Disqus - Friends of randyhall

Re: European Wine Bloggers Conference review

thirstforwine — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:43:33 -0000

oh no, that was a modern 'noughties' invention :)

Re: Are you a wine gamer?

thirstforwine — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:38:02 -0000

not sure I need more distraction on the iPhone, but hopefully it will be fun at least.

Re: Am I qualified to give advice?

thirstforwine — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:16:33 -0000

thanks - wow, was a while ago I wrote this :)

what does the e-learning course cost? Must say I have not done online courses, but could be interesting to look at

Re: Buy me a glass of wine?

thirstforwine — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:15:30 -0000

didn't realise the prosecco event had been there - nice!

Re: London Wine Fair Gets Social

thirstforwine — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:25:45 -0000

I'll definitely try and make it over there. Have fun!

Re: Wikio Gastronomy Rankings for May - Sneak Preview

thirstforwine — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:37:34 -0000

LOL - I must admit I'm a little sceptical of my own position too ... but hopefully a few more links like this one will help you (hence my point about this being self-fulfilling)

Re: tikichris to go

thirstforwine — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:43:52 -0000

life is so short, there is only so much money to go around, and there are just too many great wines

some of it has to be lived vicariously :)

Re: tikichris to go

thirstforwine — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:25:52 -0000

I'm jealous!

Re: The Social Wine Brand

thirstforwine — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:59:11 -0000

Of course! From what I hear from Ryan the research you are doing for your thesis would be incredibly interesting for all of us.

I think Per picked me up on a lack of clarity so i am attempting to address that now with a follow-up post looking at this from the perspective of wine writers. I hope it will be up this afternoon (after careful scrutiny from Ryan and Gabriella I hope)

Re: The Social Wine Brand

thirstforwine — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:39:03 -0000

Per, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. I will try to respond, reminding you that the post, and this reply, are MY point of view only.

First, this conference is a collaborative effort, so my view is one amongst many. If participants agree on going in a different direction, then that is where we are likely to go.

Second, I apologise if this is the impression you got. This is not intended to be just about wineries using social media, but it IS about a process that naturally STARTS with wineries - particularly when it comes to a conversation that involves wineries.

I did not have the time to explore ALL options around the Social Wine Brand in one post. I realise that maybe I have not done enough to explain the role and opportunities for wine bloggers, but I promise to address that in the next instalment. I also have to look at wine retailing, but branding is a process that involves everyone, particularly now.

I would take issue with one thing you say;
"I had thought of the EWBC as a meeting place for bloggers writing about wine out of passion and interest (not as a marketing tool)"

This is a conference for ALL bloggers. I have always maintained that wine blogging is not all about journalism or wine critique, it covers a broad range of interests, all the way up the chain from production, to retail and beyond to consumer feedback. Many of those attending will be both wine producers and retailers, so they too have things to learn from the discussion. One cannot ignore this, and there are lots of bloggers hoping to make a living out of the practice, so we must look at the value chain and where, therefore, there are monetisation opportunities.

I think a conference that ONLY appealed to wine lovers and not to the practicalities of the broader wine business might be little more than a fun tasting event. If wine blogging is to be taken seriously, then we must be prepared to look beyond pure "passion" for wine, and look seriously at where we can add value.

I hope this makes sense and still appeals to you. I'm more than happy to continue the process of trying to define, and clarify, the overall theme of the conference, and I'm still prepared to accept that I may need to change my own views.

Thank you so much for getting so involved at this early stage.

Re: Not everything that sparkles is a luxury good

thirstforwine — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:44:00 -0000

I don't suppose they have an importer? I'll look out for them.

I must admit that with the EWBC being in Lisbon this year, I'm that little bit more aware of the Portuguese tastings, so if I can't get them here, I might still look out for them in Portugal. You never know, they might decide to come along ;)

Re: Wine is not just for wine bloggers

thirstforwine — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:48:55 -0000

don't have that level of detail - this is a pitch/idea at the moment, checking on levels of interest

wine bloggers already being considered, so your name already being discussed :)

I believe, actually, that the trip could be later in the year (I may have been wrong about June), but for now all we need are people interested in getting involved

Re: Wine is not just for wine bloggers

thirstforwine — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:30:34 -0000

funny you should mention that ... but it seems to be heading in that sort of direction.

I totally agree that it sounds like it could be excellent fun

Re: Wine is not just for wine bloggers

thirstforwine — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:01:54 -0000

I'm so glad to hear that, and I'm very excited that we're bringing food & wine to a broader audience.

It does sound more like a confession than an endorsement though :)

Re: Mixing my business with your pleasure

thirstforwine — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:54:49 -0000

thanks Steve. I agree with you on the transparency issue, but sometimes, even that is not enough as you can still annoy readers IF they come wanting something else. However, if I start getting too many I will explore other options. thanks for the input

Re: Mixing my business with your pleasure

thirstforwine — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:52:54 -0000

knew I could count on you (for more offers and more information) :)

Re: Mixing my business with your pleasure

thirstforwine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:34:27 -0000

an interesting disclaimer might be a hard task to manage, but I get your point. I think that I happen to work with some progressive companies, and if they can be bothered to invest in an event or offer, then it is probably worth giving them the chance to put the offer to you. Thanks for the comment :)

Re: Mixing my business with your pleasure

thirstforwine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:32:41 -0000

well said, and thanks for your support

Re: Mixing my business with your pleasure

thirstforwine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:59:55 -0000

thanks Angella - I do like to focus on the events that have a good reason, rather than gimmicks, so will try my best

Re: Mixing my business with your pleasure

thirstforwine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:59:01 -0000

thanks. An unfortunate side-effect is that proper disclaimers/explanations can often be longer than the message itself, but I agree that openness works best in the long run. Will do my best ;)

Re: Enough is Enough: a pricing rant

thirstforwine — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:29:03 -0000

wonderful, thanks for your support.

what have you seen on "passive drinking"? links?

Re: Enough is Enough: a pricing rant

thirstforwine — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:19:11 -0000

thank you so much for your text and video comments.

good points!

also wanted to point out that in practice the minimum bottle price would be over £5 as VERY few bottles are made at 12% alc (for example 15% ABV = £5.62 minimum)

Re: Oysters and Champagne: Sharing the experience

thirstforwine — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:12:32 -0000

it was - post coming soon (but that could be a while on my posting schedule) :)

Re: Oysters and Champagne: Sharing the experience

thirstforwine — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:56:16 -0000

a demain!

Re: Social Media in a shirt

thirstforwine — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:26:42 -0000

thank you very much - I think they did very well over all, but everything helps. Feel free to visit the charity site and donate a little more :)