At This Moment…2020 A New Year for Wine, Food and Travel Experiences

At This Moment….My Drink in Life blog series in which I share with you things which are inspiring or intriguing. I expand on things I see, do, read, or taste, and share them so you may discover something new or inspiring. In turn, I hope that you will share with me what is grabbing your attention…at this moment.

2020 is almost upon us and like many, I am feeling the positive vibes and possibilities when it comes to the New Year. This includes wishes & dreams, goals & plans and Yes, there are some actual solid Intentions (not Resolutions) floating around in my head as well. After all, it’s 2020 and a new year means a plethora of possibilities.

Taking a wild guess… from my blog content you have probably deduced that wine related plans play a major part in my goals for 2020. Admittedly, I am more focused on Wine during the next twelve months and this includes different ways to expand my horizons when it comes to wine education, wine travel, and an overall enjoyment of wine.

So, I would like to share with you some of my plans for 2020 At this Moment…

Wine Education: At this Moment…

There are many things in life that involve continual education and wine, with its ever changing landscape, definitely falls within this realm. Wine knowledge will continue to be a goal of mine in 2020. In January, after months preparation, I finally begin my weekend class for the WSET Level 2. The test will follow during the first week in February, and I am already anticipating passing by signing up for the WSET Level 3 with classes beginning at the end of February. I am also planning on attending more wine events, both educational and social, with the intent to learn more about local, regional, and national wines.

Wine Travel and Festival plans for 2020: At this Moment…..

2020 will undoubtedly be my busiest year when it comes to wine travel and wine writing. A few of the things that are on my calendar for the new year are:

January-It is off to Bellingham, Washington on a Media Trip to learn more about the area, in anticipation of the 2020 Pacific Northwest Wine Festival there in August. The Festival includes both a public wine tasting, and the announcement of all medal-winning wines entered in an earlier judged competition. Up to 55 wineries from the Pacific Northwest along with restaurants from the Whatcom County area take part in this Wine Festival set in the stunning city of Bellingham. A perfect way to experience another Washington Wine region. I will be sharing more information about the 2020 Pacific Northwest Wine Festival when the details have been released.

February-I am excited to once again be taking part in the Seattle Wine and Food Experience, this years 12th annual event takes place the weekend of February 20-22, 2020. There are three distinct events which showcase the best that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. These events include a Thursday night kick off with a smorgasbord of the ultimate feel-good foods + crafty brews with ‘Comfort’ and then Friday we are getting dressed up for the signature event ‘Pop! Bubbles + Seafood’ where bubbles and wines will be poured and the Pacific Northwest’s bounty of seafood will be featured. Saturday rounds out the weekend with the spectacular ‘Grand Tasting’ which is a deluxe showcase of Pacific Northwest wine, beverage, food and lifestyle. This is an exciting sensory exploration and wandering education platform to really emerge yourself in all things PNW.

March-For the first time I will be traveling to the annual Washington Winegrowers Convention & Trade Show in Kenniwick, Washington. Here I will join others in the winegrape industry from around the region, and nation to learn more about what is happening with Washington wines. This industry event in 2020 features keynote speaker, Lulie Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligence. So, mark your calendars for March 2 – 5, 2020 and check out Washington Winegrowers’ website for additional details.

March-Not to be missed March 19-22 is ‘Taste Washington‘. I was blown away with the 2019 event and this year promises to be even more of a wine and food lovers’ wonderland. Taste Washington highlights the best of Washington States wine and food in a single location.

April-Last year I traveled to the Willamette Valley in Oregon with Fred Swan’s Wine Writers Educational Tour and in 2020 we will be converging on Paso Robles, California for yet another wine education experience. This will be the first time that I have traveled to the Paso Robles Wine Region and I am very excited about this wine education opportunity. More information about WWET can be found here.

August-There are many firsts for me in 2020 and this continues with a trip to Eugene, Oregon for the Wine Media Conference. Although I would have loved to have made it to Australia, where the conference was held this year, I am thrilled to be traveling to southern of the Willamette Valley to take part in this conference.

“The conference attracts wine bloggers, traditional wine media, social media influencers, and wine industry members who communicate with them. These attendees are key members of the wine industry. They are not only passionate about wine – they are energized by communicating to their audiences about wine, wineries, and the people that make up the wine industry.” –Taken from the Wine Media Conference website

This list of destinations and events by no means is a complete account of all my travels, but is a glimpse into some of the activities that I will be taking part in 2020 and things that I hope to share with you.

2020 Wine Related Intentions…At this Moment

Branching Out More

Diversity is my main focus when it comes to my wine drinking intentions in 2020. I definitely want to work on trying new wines and seek out unfamiliar varietals and blends. Also covered under this category is drinking great wine when I feel like it, and not thinking that it needs to be saved for a special occasion or celebration.

Continue to do more for local and regional wine communities

I want to continue to do just a little bit more for local wine communities. This means that no matter where I am I will strive to drink local when possible. The small act of drinking, eating, and shopping local, is the support boutique wineries, small businesses, and farms in an area depend on. While also discovering products that I might not have noticed otherwise. This goes for wine, but also beer, cider, spirits, coffee, and much more.

Focusing more attention on other things that I Enjoy

What many people may not know about me is that I have a true desire to grow as much of our own food as I can during the Spring to Fall months and to cook almost all of our meals from scratch. With an extremely busy schedule these last couple of years I have not been able to enjoy and focus much attention on our backyard garden and with the new year I am striving to change that. It really is all about balance and rediscovering that ability to leave work behind while focusing more on home life and doing what brings me joy.

For this reason on Drink In Life, I will strive to incorporate more of my love of Vegetable Gardening and Cooking by creating more meals around the garden and sharing wines that pair perfectly with those recipes. When the garden is not producing as much I will share some of my favorite recipes with wine pairings. I also want to get back to introducing more recipes that incorporate wine and spirits into the food and showcase how these beverages can enhance the flavors of other foods.

I hope that you join me on this journey to broaden my wine knowledge and experiences, and I would love to hear what you are striving to achieve in 2020 as well. Cheers Everyone and Happy New Year.

Images are ©Drink In Nature Photography and Drink In Life Blog.