Understanding Social Media Through Wine

Call it Social Media 101, and probably not for the advanced user. With so many choices out there, navigating your way through the various social media channels, and trying to figure out which is most appropriate for you, can be more difficult than a non-TV watcher trying to decipher a cable TV guide (what exactly is the OXYGN channel anyway?). With a virtual web to get tangled up in, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, so I've attempted to make social media more relatable to the average wine drinker by breaking down each medium into its more simplistic form.  Hope it helps some!


Twitter: This is the wine I'm drinking tonight… #WIYG

Facebook: Wine = Love ♥

YouTube: Here's a video of me tasting and talking about the wine I'm drinking.

LinkedIn: This is where I work in the wine industry.

Pinterest: In addition to wine, I talk about a lot of other interesting stuff too, here's the photos to prove it.

Klout: Talking about wine and stuff earns me points (hence significance) here.

Instagram: This is an artsy photo of the wine I'm drinking.

Blog: My very personal diary of wine consumption. See, I'm not an alcoholic, I'm a wine blogger.

Google+: I'm drinking this wine tonight and I love it and here's a photo of it. I don't post on here much, but will once Facebook starts charging for access.

FourSquare: I'm tasting wine at this winery/restaurant right now.

Wiki: Everything you ever wanted to know (or didn't want to know) about wine and myriad other topics but were afraid to ask.

Regional Wine Blogger Bids Sad Farewell

Hiatus… it might be the name of a painful medical condition, like “I heard he had to have surgery to fix his chronic hiatus before it did him in”. Or perhaps it’s the name of a very mysterious female body part, “As she simmered with arousal, he pressed his finger against her hiatus, watching it noticeably swell with anticipation under the heat of his magical touch”. The word “hiatus” sounds slightly better than the word “blog”, which I sadly always correlate with the word “vomit”, as in “Excuse me, I’ve really got to go, I think I’m gonna blog tonight.” And though the Hosemaster of Wine would probably argue that 99% of all wine blogs are basically vomit in essence, in this particular instance, my dreaded hiatus has nothing to do with holes in the diaphragm, natural clefts in the human anatomy or the sudden and forceful expulsion of one's stomach contents through one's mouth.

It’s true, for the past year, I’ve been living the life of a glamorous full-time wine blogger—writing nightly until three o’clock in the morning, producing posts that ultimately appealed to only a minute segment of the population, for nothing more than sheer pride in one’s work, one comment (if I was lucky, and it was usually from fellow wine blogger and ardent supporter Josh Wade) and an occasional invitation to a wine event here or there. But finally, the hard work, long hours and sacrifice has paid off; due to the surprising and overwhelming success of my blog and social media skills (and my background in wine marketing), I’ve been able to secure gainful employment in the wine industry. There were those who said blogging would be a waste of time, a waste of money, a waste of effort and precious resources. A waste of talent. I heard it all but trudged on anyway, forging my own wine trail, as I was certain (hoping) it would lead me to salvation, redemption, infamy, temptation… employment. And almost exactly one year to the date later from the inception of Sip with Me, I accepted a position as Marketing Director for a prominent Oregon winery.

So, now I’m struggling with whether or not this blog is a conflict of interest to my new job. And while I don’t’ think it is in principal (high tides raise all ships after all), it certainly is a competition for my time, energy and focus. So, I’ve made the painfully difficult yet practical decision to tear myself away from Sip with Me for a bit to focus again on my career—well the part of it that makes it possible for me to pay the bills anyway. Ultimately, my hope is to create a blog for the winery, but I’m still leading them towards the light, the true path. Until then, my voice may be somewhat quieter, but I hope you’ll continue to follow me on Twitter and continue to enjoy this blog as a resource when planning your next Oregon wine country outing or when you just want to escape into the romance, beauty and mystique of all that’s wine.

Infinite thanks to you all for reading and supporting me over the past year. I'm grateful for the time we've shared together and the things we've learned along the way… may we sip together again soon.

The Burning Question: So, How Many Did I Taste in a Year?

I would have never thought a year ago, I’d be where I am today. Honestly, I thought I would have tasted every, or nearly every, Oregon winery. But, here I am publicly admitting I didn’t… some might call it epic fail.

Maybe I’m just saying this because I’m drunk on all the free wine, but as it turns out, I’m glad I failed. I set a goal and I didn’t actually achieve the goal. In the process, I took a u-turn (or a turn into the Twilight Zone) and went a direction I never intended or imagined I’d go, and as it turns out, I’ve quite enjoyed the journey.

