As I spent time looking over the list of people attending the Wine Tourism Conference this week in Napa, I noted those states and provinces that would be represented. Obviously California has an overwhelming presence. However many of the California wine regions that will attend the conference are regions that Kathy and I have not visited and written about. This will afford us the opportunity to network. Others wine regions that will have some representation at the conference include British Columbia, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Washington and Virginia. What surprises me is those areas that do not have a presence.

Why isn’t someone from Texas attending the conference? Texas along with Virginia, claim to be the the fifth largest wine region in the country. I was also surprised not to see representation from Ontario. We have traveled to Prince Edward County this year and Lake Erie North Shore and find that there are many Ontario wineries that want wine tourism. Other east coast states with a number of wineries that are not represented include North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Perhaps the conference is too new or word just didn’t reach the right people. There is also the possibility that there are no people to reach as not all states have associations, alliances or boards that actively promote wine tourism. Hopefully this will change in the future.

Cheers,
Terry