Portugal land of discovery and Port
Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 7:47AM 
I am excited! and that's happened to me a lot in the past few months as I participated in Paris le Vin with Gary Vaynerchuk and the Grand Tasting Paris. After Vienna and Austria Winetour for winebloggers.
Why? I leave for Portugal in 2 weeks!
This is significant, because Portugal is a country I've always dreamed of going to and now I'll be on a Press tour doing what I love to do the most, at the wine pleasures conference with Anthony Swift and his team, on wine exploring the vineyards of Douro, meeting the winemakers, savouring fine Port, something I adore; all while doing what I love to do with 20 other wine bloggers from around the globe.
We will be Communicating, interviewing and sharing the knowledge we all have on how to engage and make the world smaller. I 'll be speaking too, it's not all play! Attend the reputation management social media for wine workshop I'll be running on getting real, with some giveaways.
Conference tickets still available here opposite on the right click on the box advert.
The 2011 International Wine Tourism Conference & Workshop will take place from 30th January to 6th February on the banks of the Douro River in the Pousado do Porto, Palacio do Freixo in Porto, Porto, Portugal.
The vineyards in Portugal cover 350,000 hectares. Portugal has more than 250 grape varieties spread across 26 DOC Appellations. Porto, Portugal’s second major city is one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World and of course known worldwide for excellence in Port. Portugal is also well known for crisp light Vinho Verde and powerful & dark reds from Alentejo and the Douro Valley.
So the intinarary is as exiciting as a Christmas moning when you are 6 years old.
The conference will bring together not only wine and/or travel professionals from around the world to discuss, reflect on and develop their ideas but also will attract wine and travel enthusiasts to discover Portugal as a grape escape destination. The conference programme will offer many opportunities for professional contact and development. It involves a three-day programme of over 40 talks, posters presentations, workshops, panel discussions and symposiums. It also gives delegates a chance to meet wine-makers, writers, bloggers, celebrities and of course fellow wine lovers and travelers from around the world.
Hot Sun, fresh atlantic winds, wild beaches, great food, tradition, great wine and the land of Port. See here if you need to envy me even more.
I am an explorer by nature * perhaps I would have fitted well as a fine lady 400 years ago when Vasco de Gama would have entertained me at table and regaled me with tales of his ships carrying port around the world, and his explorations.
Yes Portugal, green rolling vineyards, the cooling atlantic ocean, salty briny sea air, seafood, Lisbon's famous tartlets. mmmmmmmmm
I know how to say Obrigado, so perhaps I can get by on that, after enjoying Taylors and Yeatmans two famous brands who are co-sponsors.
I had a good chat at the Taylors stand at Grand Tasting in Paris *see last post.. Can't wait for those PORTS!
So we start with the Porto area and Douro wine route see map and highlights here
We meet Royalty and get to eat courtesy of the labours of some of Portugal's finest chefs.
As I'm writing this post, im getting more and more excited. I'm packing my cameras, making sure I have all my leads, press tricks, and interview questions as I prepare my workshop presentation.
Are you coming?? please tweet me if you are, so we can start to swop stories and wine notes.
We have a new iphone app for the conference - I'll also be live tweeting from winesocialclub my other stream, so for those who want to participate vitually - subscribe here on the blog.
If you don't have a ticket yet and you'd love to come.. Get movin and book your place now! There are cheap airlines that fly into Oporto. This is a never to be forgotten trip... in the making ..... I can just feel it.
A video of Douro River
Donna Jackson
WineLover
Communication and New Media strategist
Reader Comments (1)
Well done Wisequeen! Thanks for all the info and inspiration. Here s to YOU!