Jancis Robinson leads roll call of wine personalities at DWCC in Montreux

By Richard Siddle

Published: 31 October, 2014

Jancis Robinson MW leads an international line up of leading wine figures that have descended on Montreux, on the bank of Lake Geneva, for this year's Digital Wine Communications Conference.

Jancis Robinson MW to highlight Swiss wines Jancis Robinson MW to highlight Swiss winesJancis Robinson MW will take delegates through her choice of Swiss wines at the DWCC event in Montreux

Jancis Robinson MW leads an international line up of leading wine figures that have descended on Montreux, on the bank of Lake Geneva, for this year's Digital Wine Communications Conference.

Over the next three days up to 300 winemakers, producers, distributors, bloggers, digital and social media experts, journalists and wine critics will come together to look at better ways for the wine industry as a whole to tell its story to consumers.

Coravin's Greg Lambrecht Coravin's Greg LambrechtLambfrecht will look at how innovation can change markets

Today's conference kicks off with a talk by Greg Lambrecht, inventor and founder of Coravin, on innovation and the need to bring new ideas that can change a market.

The line-up also includes a debate looking at the role and future of the wine blogger and whether a new anti-blogging trend is here to stay. Speakers include wine commentator, Robert Joseph, Dr Damien Wilson of the Burgundy School of Business, Etienne Hugel of the wine producer, Hugel & Fils, and wine marketer Louise Hurren.

Celebrated technology blogger Christian Payne, who runs his own Documentally blog, will look at the art of story telling.

UK wine consultant and winemaker, Justin Howard-Sneyd, will join a panel that questions whether wine communicators are "fit for purpose" and giving the right sort of messages and telling the stories that consumers want to hear about wine.

Lambfrecht will look at how innovation can change markets

Today's event will include a series of so called "DisruptWine Talks" modelled on the successful TED-style conference where a series of speakers will give short eight minute speeches on key topics that are meant to provoke a reaction from the audience and "challenge how they see the world".

The DisruptWine series will include talks from Eric Levine of CellarTracker, Edgar Kampers of Qoin, a community currency business, Google's Hamish Nicklin, Jennifer Burke or 9068Creative, Jaime Araujo of Terravina, and Gabriella Opaz of Catavino, one of the founders and organisers of the DWCC event. Delegates at today's opening session of the three day event will get the quizz each of the speakers after their talk.

As the event is being hosted in Switzerland there will be the chance to taste Swiss wines and meet local winemakers, building up to the centre piece Grand Tasting of Swiss wines by Jancis Robinson Wine Grapes co-author Dr José Vouillamoz on November 1. The tasting will focus in specifically on four of Switzerland's indigenous grape varieties: Chasselas, Petite Arvine, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

There will also be the chance to take part in a walk-around tasting featuring up to 40 Swiss wine producers, with a further two Swiss wine masterclasses looking at ancient varieties and iconic Swiss wines, led by Dr Vouillamoz and Paolo Basso, the Best Sommelier in the World for 2013.

Other keynote speakers include leading sommelier, Paulo Basso, Marc Roisin, co-founder of the Wine Business Information Summit, Arnaud Daphy of Wine Mosaic, Nomacorc research scientist Maurizio Ugliano, social media expert Judith Lewis, Jaime Araujo of Terravina, Harpers editor, Richard Siddle.

Early arrivals in Montreux were able to take part in a special pre-conference event on October 30 which looked in depth at Cru Bourgeois, moderated by wine journalist and French wine specialist, Panos Kakaviatos, with the Alliance de Cru Bourgeois, and Amarone from Italy and Tokaji in Hungary.

You can follow full coverage of the DWCC event on Harpers.co.uk, via Twitter on @HarpersWine, @RichardSiddle and @Erin_e_Smith, followed by a report in the November issue of Harpers.

The DWCC conference is organised by social media consultants, Vrazon and is sponsored by Swiss Wine Promotion, Coravin and Vivino. Harpers Wine & Spirit is the UK media partner.

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