Who doesn’t know Tom Wark? You don’t? And you’re reading this blog about the WBC Scholarship? Get out from under that rock. Tom Wark has been in wine PR since the early 90s and writes the foremost industry wine blog, Fermentation. He’s also a founding father of wine blogging and one of its biggest supporters and critics. That is not meant to be a fault in the least, we must often spend time evaluating the utility of wine blogging and Tom holds no punches when it comes to that exercise.

However, despite his constant questioning of the purpose and utility of wine blogging, Tom has been a strong and consistent supporter of the wine blogger community and the WBC since its inception. A long time participant and donor to the WBC, for the last two years Tom has offered a special incentive to donate to the WBC scholarship: he matches all donations up to $500 that come in during his challenge.  With every penny counting, the dollar for dollar match means more than you can imagine for our fledging scholarship fund.

We salute Tom for his unwavering commitment to wine blogging and hope to have his support for years to come.

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NEWBIE! We are pleased to welcome Kovas Palubinkas (fresh meat) to the 2013 WBC in Penticton. Kovas writes 50 States of Wine and has been at it since 2011, however, this will be his very first WBC. 50 States of Wine focuses on attempting to, at a bare minimum, taste a wine from each of the 50 states. Kovas would eventually like to travel to a winery in every state, but will settle for just a taste, if need be.

An interesting goal to say the least! He should be able to knock out several states at the WBC as folks are always bringing unique things from their home states. I’ve had a wine from Indiana and a Dandelion wine from NH while in attendance, so all things are possible. Be sure to check out Kovas’ blog and give him a hearty welcome to the WBC. (I can’t find a photo of him, but will be happy to add one if it is provided!)

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Becca Yeamans is the author of the Academic Wino and 2-time WBC scholarship recipient. Becca joined us for the first time in 2012 at the Portland, OR WBC and returns for another go this year in Penticton, BC. (See, clearly we aren’t all the scary if the newbs want to come back for a second go at it.)

This is Becca’s second year as a wine blogger as well. Her blog takes a different twist from many of the wine blogs out there and looks at scientific articles on wine, wine making, etc. She breaks down scholarly articles for the rest of us little people to help us understand the science behind wine making, tasting, drinking and much more. Becca’s background is in biology and environmental science, which seems to lend itself incredibly well to her blog’s pursuit.

We are thrilled to have Becca joining us for her second WBC and look forward to getting to know her even better.

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This is a little awkward. In that no one tells you that you have toilet paper hanging from your shoe sort of way. I’m writing my own donor profile for the WBC Scholarship page.  In any event, I’m Megan Kenney, aka Sonadora, aka Wannabe Wino.  I’ve been a part of the WBC Scholarship since its inception, as Thea’s partner in crime in brainstorming the original idea and getting it off the ground. I’ve also been a donor every year (I think, right Thea??) and I’ve been on the Scholarship Committee for at least 2 years, maybe more.  So basically I’m a jack of all trades.

I’m also a wine blogger, at it nearly 7 years now. I’ve been an attendee at all but one WBC (I have an excuse, I was pregnant for the one I missed) and hope to continue attending for many years to come. Can I salute myself? That would make this even more awkward, right? Instead, I’ll just say that I’m honored to be a part of this effort and to be able to contribute to helping folks make the WBC a possibility. Oh, and P.S. Please come see me and Thea and Kathleen Rake make fools of ourselves on our panel at WBC this year.

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If perchance, you are part of the wine blog world, or wine world in general and have yet to meet Craig Camp, you are most certainly missing out. Besides being a prolific (and among the first) wine blogger, he has been in the world of wine for many many years. He currently wears the hat as CEO and chief bottlewasher at Cornerstone Cellars in Napa Valley.  Under Craig’s direction, Cornerstone has grown tremendously and now encompasses the Cornerstone line, the Cornerstone Oregon line, and the Stepping Stone by Cornerstone line.

Craig has been an ardent supporter of wine bloggers and the wine blogger conference, both as a participant in every WBC to date and a donor to the WBC scholarship fund since its inception. We salute Craig for all he has done for wine blogging and urge you pay him a visit next time you travel through Napa.

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First time WBC attendee Jane Kelly Kosek, will be joining us this year in Penticton, British Columbia. Jane and her husband Steve have been writing their blog, 2 Hollywood Winos, for just over one year.

An independent film producer by trade, Jane’s blog provides a “he said, she said” perspective on wine and wine regions peppered with stunning photography of their local travels.

Congratulations to Jane! I know she’ll walk away with great memories and a plethora of information.

Follow Jane and husband Steve’s blog on Twitter and Facebook.

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“Will work for wine” those four words were the beginning of a journey for Allison Markin of All She Wrote. Allison uses her media and marketing skills at All She Wrote to create successful and meaningful social media campaigns. Her clients include those in wine, culinary, hospitality and tourism.

A resident of British Columbia Allison was a huge proponent of bringing the conference to Penticton. In addition to all the hard work she has been putting into the conference her donation to the scholarship allowed bloggers to attend and learn about those great Canadian wines.

A huge thank you to Allison for all her hard work behind the scenes, coordinating transportation for thirsty bloggers and her contribution that allows more bloggers to experience Penticton’s wonderful wine country.

You can follow Allison on Twitter and Facebook.

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Wine industry veteran Mia Malm heads up Malm Communications a boutique public relations and social media firm specializing in wine, food and luxury lifestyle.

After a stint in dancing, singing and acting she traded in her Big Apple lifestyle to live among the grape vines in Napa Valley. There Mia’s passion for fine wine and food shines through.

Mia is well established in the wine community and is one of the very few in the US to hold a Diploma in Wine & Spirits (DWS).  Upon arriving in Napa she spent several years working with Constellation Brands, Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford and many other powerhouse wineries. Mia truly has an innovative vision and a pulse on today’s wine consumers.

Please send a big shout out to Mia and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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Alina Ferguson

Alina joined us for the first time last year in Portland, Oregon. She has been writing her blog, One Girl, One Glass, One World since 2010.  She loves spending her free time exploring Oregon and Washington wine country. A little factoid about Alina is that when she is not out exploring Oregon and Washington wine country, she can be found at the nearest race track. She is a resident of Washington state and also loves spending time in the kitchen cooking up culinary delights.

Alina is a repeat donor to the WBC scholarship fund. We appreciate her continued support of the fund. Support from donors such as herself help give bloggers an opportunity to attend the conference who might not otherwise be able to attend. Please be sure to visit her blog and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. We look forward to seeing you in Penticton Alina!

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Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley

Gwendolyn publishes the blog, Wine Predator and has been writing her blog since 2007.  This year, she is one of the lucky recipients of a WBC scholarship. She is a WBC veteran and has attended all but one conference. In addition to writing her blog, Gwendolyn is a mom, college teacher, and writing coach. An avid traveler and foodie, Gwendolyn is always seeking to learn more about wine and sharing her experiences with her readers. She resides in Southern California and is always up for an adventure in wine, food, and travel.

Gwendolyn is very energetic and a lot of fun to be around. We always enjoy her company at the conferences and are excited to see her in Penticton! Be sure to check out her blog and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. See you soon Gwendolyn!

Editor’s Note:  Gwendolyn is a passionate supporter of the WBC, and the WBC Scholarship.  She was a Scholarship Recipiant in 2010, when we travelled to Walla Walla, Washington.  She is working on her PhD, and we are happy she has the time to join us!

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