I’ll admit, I’ve been beating myself up a bit over the last few months when it became painfully apparent I wouldn’t actually achieve my goal. I kept on going though—touring, sipping, learning, blogging—regardless of what I could or couldn’t do; some might call it integrity, perhaps more accurately would be to say that wine blogging is something of an addiction. As it turns out, because of Sip with Me, I’ve seen, done and tasted more in a year than most people do in a lifetime, and that’s quite an achievement. Sharing the Oregon wine story with the world has been an added bonus, the personal reward for which I could have never anticipated.

The Burning Question

So, everyone’s asking me for the number. I officially visited 196 wineries of the 365 on my master list. That’s only 54% — a big fat fail. To be complately clear—I tasted many more wineries than 196, but didn’t officially visit their tasting rooms, so I can’t actually count them in my quest. A winery a day doesn’t seem so hard, but life, family, money, schedules, winter, navigational challenges, distance, stress and exhaustion were hurdles that jumped out at me and blocked my path more often than I anticipated.

Below is a list of the 10 Best and Worst Things I’ve Discovered About Being a Wine Blogger in the past year.

1. You meet amazing people—from winemakers, wine writers and other wine bloggers to wine lovers who are actually charged up by what you’re doing.
2. Wine samples. I’ve been able to sample a ridiculous amount of wine (reminder, mostly spat not drank).
3. From leisure to educational, wine opportunities and events abound and many doors have opened up.
4. Wine blogging = a great excuse for drinking as much wine as you want.
5. Other people think it’s cool, perhaps even romantic—and as we all know, impressing others is very important.
6. Blogging is worse than being a flasher: You’re expected to expose yourself to the public every day, and to keep upping the ante.
7. Everyone wants to use you… for free. Here post this about me, write about my event, my wine, my book, my product, my restaurant, my event space…
8. You can never leave the job at the office, like your shadow, your blog follows you wherever you go.
9. I finally understand where the word “blog” came from. Its similarity to the word Blob is no accident, and it very well might take over and smother you if you let it (see number 8 and 10).
10. A blog is really just a fancy word for Ball and Chain. You’re attached to it—all the time, you can’t just leave it behind. You’re always thinking about it, worrying about it, dragging it with you in public, in private. The two of you will become inseparable. Trust me, I’m now introduced as “This is Tamara, she’s a wine blogger.”

Okay, so my blog officially turned One. And like a typical one-year-old, my legs are just becoming sturdy beneath me and I am still just beginning to find the strength in my voice. But I’m growing fast, and I’ll be running and yelling before you know it. My journey through wine will continue as I persist in my goal to visit as many Oregon wineries as I can, though this time, without the pressure of any rigid timelines to adhere to. I hope you continue to read Sip with Me, because after all, it’s all about the wine, not about the time. On to bigger and better things!

Cheers!

Wine is Truth and Everything is Not as it Appears

The following video would not have came to be without the help of several people. A deep and heartfelt thank you to Hunter, for your inspiration and your enduring support. A special call out and hand of applause to my dear friend and creative genius Joe Herrig of Suburban Wino who helped me turn this vision into a reality, thank you Joe, for your video-making brilliance and for making the process so dang easy. Lastly, but only in order mentioned, thank you for reading, watching and indulging my passion.

Seduce Your Palate: Why Wine and Food are Better than Sex

Recently, while out for a very romantic dinner at Allium Bistro, I was seemingly participating in what could have been a culinary orgy when it occurred to me that wine and food might just be better than sex—even really good sex! Yeah, that's right, I said it. Read my guest post on DRINKnectar and find out why!

Tasting Room Etiquitte, Things Everyone Should Know

Memorial Day weekend typically indicates the start of winery touring season almost like a pistol signals the start of a race. As more and more people become aware of what a fairly inexpensive recreational activity wine tasting can be (I said wine tasting, not wine buying, though hopefully the former does lead to the latter), and with tasting rooms popping up quicker than dandelions, wineries may often find themselves pouring to a packed house. There are some things you should keep in mind which can help you plan a winning winery tour day, you’ll find them in my article on Cork’d. Until we sip again…

Cheers!

Finding Common Ground - A Tribute to Mom

Mom doesn’t like wine—never has, never will. She doesn’t like much really; her diet consists of coffee, bread, chocolate, steak, potatoes, cantaloupe and Pepsi (in that order). When I was growing up, cigarettes were really first on that list, but somehow the fear of walking around with oxygen tankfully motivated her to kick her pack-and-a-half-day habit.

