no, you wouldn’t write for their blog   Include bloggers in fosuced research or think-tank like conversations about planning your year, events, marketing.  Again, maybe a stretch, but I think they offer expertise in areas we can lose sight of from inside the winery operations.  And they will know consumers better than almost anyone…because they are the wine industry’s BEST consumers.

Go over and read the rest of her excellent post. I am very glad that this discussion is continuing, bloggers and the wine industry may benefit, but the real winner will be the consumer.

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