When you spend a couple weeks with a group on tour you begin to establish bonds. In January and February of this year we went on a blogger/media FAM tour of wineries in Umbria and Campania Italy. The trip also included the International Wine Tourism Conference in Perugia. We arrived in Italy a few days early and just happened to meet two other members of our group Jennifer Waters & Thaddeus Buggs of the Minority Wine Report. We spent time talking with the two and throughout the trip. Thaddeus likes older wines and we’re waiting for a time he will be in our area to try an old Petite Sirah.

Prior to the FAM tour we had met four of the other attendees. We met Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo a few years ago at their beautiful Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas. In addition to the winery, they have vineyards, a restaurant and lodging facility. Their site can be the “poster child” for the agri-tourism movement. While on the bus, traveling the back roads through Umbria and Campania, Paul gave a narrative of the pruning system the area growers were using. We had previously met Marcy Gordon of Come for the Wine while attending a Wine Tourism Conference in Napa last autumn. We met Tom Plant, Wineormous, while traveling in the Temecula wine region of California.

During the two weeks, we had the opportunity to meet several other bloggers and media on our trip. The group became close enough that after the trek was over we were looking at ways to create a reunion. This was a challenge since we are scattered throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and France. We decided on a Twitter wine tasting. Bill Eyer, Cuvee Corner, suggested April 17 the day after tax returns were due in the US. Now that our taxes are done, we can use some wine. Next week many of our group will begin tweeting on wines. Although this will not be a physical reunion, wine can still bring people together and Twitter can become a vehicle for communicating with each other.

For the tasting, Kathy and I are going to open four Messina Hof wines. We have a 2009 Cabernet Franc, a 2009 Merlot, a 2011 Glory a late harvest Moscato and a 2005 Papa Paulo Port. It has been awhile since we had some Texas wine and we look forward to tasting these Messina Hof wines. There are many challenges in life. Wine, food and friends offers an island refuge that renews acquaintances and creates lasting memories.

Cheers,
Terry