What is your profession?

Journalist, wine writer, European Editor Wine Enthusiast Magazine (US)

Why is wine blogging relevant to you?

I have been telling myself I’d blog for several years.

What is the main difference between print and wine blogging?

Print still seems more permanent. Blogs are less structured and more disorganised. They are more like a stream of thought. Of course, that depends on the blogger. Some bloggers are really writing print journalism transferred to the Internet.

Are wineries, retailers, importers, etc. open to blogs in your culture?

In the United States, there are blogs for every imaginable (and some unimaginable) subjects. It’s the same in the UK. I think some European countries are still just beginning and, of course, the legal wine and Internet problems in France present a big challenge.

As a non-blogger, at the moment, how important do you think wine blogging is today?

Wine blogs need to become more reliable. At the moment, the whole world and his kid blog. Self-indulgent blogs do not add much to the global need for education and inspiration and this includes wine. For wine blogs to be taken seriously, not only by the trade but also by the target—people, there needs to be more self-editing. I’m writing this as a journalist who sees accuracy as essential.

Where do you see wine blogging in 10 years time?

The Internet will certainly not be as it is now. It will be much more visual. Cell phones and other verbal communication technologies will have replaced what we now know as computers except in the workplace. And, importantly, the way we taste wines, even the interaction with labels, will be different. What won’t change is the pleasure of wine at the table. Will we be able to virtually blog those moments? I hope not.

What do you hope to gain from attending the conference?

The stimulation of ideas, how blogs can work for me, and discovering faces behind familiar blogs.

Do you read wine blogs (if so, can you give us a few of your favorites)?

I read them of course. I have a lot of respect for the Wine Anorak. I am encouraged by Steve Heimoff’s blog.