I am so looking forward to this summer’s Society of Wine Educators conference. Founded in 1977, SWE’s Annual Conference is for educators, students, and enthusiasts to convene and learn more about the world of wine and spirits. In 2017, SWE will host this event in Portland, Oregon. I’ve never been to Portland and this is my chance. The 41st Annual Conference will be held Thursday, August 10th through Saturday, August 12th. Featuring over 65 sessions with topics, I will be speaking on wines from Lombardy, hence the picture of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan.

I was lucky enough to meet with many producers from the various consortium at Vinitaly. I think I will have a great and interesting line-up of wines for people to taste. This will be my eighth or ninth conference and has become part of my summer patterns. I look forward to visiting a few wineries and getting to know the city as well.