Umbria is for #winelovers – Our first anniversary celebration on Valentine’s day!

"#Valentines day is #winelover’s day!
Ok… give us a second…how to start: WOW!

The event that comes up on Valentines day 2013 will be a truly special one… so, it would be a real pleasure for us to host many friends of our international #winelover’s community.
Everything started here not even a year ago...
Since then - Valentine’s day 2012 - many people have heard of our mission (which is luckily our passion as well). For those of you who still do not know what it is…we share our love for wine and our thirst for wine knowledge with wine friends and #winelover-s anywhere in the world.

Our community is growing really fast. Not even in our wildest dreams we would have imagined that we would be so known and so big with just a few months of our existence. More than 6,000 people are already members of our facebook group and we receive dozens of requests everyday from people who want to join us. The group has grown worldwide uniting MWs, MSs, sommeliers, wine professionals, and wine bloggers who want to share their passion.for.wine!

Our dream is to expand this group to any #winelover of the planet. If doesn’t matter if he/she is a wine professional or not. We only hope you are willing to share your wine experiences and that you have the desire to connect with like minded people.

Basilica di S Valentino

We would like also to use this opportunity to say a big thanks to the people of Umbria and, of course, to the city of Terni where Saint Valentine is buried, as well. They came up with the idea of the 1st year’s anniversary and the main event will be hosted there. We are so grateful we will be part of an amazing event. A celebration that is going to be unforgettable in every possible positive way!

We understand that many of us are busy with so many wine events happening, specially, at the first part of the year. But try to find a way… and come join us in to the country of love, the country where the cult of wine, food and life has so much importance. In a way, there’s something unique and magic around these things in Italy. Something that we - #winelovers - could really learn from.

This year there will be many opportunities for new people to join the #winelover’s community… but then again, if you can find a couple of days on your schedule, please come and join us for this big celebration of wine, love and life.

Here are  some of the highlights of the events planned for February (14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th) in Terni (Umbria, Italy):

• Master of Wine Masterclass: An Italian blind tasting hosted by MW Patrick Farrell
• Umbrian wines exibition with about 50 wineries from the region.
• Umbrian wines Master Class: Our team of professional wine educators will take you on an Umbrian wine discovery journey.
• Visits to wineries in the gorgeous countryside of Umbria.
• Visits to some of the amazing towns in Umbria (Assisi, Perugia, etc)
• Why #winelover?: A seminar/discussion about what a winelover is, about our community, what we stand for and how you can join us online and make new friends
• #winelover-s as part of your winery market strategy: Here we will delve into the topic of how #winelover-s can be valuable ambassadors of your brand on and off line.
• An Umbrian Food and Wine Pairing class hosted by an Italian Sommelier
• Wine2.0: an overview of the Social Media in today’s wine world. We aim to give you an overview of the online communication tools available today and will touch on how wine review sites can work for #winelovers and wineries alike
• The Umbrian #winelover’s quizzes: test your knowledge of Umbrian wines and compete to win fabulous #winelover T-shirts and buttons!
• A mini #winelover vinocamp: We will introduce you to the #vinocamp movement, explain how it started and is working in France and Germany before collecting a few topics for discussion.
• A #winelover wine competition: Which wines will be the first ones to win a #winelover's award?

PS: Most of this program is based on a team effort that was crafted for our first event as community during Vinitaly last year. Thanks to Caroline Henry, Onne Wan, Giulia Luccioli, and Andre Ribeirinho for your valuable contribution. #winelover #team #effort

I hope to see you all in Umbria for Valentine's day!

Cheers,
Luiz Alberto, #winelover