…or Why I Haven’t Written Here in a While

Two weeks ago, I led 20+ dedicated wine writers on an in-depth tour of the Willamette Valley wine regions. The event, a conference really, is something I started last year. I call it Wine Writers’ Educational Tours. My goal is to give serious wine writers a very deep and broad experience in a different, important wine region each year.

It’s much more comprehensive than typical press tours or regional visits they might arrange on their own. For four consecutive days, writers bounced out of the hotel and clambered into a bus by 8am. The packed schedule didn’t let them troop back to their rooms until (well) after 10pm. In between, they saw, they listened, they tasted, they communed, they asked questions, they photographed, and they took detailed notes.

I produce the event myself. It’s hundreds hours of work. I revisit the region and consult other experts to update and supplement my knowledge. I scout locations. I create the agenda. I line up winery hosts and make the hotel arrangements. I invite and coordinate with all the wineries and panelists I choose. I select most every wine myself, based on tasting hundreds and also discussions with winemakers and other authorities. I create all the collateral, including the tasting mats, detailed plans for every seminar and meal, a 32-page booklet for the writers, and a detailed backgrounder on all the writers for participating wineries.

The Format of Wine Writers’ Educational Tours conferences

As a writer and educator, I have attended many events focused on wine education, including seminars, tastings, conferences, and press tours. My goal with Wine Writers’ Educational Tours is to accentuate the positive aspects I’ve experienced in those, but change or eliminate the elements I haven’t found successful. I try to foster connections between the writers, winery personnel, and others important to that region. My goal is to initiate a close relationship between each writer and the region, one based on understanding, respect, and, ideally, passion.

Every session at WWET is focused solely on the wine region we’re in. Each conference is customized to immerse writers in both the gestalt of that place and the individuality of its sub-regions. Every wine in the conference is chosen not just because it’s very good, but because it illustrates one or more particular points about style, varietal distribution and typicity, AVA character, effect of soil or climate, etc. No wineries buy their way in.

There are no walk-around tastings. Those aren’t conducive to focus and don’t communicate enough context. They force winery representatives to repeat the same handful of talking points over and over again, but nothing more. And they make detailed analysis and note-taking all but impossible. 

Every WWET tasting is seated. All the glassware is ideal for the style of wine. Every wine is represented by someone who speaks about it, the winery, and the region with authority for 10–15 minutes. And the settings are generally epic.

The elegant setup at Ponzi Vineyards‘ Laurelwood center in the Chehalem Mountains for two extensive Pinot Noir tastings.

Elaine Brown appreciates the view from Ponzi Vineyards’ Laurelwood before her seminars.

I moderate most of the seminars, but they are panels and the focus is on four-to-six experts providing a range of information from their unique perspectives. Every meal is focused too, the wines carefully selected and given context by the attending producers.

Esteemed writer, illustrator, and speaker Elaine Brown moderates a detailed session on Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir featuring Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards, Tom Mortimer of Le Cadeau, Stephen Goff of Colene Clemens, and Jim Anderson of Patricia Green Cellars.

WWET conferences are more than passively educational. They are engaging, surprising, motivating, emotional at times, and certainly fun. They may also be a little grueling. They are definitely not free boondoggles. Writers pay their own travel and hotel, plus a very moderate conference fee.

In the coming weeks, I’ll give you a look at the events of WWET Willamette Valley, including my thoughts but especially through links to articles from the talented attending writers. It’s not possible to run a conference, moderate a session and also taste and listen analytically while taking detailed notes.

Here are the first to articles to come out:

Rick Dean Link of Strong Coffee to Red Wine provides an overview of the conference and points out some of his highlights in Tasting Willamette — Damnit. [Folks from the valley helpfully point out to mispronouncing visitors that Willamette rhymes with dammit.]

John and Linda Compisi of Bites, Flights, and Sights reflect on the first day’s events (and the bonus dinner which preceded it) in The Wonderful Wines of the Willamette — Part 1.

Copyright Fred Swan 2019. Featured image of Brooks Winery by Fred Swan. Three embedded photos courtesy of Rie Langdon. All rights reserved.

About the author: Fred Swan is an Oakland-based wine writer, educator, and event sommelier. He’s written for GuildSomm.com, Daily.SevenFifty.com, The Tasting Panel, SOMM Journal, PlanetGrape.com, and other outlets. Fred teaches a wide range of classes at the San Francisco Wine School. He’s founder/producer of Wine Writers’ Educational Tours, an annual, educational conference for professional wine writers. He also leads seminars, private wine tours, and conducts tastings, dinners, and events for wineries, companies, and private parties. Fred’s certifications include WSET Diploma, Certified Sommelier, California Wine Appellation Specialist, Certified Specialist of Wine, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, Napa Valley Wine Educator, Northwest Wine Appellation Specialist, and Level 3 WSET Educator. He’s twice been awarded a fellowship by the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers.