The Napa Valley Tweetup - Wine Meets the Social Web at the Robert Mondavi Winery
Have you ever "tweeted up"?
Say you're at the San Francisco airport with a delayed flight, and you send out a message (tweet) for an impromptu tweetup at the Anchor Steam bar in Terminal 3. You use the "hashtag" (or keyword) #SFO to catch the attention of other Twitter users, and hopefully a few people show up and you make some new friends.
Well, times have certainly changed.
Just as Twitter has evolved from a "micro-blogging" platform to a conglomerate news source, market research tool, customer service outlet, and communication channel, the tweetup has followed suit - and Napa didn't disappoint.
Pictured: A glass of the 2006 Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard I-Block Fume Blanc
Credit: Rick Breslin [Twitpic]
Organized by Silicon Valley Tweetup founder Gabriel Carrejo (of Excite Social Media), the inaugural Napa Valley Tweetup was a two-day event with three different sessions in which to take part. Support was provided by Vintank (a Napa-based digital think tank for the wine industry), Cruvee (social media monitoring for wineries), and the Robert Mondavi Winery, who hosted/sponsored the sessions on Friday evening and Saturday. In addition, all ticket and raffle proceeds from the event went to benefit the Napa Valley Education Foundation.
Welcome to the Social
The Friday afternoon session was actually a Social Media Seminar with a focus on the wine industry. Wineries, marketers, and PR pros gathered to hear Paul Mabray (Vintank), Jennifer Leggio (ZDNet), and Michael Brito (Edelman Digital) offer advice and guidance for social networking best practices, both as a winery and wine industry professional. The overarching themes were authenticity, engagement, and of course, content. In addition, some of Twitter tools and resources such as TweepSearch (a Twitter profile search engine) were discussed. The insightful conversation was extended an additional hour, and I found the opportunity to meet and network with my Twitter friends IRL [in real life] to be quite rewarding.
Time for the Wine
On Friday evening, the event moved over to the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery on Highway 29 in Oakville. A networking mixer was held in the picturesque To Kalon cellar, complete with live jazz music, hors d'oeuvres, and of course, phenomenal wines. Tweets including the #NapaValleyTweetup "hashtag" were being sent from smartphones, helping to aggregate the conversation. Check out the pic on the right, taken by Mark de Vere (Master of Wine, who also conducted tastings at the event), to give you an idea of the beautiful ambience.
At the tasting, we were able to enjoy Fumé Blanc (aka Sauvignon Blanc) from the famous To Kalon vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon from the renown Stags Leap District, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Carneros vineyards. The event showcased the exquisite quality of wines being produced by the Napa Valley winery and winemaker Genevieve Janssens. The wines were enhanced by all the amazing friends and excellent conversations that seamlessly transitioned from the online to offline world.
Here Comes the Sun
Saturday's event took the tweetup partipants to three separate wineries: Krupp Brothers, Hall, and Chappellet. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Saturday's tasting tour, but you can easily follow the action by searching the #NapaValleyTweetup "hashtag" on Twitter.com, where people are starting to post photos and videos of their experiences. If you were at the Saturday event, please post links to your blog posts, pics, and vids in the comments below.
So, when's the next one?!
I will be the first to let you know, and I hope to clink glasses with you at the next Napa Valley Tweetup.
Cheers!
Rick Breslin
Hello Vino
