When, where and why did you begin blogging?

I began in July 2005 in order to chronicle this crazy adventure we had just embarked upon, buying vineyards in the South of France. The idea was mainly to keep friends and family in the loop. Then one day I was poking around some other blogs and asked if they would link to my site, that’s how it all started, Alder at Vinograpy and and Lenn at Lenn Devours both put links to my blog on their sites, and I started taking it more seriously, realizing that it could be a great way to build interest in our new endeavor and eventually in the wine itself.

In a few short sentences, summarize your intention with your wine blog.

To share the story of two crazy Americans farming vineyards, picking grapes and in the end making wine in the Southern Rhône Valley. My blog is really a diary of our experiences as relative newcomers to the profession, granted I had lots of experience in the wine industry, I had never driven a tractor or actually made wine for myself. People often write to me in admiration saying that we’re “living the dream” and I like for people to take part in that dream and also to realize how very challenging it really is.

How would you describe your readers?

My readers, as much as I know about them, seem to often be male in the 40-60 year old age group. I think that there are probably a lot of women that dream of living in Provence and making wine, but my blog shows more the reality of it, and therefore appeals less to them! When they see pictures of me driving a tractor, fixing the sprayer, with bugs on my hat etc., it takes away a little of the romance. Men on the other hand, I think it appeals more to the boy in them, the ones whose grandfathers were farmers in the mid-west, who loved riding on the tractor, bringing in the wheat etc. Making wine is definitely sexier than growing wheat!

Is blogging a professional endeavor for you or more of a personal outlet?

It started as a personal outlet, but it had grown into much more than that. Once you start to gain readership, you realize that people are out there waiting for the next chapter in the story, and when you don’t write for awhile it’s disappointing. It also created a market for our wine before it was even in the bottle, it turned out to be a great marketing tool.

What tools or resources have you found to be successful in marketing your blog?

I am a very low-tech blogger, it’s really a question of time that I don’t have, and internet ignorance! I haven’t spent any time marketing my blog, Tom Wark at Fermentation has always been my biggest supporter, and he was the one that really got the word out. Linking is pretty much the only thing that I did to try to gain readership.

How would you describe wine blogging to be different than print media?

It’s much more immediate, if I hadn’t started this blog, no one would have ever heard of La Gramiere when it arrived in the US. Many people know of our existence here whereas if we had had to rely on print media, we may still be waiting here in our little corner of Provence!

Do you believe wine blogs have made any marked impact on the wine industry or wine culture?

Definitely to those who are dedicated blog readers, but it’s surprising how many people, even wine industry professionals, never read blogs and have never heard of Fermentation or Vinography. I think it’s made an impact but the potential is much greater. Networking seems to be one of the biggest impacts of blogging. If it weren’t for my blog, no one would have ever heard of me, now, when I send an email to another blogger, I almost always get a response. It’s become a sort of insider’s club, I have no idea how far that carries outside of the blogging realm though!

Where do you see wine blogging in 10 years?

Hmmm, not sure on that one. I think the biggest challenge to serious bloggers and writers will be to find a way to validate themselves in a serious way, print media is still where most people want to be. It still is the measure of success, mainly in my opinion because you can make a living in print media whereas blogging doesn’t yet pay the bills for 99% of the people out there doing it. At least that’s my impression, maybe I’ll learn otherwise at this conference!

What do you hope to gain from this conference?

I think it will be interesting to hear what people’s goals are and what they hope to gain from blogging. I am also interested in the cultural exchange that will take place. Some tips on the techie stuff would be great for me too! And finally, truth be told, I love Spain, I love Spanish food and wine and I am always looking for an excuse to spend time there!!