Do you remember the first day of school in a new school, or the first day of camp? We do! And we got to experience the grown up version of that this week when we attended our first Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, California. As new bloggers, we knew that we would learn some tricks and techniques at this conference but could never have anticipated what we would take home from the experience.
Back to that first day of school. Sweaty palms, nerves and uncertainty were part of the experience for most of us. While our palms may not have been sweaty (at least not that we will admit), we definitely experienced the uncertainty and nerves. Do we really belong here? Are all these “professional bloggers” going to laugh at our fledgling attempt at sharing our wine tasting experiences? The answer is a resounding NO! The first evening of the conference exposed us to over 300 bloggers, many of whom were having the same uncertain feelings as we were. Those bloggers who have attended the conference before were incredibly welcoming and generous with their time, information and support. From the moment we had that first glass of wine in our hands, the world of blogging opened up to us.
When we boarded the bus, we were uncertain of what to expect. By the time we offloaded at Mohr-Fry Ranch, a large vineyard that grows and sells grapes to winemakers, we were already feeling a bit more comfortable. We looked around and picked out a table where one person was sitting. He turned out to be half of a wonderful couple with whom we spent most of the weekend. Thanks to Andy Harris and Kristy Devaney from Cavegrrl.com for helping us to immediately feel part of the party! By the time the evening was over, we had tasted several amazing wines, met incredible people and knew that we belonged among this wide variety of bloggers and writers.
Our lesson from all this, trust yourself and take a risk. You won’t know until you try and once you try, the world will open up to you.
Stay tuned for reviews of the amazing wines we tried, all from the Lodi region of California. Lodi is a humble community that will knock your socks off with amazing wines and some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet.