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Press Release: EWBC 2013 – Conference Speakers Announced


EWBC 2013 logo

EWBC – DIGITAL WINE COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE 2013
ANNOUNCES SPEAKERS
The EWBC Digital Wine Communications Conference (Logroño – Spain, October 25-27) welcomes speakers Julia Harding MW, Dr. José Vouillamoz,
Doug Frost MS MW, Tim Hanni MW, Robert Joseph and Jesús Barquín.
The only international event dedicated to the convergence of wine and the web, the annual, three-day EWBC – digital wine communications conference provides a platform for the global wine community to address today’s online communications opportunities. It aims to build an international network of wine communicators, encouraging the acquisition of skills and information and the exchange of expertise across national, linguistic and professional boundaries.
The theme of the 2013 conference is ‘Flavour’, reflecting the diversity of the world of wine, not just in terms of regions, grape varieties, wines and those who communicate about them, but also suggesting the multitude of shapes, forms and styles that the related communications can take.
Conference speakers
One of the highlights of the conference will be Saturday October 26th’s Grand Terroir tasting, lead by Julia Harding MW and Dr. José Vouillamoz.
UK resident Julia Harding MW worked as a book editor specialising in languages and linguistics before turning her attention to wine. After five years with UK supermarket Waitrose in their wine-buying department, she became Jancis Robinson’s full-time researcher, co-ordinator and associate palate in 2005. She has worked on the most most recent editions of The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine, contributes to http://www.JancisRobinson.com, and co-authored Wine Grapes with Jancis Robinson MW and Dr. José Vouillamoz. She lectures, mentors MW students and has judged many wine competitions around the world.
Dr. José Vouillamoz is a Swiss grape geneticist; he worked with the ground-breaking team of grape geneticists at the University of California, Davis, and is a botanist and grape expert of international reknown. With co-authors Jancis Robinson MW and Julia Harding MW he wrote Wine Grapes, which includes details about some 300 previously unpublished relationships between different grape varieties. A keynote speaker at EWBC 2012 in Izmir (Turkey), Dr. Vouillamoz comments: “EWBC is like a beehive for wine knowledge: everybody is willing to contribute with some pollen and nectar, to transform it into honey and to share it enthusiastically with the other workers. I am thrilled to be a bee at EWBC.”
Kansas City-based author Doug Frost MS MWwrites and lectures about wine, beer and spirits (he is one of only three people in the world to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles). From jobs as a bartender, waiter and wine steward in the late 1970s he progressed to become a fine wine wholesaler for 14 years. He has published a number of books, including Far From Ordinary: The Spanish Wine Guide, the third edition of which was released in late 2011. A contributor to many publications including the Oxford Companion of Wine and Hugh Johnson’s World Atlas of Wine, he also provides consultancy to retailers, restaurateurs and wineries on marketing, merchandising, sales, education and sensory perception.
American Tim Hanni MW is a professionally-trained chef who has been involved with wine- and food-related businesses, education and research for over 35 years. His techniques for creating wine lists and retail wine programmes are combined with culinary philosophies on balancing food and wine flavours; these techniques were the foundation for creating Vignon, a flavour-balancing seasoning. Hanni is recognised for introducing the concept of the “umami” taste to the wine and food community; he lectures on flavour balancing, sensory sciences, wine and culinary history, and his latest book, “Why You Like The Wines You Like”, examines the physiological and psychological aspects of flavour preference.
Robert Joseph developed an interest in wine while growing up in his parent’s hotel in the UK. He spent six years in Burgundy, learning about its wines and working with US broker Becky Wasserman, before returning to the UK where he subsequently launched what became Wine International magazine, founded the International Wine Challenge competition, became wine writer for the Sunday Telegraph, and wrote some 30 books. He is Contributing Editor for Wine Business International, and has chaired over 50 wine competitions across the globe. His blog is The Joseph Report.
Jesús Barquín is a leading figure in Spanish food and wine circles (in 2006 he was awarded the National Gastronomy Prize for his contribution to the diffusion of Spanish food and wine culture around the world). He has written and contributed to many books, magazines and newspapers in Spain, the UK, USA, Puerto Rico, and Chile, including The Finest Wines of Rioja and NW Spain, The World of Fine Wine and El Mundo. He is also involved in wine production, co-leading the Equipo Navazos who make the “La Bota de…” collection, a very-well received series of limited selections from Andalusian bodegas. Jesús won the 2010 edition of the Vila Viniteca Wine Tasting Competition for Pairs, and is member of the Spanish team, runner-up in 2009 and 2010 in the European Tasting Championship. His day job is as professor of criminal law at the University of Granada; he has authored several books and many articles on criminal law and criminology.
Details of other speakers will be announced in due course.
Content
EWBC 2013 delegates will attend a wide range of educational wine tastings as well as experience Riojan wine and food culture and hospitality in events, tastings, winery visits and tourism opportunities. They will also be able to taste a wide range of wines from other countries via sponsored tastings held during the event.
As well as discussion topics inspired by the ‘Flavour’ theme, the conference will look at developments in the years since the first event. The event will feature, as always, a number of communications and technical workshops on the skills needed by wine communicators in the 21st century.
Conference sponsors
The 2013 conference is sponsored be 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.
2013 sees the EWBC celebrating its sixth anniversary (previous events have been run in Spain, Portugal, Austria, Italy and Turkey) and an enthusiastic return to Rioja, scene of the very first conference, held in 2008. The conference will take place in and around the northern Spanish city of Logroño, and in other towns of the wine regions of La Rioja and Alava, within easy travelling distance of many European locations.
Sign up and bookings
Delegates will be able to benefit from special rate bookings with conference partners, details of which will be published on the EWBC website.

Press Release from the office of Louise Hutton.

louisehurren@wanadoo.fr
skype: louise.hurren
+33 (0)6 17 66 02 53 (mobile)
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This entry was posted on April 9, 2013 by in News. and tagged , , , , , , , .

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