Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Friday 1 June 2012

#loirevelo: Bloggers' trip to the Loire: 1st-3rd June

Sunrise@Saumur

Starting this afternoon I will be on a bloggers' trip to the Loire based tonight and tomorrow in Tours and then on Sunday in Saumur. There will be visits in Vouvray and Saumur/Saumur-Champigny as well as the opportunity to spend Saturday afternoon@Vitiloire. The trip has been organised by Interloire.  

My fellow bloggers ('these wine bloggers'...) are Andrew Barrow (UK), Denise Medrano (UK), Ralf Kaiser (Germany), Thomas Günther (Germany) Paul Truszkowski (Germany), Jelle de Roeck (Belgium), Christof Spinelli (Belgium) Ingrid Larmoyeur (Netherlands) Marja Van Beek (Netherlands) Anne Victoire Monrozier (France). I hope I have got all the links right and still need to find one more!

It will be interesting to see how a blogger's press trip differs from a traditional press trip. Our trip involves one and half days of cycling, so this looks to be a key difference and hopefully the current fine weather will keep up. Some forecasts for Sunday have been for rain but it keeps changing.

Has the cycling been included because:

a) Bloggers are greener than traditional journalists.
b) Bloggers are thought to be fitter than traditional journalists – we will have to see the state of the group by the end of Sunday to verify this.
c) Bloggers don't need to be pampered as much.
d) Bikes are a cheaper option than limos or people carriers....

In an effort to get back on the bike in preparation for the bloggers' cycling, I have been for a couple of bike rides. It is all too evident that being more than a kilo or so overweight takes its toll! Where once hills were a welcome opportunity and an enjoyable challenge, they are now definite obstacles to be avoided if possible.   

 Lunchtime scenes @Vitiloire 2011



6 comments:

alex said...

We should have fun... Great article Jim!

Per and Britt, BKWine said...

It looks like a *wine* bloggers trip and then I think one could ask, what does one and a half day of bicycling have to do with wine? Or is it a way to make it more attractive as a paid vacation?...

Curious to know.

-P

Jim's Loire said...

Looking forward to it Alex. Jim

Jim's Loire said...

Per and Britt. Perhaps a bike allows you to see the vineyard better. If 90% of the quality of the wine comes from the grapes, then there should be stories in the vineyard.

Chris Kissack said...

Sorry not to be able to join you on this trip Jim, sounds great fun, but I just had too much on this weekend, unavoidable commitments unfortunately. Enjoy the cycling! :-)

Jim's Loire said...

That's a shame Chris! I'll let you know about the cycling at the end of Sunday!