The 2013 Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC) took place in Logroño (Spain) from Friday, October 25 to Sunday, October 27, 2013. Formerly called European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC), it was the sixth such annual event. Previous conferences took place in Spain, Portugal, Austria, Italy and Turkey.
The DWCC is a three-day event that provides a platform for the global wine community to address today's online communications opportunities. The theme of the 2013 conference was “flavor”. The conference was attended by 250 participants from more than 30 countries.
Conference Highlights and Content
As in previous years, the 2013 conference was a highly entertaining and educational mix of workshops, lectures, tastings and winery visits with lunches/dinners.
There were 30 or so parallel workshops, lectures and tastings on Friday and Saturday, in 3 different meeting rooms: Panos Kakaviatos led an interesting discussion about the impact of climate change on wine making. Doug Frost introduced us to the 3 subregions of Rioja. The “Aged Rioja Tasting” was extremely popular and the limited number of seats were quickly taken. Tyler Coleman and others tried to provide an answer to the question: “What is wine communication and who are the wine communicators in 2013”. David White and others addressed the issue of “Challenges of a Global Brand in Communicating Socially”. Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz led a tasting of “Native Iberian Varieties”.
On both days, there were walk-around tastings in the lobby from 9 am to 3 pm. On the first day, it was all Rioja producers. On the second day, there were also other, including Portuguese, producers.
The first day ended with a winery visit and dinner at the winery. We were taken by bus to 6 different wineries. I had the pleasure to visit Bodegas Baigorri. It was an extraordinary evening.
A gala dinner in Laguardia was the highlight of the second day.
The third day was comprised of excursions to wineries. You could choose between different tours. My group visited Bodegas Bilbainas in Haro and Bodegas Palacio in Laguardia, where we also had lunch.
Pre- and Post Conference Activities
The 3 conference days were preceded by the legendary “Bring Your Own Bottle Party” on the evening and an optional visit of and lunch at Bodegas Dynastia Vivanco in Briones during the day before the conference (on Thursday).
Finally, before and after the DWCC 2013 there were a number of press trips, for which you could sign up. My wife Annette Schiller and I participated in a fascinating 3 day pre-conference trip to Porto, the Vino Verde Region and the Douro Valley.
Conference Sponsors and Organizers
The 2013 conference was sponsored by the Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja, and organized by Ryan and Gabriella Opaz and Robert McIntosh of social media company Vrazon in partnership with Catavino.net, a site dedicated to Iberian food and wine culture.
Christian Schiller and DWCC/EWBC
This was be my third DWCC/EWBC; I participated in the 2010 conference in Vienna in Austria and in the 2011 conference in Brescia in Italy. I enjoyed these conferences very much.
Here are my postings on schiller-wine.
Austria
The 2010 European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) in Vienna
Wine Producer Austria - Not Only Gruener Veltliner
Willi Klinger Leads Tasting of Austria's Undiscovered Stars at EWBC 2010 in Vienna
Picking and Drinking Gruener Veltliner with Ewald Gruber sen. and jun., Weingut Gruber, Weinviertel, Austria
Lunch with Silvia Prieler, Weingut Prieler, Schuetzen am Gebirge, Austria
Chef Martin Weiler Suggests Amazing Food to Go With Gruener Veltliner
Producing Wines in Austria and Hungary - Franz and Franz Reinhard Weninger
With the WienWein Winemakers in Vienna in the Heurigen Drinking Gemischter Satz Wine
Wine and Food from Burgenland at Wachter-Wieslers Ratschen, Deutsch-Schuetzen, Austria - with Tom and Christoph Wachter and Julia Sevenich
Meeting “John” Nittnaus from Gols, Burgenland, Austria
Guerilla Wine Tasting with Gottfried Lamprecht from Herrenhof in Vienna, Austria
Internet Guru and Medical Doctor go Wine: Weingut StephanO in Suedburgenland
Italy
Blogging, Wining and Dining at the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC) October 2011 in Brescia, Italy – A Tour D’ Horizont
The Up and Coming Premium Sparklers of Franciacorta (#EWBC), Italy
The Premium Sparklers of il Mosnel, Franciacorta, Italy
The 1 Star Michelin Food of Chef Stefano Cerveni from the due colombe Ristorante and the Premium Sparklers of il Mosnel, Franciacorta - Wining and Dining at il Mosnel, Italy
An Apero at Zucca in Galleria in Milano, Italy
Wining, Dining and Blogging in Chianti Classico (#EWBC), Tuscany, Italy
Dining and Wining where the Royals Eat: Dario Cecchini’s Solo Cicca Restaurant in Panzano– the Butcher of Chianti Classico
Meeting Wine Maker Paolo Cianferoni at his Caparsa Estate in Chianti Classico, Italy
Wining and Dining at Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany with Wine Makers and Owners Roberto and Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti, Italy
Extraordinary Art and Wines at Castello di Ama in Chianti Classico, Italy
Tasting Wines where Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was Born – With Wine Maker and General Manager Francesco Nardi at Vignamaggio Estate in Chianti Classico, Italy
Visiting Barone Francesco Ricasoli and his Castello di Brolio in Chianti Classico, Italy
Wining and Blogging in the Soave Region, Italy
Christian G.E. Schiller’s Views on Soave– a Video Interview
Visiting Balestri Valda in Soave, Italy
Meeting the Winemakers of the Soavecru Association in the Palazzo Vescovile in Monteforte d’Alpone, Soave, Italy
A Visit of Cantina di Soave, Soave, Italy
Meeting American Wine Journalist/Writer George M. Taber (who was Present at the 1976 Judgment of Paris Tasting), USA
How Recioto di Soave - a Dessert Wine - is Made: In Le Sponde Room of the Coffele Winery in Soave, Italy
Annette Schiller and Ombiasy Wine Tours
This time, I was joined by my wife Annette Schiller, founder and owner of Ombiasy Wine Tours.
See more:
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
American Whiskey Producers in Germany