Mom’s an amazing woman whom I admired while growing up for her strength and presence and then somehow tried my hardest to avoid becoming as an adult. When I recognize her mannerisms within me, rather than appreciating them, I turn and run from them like a champion sprinter—please don’t let me be like her. Does every girl fear becoming her mother?

On the rare and stupid occasions I compared Mom to Grandma, I was met with one of the most evil glares I’ve ever seen my mother wear. She does this death stare where you can feel her eyes flashing daggers that dig deep into you, searing your raw flesh. Ouch.

Mom’s mom was not a pleasant woman. She was a Polish-Jewish immigrant who married a poor man she didn’t really love and who never gave her the life she wanted. I hate to speak badly of the dead, but truthfully, she was a mean, bitter woman who was jealous of her own daughters and intent on punishing everyone and making anyone around her miserable—please don’t let me be like her. Even Grandma’s kindest words were backhanded compliments, like “With a punim (face) like that, you think you’d have found yourself a rich husband by now.” Thanks Grandma. While I guess the mother/daughter jealousy thing’s not unusual, perhaps I’m lucky I have two sons (though I did so want that daughter, why exactly again?).

Mom’s defense was and still is humor and it’s served her well over the years, both to protect her from her mother’s quick jabs and evil tongue, and also in areas beyond mere protection. One of her claims to fame is making my father belly laugh—almost daily—even after 50 years of marriage. Those deep, silent laughs that leave his stomach jiggling like a big bowl of Jello, his eyes streaming wet with tears and his lungs screaming for breath. And if you knew my dad, who’s a serious and very reserved man, you’ll know it’s not an easy feat. And it’s not just Dad, I watch her when we’re out in public; she derives immense pleasure, as if it’s her meaning in life, to make others around her laugh.

I love this about her. As a child, I also hated this about her since what I really wanted was to just slip by unnoticed most of the time, and there she was drawing attention to us.

Lucky me, I did receive her gift of sarcasm, and hopefully a tiny bit of her wit lives on in me too, but I’ve found myself completely entranced with things she’s never been remotely interested in. She tried to keep me sheltered in her world of burned barbequed steak and french fries, brainwashing me against haute cuisine, but I’ve uncovered something that’s touched the very depth of my soul, and sadly, no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to share it with her.

She doesn’t understand my passion for food and wine. She says, “Will you stop swirling that glass already.” She turns her nose up when I mention the foods I'm enjoying. She has no patience or comprehension of wine tasting, my project, articles I’ve written or this blog for that matter. I’d be willing to wager a guess she’s never even looked at my blog or even knows what a blog is (if you ever do look Mom, I love you!). Though her mind is open in most areas, she’s more finicky than a child when it comes to food and drink. It’s one of our greatest differences and I’m perfectly at peace with that. So, while Mom may not like wine and I’ll never like coffee, at least we can always agree on chocolate.

Happy Mother’s Day to inspiring and loving moms everywhere! Until we sip again…

Cheers!

Guest Blog: Sip with Me’s Best-Kept Secrets Revealed – Top 10 Oregon Value Wines

When I hear the words “value wine”, some of the first visual images that pop into my mind are those of jugs and boxes (no I’m not talking sexual innuendo here, sorry Clive). Value wine doesn’t have to mean cheap or unpalatable, but it should mean good wine at a good price. When Bernie Gehret of portlandoregonwine asked me to guest blog about some of my favorite Oregon “best values”, I was both honored and challenged. But I'm not going to tell you my 10 Oregon value wines and best kept secrets here, if you want to know you'll have to read the rest of the story here.

Ten Things Make Ten Smiles

Kind of like the new version of the chain letter, a few days ago, my dear friend Rachel tagged me in her wonderful blog 6512 and Growing. Rachel usually moves me to tears with her words, so her challenge to list ten things that make me smile was ever more fitting. While the list is hard to keep at 10, these images popped into my head and just thinking about them made the corners of my mouth turn upwards. So, thanks for tagging me and here's my smiles in reverse order!

10. Beautiful gifts from nature.

9. Skinnydipping.

(Did you really think I would post a photo?)

8. Diving through waves in a warm ocean.

7. Dreaming about endless possibilities.

6. Skiing through soft powder.

5. The warm sun on my aching body.

4. My adorable kitties snuggling up together.

3. Shayden being Shayden.

2. My sweet husband making me dinner.

And finally, the thing about to put a big smile on my face right now:

1. A glass of good wine at the end of a busy day.

 

I'm opting out and choosing not to tag anyone. Does that mean I'll have seven years of bad luck? I sincerely hope not, I've certainly had my share… but if so, bring it on. I'd really love to hear what makes you smile, so please leave a comment before you go. Until we sip again…

Cheers!