Be that said, I am not opposed to free wine. I spent many years in advertising and marketing. I understand that sample wines are part of marketing and creating buzz and early opinions. There is nothing better to speak for a good product than the product itself - and why not put the product into the willing hands (mouths) of those who are writing nearly always for no remittance about these products anyway. Most of the other bloggers I have read who accept samples disclose it as such when they review the wine. That’s honest. They don’t promise to like the wine – but do they anyway out of predisposition? Perhaps sometimes. So what? How seriously are you going to take someone else’s opinion on something so subjective anyway? No disrepect to those who do review wines. I read reviews. I learn from some. I enjoy reviews of budget and everyday wines, but I also like to read some reviews of exalted or special or rare wines that I will probably never, but who knows, ever get to actually taste.

From the  Wine Bloggers Conference I personally got a lot of ideas and positive energy. I see that as a virtual social community we can be the influencers of wine in many ways. I believe in the power of collaboration and hope the other bloggers from my region continue to feel the same way. The connections made at the conference have helped in numerous ways already. Everyone out there writing about wine come at it from their own perspective and interest, and has something valid to contribute. You just have to figure out who speaks to you.

As bloggers we need to know who our audience is. Are we writing content for other bloggers specifically to read, or for wine consumers and enthusiasts? Me? I love reading blogs from other bloggers about the thing we love to do but I’m pretty sure that is of little interest to the audience reading my blog. I am most grateful for the experience given to me as a scholarship recipient attending the North American Wine Bloggers Conference and can’t wait to attend the 2012 conference in Portland but it’s time to get back to work.

I recently wrote about cork sustainability. That is an interesting subject. I have upcoming posts on new aroma studies, wines from New England, and an opinion of the restrictive shipping laws that still exist in many states. I just visited Virginia and enjoyed some wines that I would like to drink from time to time. I live in Massachusetts, a state that does not allow the consumer to receive wine directly. There are no distributors carrying those wines here. I’m an American citizen. I should be able to order wine from another state if I want. Anyway, a post for another time…

On the Robert Parker Board there is a discussion on the antiquated monopoly being run by the State of Pennsylvania in the governance of State Stores. The talk centers around a report issued by a group called Commonwealth Foundation. They have recently published a report showing that the sale of Pennsylvania’s State-run Liquor stores would result in a 1.7 billion dollar windfall to the cash poor state with a continuing $350 million per year in taxes. The report refutes state claims that privatization of alcohol purchases would result in increases in underage drinking, DUI’s and assorted undesirable outcomes. A comparison between state governed alcohol sales and private sales showed nothing to substantiate such claims. The full report can be found here www.commonwealthfoundation.org.

A group of wine lovers in Massachusetts are anxiously awaiting a decision from the 1st U. S. District Court there which would allow California wineries to ship their product to buyers in that state. The court is scheduled to hear the appeal next week. Massachusetts is one of several states that do not allow wines to be shipped from out-of-state. These antiquated laws were designed to protect local wineries but do little except frustrate wine lovers who are rendered unable to purchase wines directly from the out-of-state producers. Unfortunately, NEW JERSEY and PENNSYLVANIA are among the states which subscribe to this legal morass.

Roy Piper, a frequent poster on the Parker wine board, lives in the Napa Valley area and from time to time posts beautiful photos that he takes of the wineries in and around Napa and Sonoma. He has a current “thread” on the boards with some of his latest excellent shots. Here are a few samples: 

                                                                                                                                                                   Over on the Wine Spectator Board the buzz is all about the upcoming Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of the Year which will be announced in about 2 weeks. There is always a lot of speculation about which wine will be named the Wine of the Year. This honor usually results in a run on that particular wine which drives the price up by about 50%. Selection is usually based on a combination of a high Wine Spectator rating combined with adequate availability of the wine. In other words, a truly great wine that is in limited supply would not be eligible for Wine of the Year. Anyway, it makes for interesting discussion as everyone makes their prediction on what wines will be on the list. Last years Wine of the Year for 2008 was the 2005 Casa Lapostelle, Clos Apalta. It had received a 96 rating and sold for $75.00 prior to be named Number One. Stay tuned the 2009 winner is  on the horizon. 

That’s about it for this issue of Wine in the Board Rooms. You can learn a lot about wine by signing up on these two boards and just making periodic visits to eavesdrop on what wine lovers are talking about. It’s free and it’s fun.