Wine Blogging: It’s Good For Your Brain

Posted by Tom Wark on Jan 5, 2007

On Monday upcoming we will begin taking nominations in seven categories for the American Wine Blog Awards. In advance of that I want to say a few things about Wine Blogs and Wine Bloggers.

First, wine blogging has undoubtedly been very good for Wark Communications. It has help me and our firm gain more recognition. But more importantly it has been good for my brain. I know I think about wine, the wine industry and wine drinkers since I started blogging in ways I did not think about these things prior to November 2004.

I’m willing to bet it’s the same for other wine bloggers. This is good for the bloggers, for wine consumers and for the wine industry.

I know that the industry as a whole has in fact begun taking account of this horde of would-be literary interlopers that have crested the hill and are speedily making their way toward full membership in the wine industry and wine writing community. The industry reads you. They consider your impact. They are rooting for you too.

More important, consumers rely upon you now. Many of you are well aware of this. So are retailers and wineries. This means you all have a certain responsibility not only to yourself, but to your readers. I know there are folks who are counting on you. You need to keep this in mind.

The creation of the American Wine Blog Awards occured after across the field of wine bloggers and seeing not just those whose readership and talent had gained them some deserved notoriety, but as I continually saw new bloggers pop up weekly who clearly had new voices and new perspectives. Some of you are just so damned taken with the experience of wine you are driven to write about it. Others have a specific knowledge of wine and wanted to speak to a particular set of wine lovers. Others are in the business and saw a medium that allowed you not only to communicate to current and potential clients, but to offer a very unique expression of the wine experience.

The increase in really interesting voices has been near overwhelming. On occasion I’ve tried to point the readers of FERMENTATION to these voices, but I could spend every day writing about you. I can’t do that. So, I wanted to create something that would attempt to draw attention to the world of wine blogging. The American Wine Blogging Awards is that attempt.

If you read blogs on a regular or semi-regular basis, if you are a wine blogger yourself, if you are a member of the wine industry that supports the wine blogging movement or if you merely like the idea of drawing attention to the efforts of dedicated folk I want to urge you to do something:

TELL OTHERS ABOUT THE AMERICAN WINE BLOG AWARDS.

ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND CLIENTS TO DO THE SAME

For my part, I’ll be doing everything I can to tell the world about the Awards, the nominees and eventually the award winners. Perhaps my goal of gaining exposure for wine blogging will truly pan out. Maybe it won’t. But the effort is underway and your help is critical.

In the meantime, I want to give a shout out to all the wine bloggers who are working it, whether it’s for yourself or your business. Well done. Keep it up. You’re making an impact.   And remember: It’s good for your brain.