August 8th, 2009

VinoCamp is back after a successful first year and has become one of Vancouver’s most anticipated wine events of the summer. This year we are pleased to announce the world premiere of CheeseCamp. A different type of conference, “VinoCamp CheeseCamp 2009” is designed for people at the intersection of wine, cheese and technology. Participants are encouraged to take photos of what’s happening, blog, tweet and communicate about their experience online and off.

This year’s event offers a full afternoon of tasting and sampling along with expert educational sessions on international wines and cheeses and a live tasting will be held online for those unable to attend. Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines and one of the speakers from the 2008 event says, “VinoCamp was a fantastic experience…fundamental in our ability to begin sharing our story effectively online. The connections and friendships were amazing and are still developing a year later. I can’t wait to participate in the next VinoCamp.”

“We modelled VinoCamp after the popular wine camps held in Napa and Sonoma by Silicon Valley bloggers.  The first of its kind in Canada, we wanted something for local geeks who are also foodies/oenophiles,” said Lori Pike, VinoCamp co-founder.  “Based on the overwhelming feedback from last year, we’ve expanded to include a second track devoted entirely to cheese and are excited to bring a participatory ‘Wine 2.0’ type experience to the city.”

Speaker sessions include “Old vs. New” by local wine critic Sid Cross and Daenna van Mulligan, the Wine Diva; “Cool, Single and Sustainable” from Mark Davidson of the International Sommelier Guild and Ingo Grady, Director of Wine Education at Mission Hill Family Estate and – a huge favorite from last year – David Sanders from Riedel giving a session on the “Glass as Messenger”. Dwight Sick, winemaker for Stags Hollow, will also conduct a virtual tasting via Twitter.  Les Amis du Fromage will be bringing cheese and giving a session as well as other local cheese experts. Mark Anthony Brands is the wine sponsor.

VinoCamp will be held in the private lounges of the UBC Grad Student Centre at 6371 Crescent Road on Saturday, August 8th from Noon to 6 PM. Early bird tickets are on sale for $65 until July 17th, after which the price increases to $75.

About VinoCamp:

This is definitely not the wine festival. In a more unstructured form than a standard conference, VinoCamp Vancouver, and introducing the world premiere of CheeseCamp, brings wine, cheese, people and technology together in one place, making wine and cheese accessible, educational and fun. A different type of conference, “VinoCamp CheeseCamp 2009” is designed for people interested in technology, wine and cheese as participants are encouraged to use their favourite social media throughout the sessions. Join us for a memorable, fun, and interactive afternoon. You will learn more about wine and cheese, meet interesting people, and have a simply fabulous time.  www.vinocamp.com