Author Archive for Lenn Thompson

Wine Blogging Wednesday #54 Announced: A Passion for Piedmont

Published on January 27, 2009 in Announcements. 5 Comments Tags: , , .

piedmontHow great is it that we’re coming up on the 54th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday?

It never ceases to amaze me that the little virtual wine tasting event I created over four years ago is still going and is still so popular.

February’s edition will be hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, David McDuff of McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail.

The theme is one that I’m looking forward to as well: A Passion for Piedmont.

I have to admit, I don’t know a whole lot about the wines of that region in Italy, so this will be a fun edition of WBW for me. David offers a brief run-down saying:

While there are some fine white wines made in the region – from Gavi di Gavi to Roero Arneis to Moscato d’Asti – there’s no denying that Piedmont is red wine country. The Nebbiolo-based wines of Barolo and Barbaresco may steal the thunder. But it’s the wines made from Piedmont’s other two primary varieties – Barbera and Dolcetto – that appear most often on the Piedmontese table. Less common regional specialties like Freisa, Grignolino and Brachetto add local color and help to make Piedmont one of Italy’s most diverse wine zones.

Join us on February 18!

WBW Logo Contest Semi-Finalists

Published on May 12, 2008 in Announcements and How to.... 20 Comments

Before we get to the WBW Logo Contest semi-finalists or discuss the voting, I’d like to thank each and every person who submitted a logo or logos for consideration. There were dozens of great entries and it was difficult for the WBW advisors to narrow it down to the 6 you see below. I was planning to post all of the entries, but that would have been over whelming on many levels.

You can take a look at the final 6 logos here or at Flickr account I’ve created for them.

Voting will happen right here on this site via the poll you see to your right. The semi-final round will run from today until May 31 at 11:59 p.m.

Then, the top 3 vote getters will move into the finals. We’ll update the poll and announce the final voting procedure in early June.

Wine Blogging Wendesday Logo Contest (Deadline: March 31, 2008)

Published on January 25, 2008 in Announcements, WBW and Wine Blogging Wednesday. 22 Comments

The trusty Wine Blogging Wednesday logo that you see here has served us well. It’s been plastered all over the blogosphere, appearing on participant sites, host blogs and of course right here on WineBloggingWednesday.org.

But, as everyone’s favorite virtual wine tasting event enters its 42nd edition, I think it’s time for a change.

With that in mind, I’m excited to announce the new Wine Blogging Wednesday Logo Contest, which starts today and will run until March 31, 2008.

At any point during that time, you can submit your logo idea via email to winebloggingwednesday@gmail.com. Once we’ve collected all of the submissions, we’ll post them to Flickr and everyone can vote for their favorite.

We don’t have any official prizes lined up yet, but isn’t the love and adoration of the wine blogging community prize enough?

If you’re a blogger and would like to contribute to a prize pack, let me know.

So, if you’re a designer or play one on TV, make sure that you send in your submission by March 31. Spread the word, the more submissions we have, the better!

WBW #36 Announced: Let’s Get Naked

Published on July 16, 2007 in Announcements, WBW and Wine Blogging Wednesday. 8 Comments

Now that I have your attention, let’s get down to business.

WBW 36: Let's Get NakedNext month, on August 8th to be exact, we’ll be celebrating the three-year anniversary of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Actually, in the early days, it was called World Wide Wine Blogging Wednesday. But, participants quickly streamlined the name and the rest is Internet history. What started out as a few hardcore wine blogging geeks has really grown into more than I could have imagined. For that, I am grateful. Thank you to every person who has ever participated.

But let’s stop looking back…let’s look forward.

The theme for WBW #36 is “Let’s Get Naked.” No, I’m not suggesting or encouraging anyone to drink their wine naked, though I guess you can do what you want in the privacy of your own home. Instead, I want everyone to try a naked wine…specifically a naked chardonnay.

You’ll see them labeled in many different ways: naked, unoaked, unwooded, steel-fermented, etc but they all have one thing in common…they are made without oak barrels. I’ve long been a fan of this style of chardonnay and I thought it would be fun to see what people can find and what they think of the wines. There aren’t any price or region limits this time. Just go out and find an un-oaked chardonnay and drink it. Easy, right?

Of course, I couldn’t let WBW’s third anniversary go by with just a simple theme and no other news. Oh no no no. I’ve got a lot more in store for WBW as we move into the future.

First, I’m happy to officially announce the launch of this new blog winebloggingwednesday.org. It will be a one-stop shop for everything WBW. So, instead of having to surf the wine blogosphere constantly to make sure you hear about the next theme, you can come here to learn all that there is to know.

Next, you guys all know me as the founder of and the central figure behind Wine Blogging Wednesday. But, in order to grow the event even further, I’ve decided to put together a group of WBW Advisors who will help me manage, grow and develop the event even further. You know this group of bloggers already–they are some of WBW’s most seasoned participants and wine blogging superstars. So please welcome Tim Elliott of Winecast, Andy Barrow from Spittoon and “Dr. Vino” Tyler Colman as the WBW Advisors. This group may grow in the near future, so stay tuned for more information on that. We’ll be working together to manage the ever-growing hosting queue, to build participation and to come up with new ways to use technology as part of WBW.

And finally, we have all enjoyed the current WBW logo for a while now. But, it’s time for a change so I’m announcing a new Wine Blogging Wednesday Logo Contest . Details will be coming later this week.

So that’s it from WBW headquarters here on Long Island. Don’t forget to join us on August 8th with your naked chardonnay!