take time to make time and make time to be there ...

Just when you might be feeling a little under appreciated and under recognized for all that you do and for all the conscious efforts you make, like a rented pack mule on a dusty trail over a high desert plateau,..its on the eighth day when you told yourself you wouldn’t make it past the fourth that you discover that the faithful burro really wants to be lead, and really wants to be a help and beyond the obvious ,..secretly appreciates the weight of your duffel.

For 5 consecutive years, the Chilean government has sponsored a tour hosted by the Wines of Chile which is an organization committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London, and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Ireland, and Denmark, and also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional and educational programs in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wines of Chile’s 76 member wineries belong to Vinos de Chile and represent 85% of Chile’s bottled wine exports. This year, just 9 sommeliers from North America were chosen to attend a 10 day tour of viticultural areas and associated wineries. The tour will span wine regions from north to south and culminate with a marketing symposium designed to provide an arena to harvest feedback and input from the attendees on both U.S market perception and areas of opportunity for exporters, wineries and marketeers.

When the opportunity was presented, I was and remain flattered. I am the only representative from the entire southeastern US of A ! WOW! Check the head right?

Anyhow, South America hosts several wine regions that ive always wanted to explore. So,…stay tuned for more info, this trip is a ways off but for those of you inclined and interested, the WOC website http://www.winesofchile.org is an excellent resource for all your Chilean wine curio. For those of you with blackberry’s or alike, go ahead and plug the calendar right now!....You’ll be able to get down with your personal wine ambassador to Chile starting October 19th; ill be updating this blog regularly with bits and pieces of what is what and images to make it all make sense.