Italy, Wine, Friends, Food. What could be better?

Time for a little public relations brought to you directly by...me.

Yes, I am writing this latest musing to give a little public relations to one of my favorite places, on Earth. If they paid me to talk about them, I would be rich. Very, very rich. But alas, I am still a humble servant extolling the virtues.

What is the one place on Earth (yes, Earth) where I could sit and sip wine..every day?

Beautiful Tuscany, Italy. Near the city of Florence (Firenze) there is an absolutely breathtaking restaurant tucked away in the hills. The restaurant, a true Tuscan gem, is called Ristorante I Tre Pini.

As my friend and I walked into the garden entrance of I Tre Pini, we were greeted with two glasses of sparkling red wine. The owner came out to meet us with a smiling face and beautiful music playing. The best part? It was the first batch of their latest vintage wine, opened just before our arrival. Yes, we were given glasses of wine before we even made our way into the restaurant. I knew immediately this would be a fantastic night..

As we sat down in the outdoor restaurant underneath a covered tent, a small ensemble of musicians serenaded the weary travelers with melodious, classic Italian tunes. I hadn't seen a drop of food yet, and this was already the best meal I had ever had.


Before long, a giant platter of antipasto was placed in front of our table. The appetizers by themselves would have filled me up for days, but I was determined to continue eating. After filling up my plate with pastas, cheeses, olives and breads I was still ready for round two. In reality, I should have been prepared for round two, three, four, five and six. We were given plate after plate of pasta, salad, fresh vegetables, and prosciutto. Right when I was ready to throw in my napkin, the finale began.

A loud, voice rang out in the restaurant...a deep, baritone voice singing in Italian. Okay, so by now I was pretty positive everything was just a dream. Or maybe a romantic, Italian movie that I couldn't understand a word of, but it looked so fabulous. I was so entranced by large amounts of food and wine, I was pretty sure I had just created a giant, amazing delusion.
And then... the pig came out.

A huge, flaming full pig on a platter (haha!) with an apple in his mouth. The oohing and aahing began, followed by a lot of cheersing and singing. The pig was proudly brought to every table, pausing for the visitors to admire the delicious dinner. It was sliced and sitting on our plates within minutes, followed by sighs of content by everyone around.

Energized by excitement and amazing Italian food, the dancing began. Young and old, friends and strangers, everyone was up on their feet dancing to the great live music with great wine in our hands. One thing is for sure...I did not want my Italian wine/dinner fantasy to end. That night, everyone was a friend and everyone was Italian. I danced and sang with Canadians, Americans, Australians, Italians, anyone and everyone.

Alas, after enjoying numerous glasses of wine and numerous plates of food, the night was finally over. We trudged back to our awaiting vehicle, sad to leave the beautiful little restaurant. It was certainly an experience I will never forgot, and I left singing Bella Notte for many, many days..

They've got an "app" for that...

It seems that this week a certain topic keeps popping up in conversations with classmates, professors, and friends. The topic is technology, and more distinctly- cell phones.

Not too many years ago, a cell phone was just a cell phone. It was used to make phone calls, receive phone calls, and...make phone calls and receive phone calls. Today, a cell phone becomes a person's livelihood. We must be attached to this piece of electronic godliness, or we will most certainly face unbearable consequences. I wish that I was exaggerating here...

The whole idea of a cell phone today does not revolve around making phone calls. Sure, actually talking someone ON the phone is a bonus, but definitely not the reason for cell phone use. Instead, it is our tool to connect to the whole world through a web of various applications and tools. If you have a smartphone, then you must can access to your email, your facebook, your online textbook, your calendar, videos of your favorite t.v. show, and much MUCH more.

One amazing ability of cell phones, is the ability to download applications. Want to count your calories? Want to choose a restaurant in the area? Want to look for adoptable pets in your area? There is an "app" for that. So, if you haven't figured out the direction I'm headed....

There's a wine app for that too!

Having technology at your fingertips means having access to anything and everything you want to know. So, if you are a wine expert, a wine novice, or anything in between, there is most certainly an app for you.

You can keep track of the wines that you enjoy, and then refer back to that list once you get to the package store and can only remember what the label looks like (happens to us all!)

Check out Drync Wine Pro, the very savvy wine application. You can use this wine app to write down your own reviews (hm..tastes like currant and smoke..) or purchase your favorite bottle. If you aren't sure what type of wine you'd like to try, that also have a research option. It was rated highly in both MacWorld online magazine, and VinTank wine magazine. The only thing the app doesn't do (besides make you dinner) is help to pair wines and food together. I think this is quite a downfall, considering food and wine go together like...food and wine. Perfectly!

Another great vino application for your smart phone is Hello Vino Free* which is one of the few apps that offers the food/wine pairing tool. Hello Vino integrates both Facebook and Twitter into the application, so your friends can all share in your favorite wine choices. I always find it helpful to look into what styles of wine go best with certain foods, this way the meal seems to taste better and so does the wine!

So what are the implications for the wine public relations? The answer is obvious. Wine is becoming integrated more and more into our society, through more than just the conventional channels of communication. Integrated Marketing Communication incorporates a "marketing mix" is the coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, functions and sources within an organization into a seamless program that maximizes the impact on consumers at a minimal cost. So, download a free wine application, and you will undoubtedly be providing information to the IMC which also allows for great wine public relations! For instance, if you download or read enough articles and reviews for Pinot Noir, then the IMC will begin to pinpoint your individual interests and buying habits. Soon enough, this technology will finish your sentences for you! (okay, let's hope not..but you get the point)

And, once again this all comes back to research. These wine applications are not just created for fun. They are based on careful research, through qualitative and quantitative analysis of various factors, and all brought back around. Next time you download an app in 30 seconds, think about all the time that went into it... and have fun!

(Benzinger wines has their own app!)

Career minded?

Have you enjoyed reading about wine and the public relations industry thus far? If you haven't stopped reading 5 blog posts ago, then you shouldn't stop now...

Like to travel, drink wine, and enjoy the arts? Okay, that is a silly question... Who doesn't enjoy drinking unique local wines in new, exciting places while enjoying the beauty of the arts? So, if you think you could handle this type of lifestyle, then perhaps you should look into a career in wine public relations.

Many public relations firms are dedicated solely to food, wine and the arts. Other public relations firms focus on premium spirits, luxury lifestyles, wineries, and beer.

Consider the Academy of Wine Communications, dedicated to wine and food public relations and marketing professionals.

The Academy's Goal:
To provide a public forum for wine & food public relations and marketing professionals to network, exchange ideas, meet key members of the wine press, and learn classic and innovative techniques for communicating about wine
To support the craft of wine writing by acting as a resource and clearinghouse of information for authors, journalists, broadcasters, and bloggers.

One of the general principles of The Academy of Wine Communications is one that shouldn't be surprising-
"Use Web 2.0 for Communication – As much as possible, we intend to use Web 2.0 tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, UStream, YouTube, etc. to communicate with our membership and beyond. These tools make it possible for us to converse on a frequent basis with members throughout the country and the world."

The Academy of Wine Communications was founded with the express goal supporting food & wine writers and the art of wine writing. Of course, the means of communication have evolved over time. New tools and techniques are constantly developing, adapting to the relevance of today's society. Online wine writers from all over the world come together for three days at The Wine Bloggers' Conference.

You should attend this conference next June, to meet some well-known bloggers within the wine industry and hear how they created successful blogging careers

So go out into the world wide world of wine public relations, and find yourself a new, fantastic and unique career!

*Cheers!