Sideways stole Merlot from Washington. We’re stealing it back!

On Thursday March 25th, you are invited to join the largest simultaneous online Washington Wine tasting event ever – a national Washington Merlot taste and tweet. The event is being hosted by DrinkNectar.com and co-sponsored by ten wine bloggers from across Washington State (see list here).

How Can I Participate If I am a Consumer?

Participation is simple. All people need to do is find a Washington Merlot, open the bottle, drink it, and tweet about it between 5 and 7pm PT using the Twitter hashtag #WAMerlot.

In terms of finding a wine, many retailers and Washington wineries are offering Merlot specials for the event. A list of participating wineries as well as wineries/retailers offering specials will be maintained on DrinkNectar.com. Look for an update on that site later this week. Make sure to ask your favorite Washington winery if they are participating in the event to see what they have planned.

Finally, register for the event at wamerlot.eventbrite.com. We want to know that you’re coming.

How Can I Participate If I Represent a Winery?

There are many different ways that wineries can participate. Here are just a few ideas. If you have something in mind, let us know about it so we can help you promote it.

First, register for the event at wamerlot.eventbrite.com. We want to know that you’re coming and help promote your event.

Let people visiting the winery and email list members know about the event to generate interest.

Consider offering a special on your Merlot to get people tweeting about your wine.

Host a tasting event or a ‘tweet-up’ in your tasting room. What’s a Tweet-up? It’s just a group of people in one place trying wine and writing about it on Twitter. Participants can do this via cell phones or via computer.


Create an event on your Facebook page to let all your fans know about the event. You can point people directly to the wamerlot.eventbrite.com page or copy that information to your event.

If you are not on Twitter, now is a great time to start. Most of the buzz will be through people tweeting about what they are tasting. This is a great opportunity to interact with wine lovers across the state – especially if they happen to be drinking your wine. Look for more information about how to be part of Twitter without overwhelming yourself on these pages in the coming days.

Have a computer handy during the event. When tweeting, use the hashtag #WAMerlot and encourage visitors to your tasting room to do the same. Your wine will be seen with hundreds of other Washington wineries and wine lovers. Not sure how to use Twitter or hashtags? Watch the end of the video here for a quick primer.

Feel overwhelmed trying to figure out how to participate or what Twitter is in the first place? Many wineries are banding together for shared events. Reach out to your friends at wineries, make sure they know about the event, and see what they are planning. Also, feel free to reach out to any of the event sponsors listed here for assistance or ideas.

Want to participate but don’t feature a Merlot in your line-up? Feel free to insert a blend that contains Merlot.

Most of all, if you have questions whether you’re a consumer or a winery, please do reach out. This is an event for you.

Hope to see you there!