{"id":13667,"date":"2013-04-02T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vinesleuth.com\/uncorked\/?p=5903"},"modified":"2014-08-27T22:44:27","modified_gmt":"2014-08-28T03:44:27","slug":"my-weekend-of-in-depth-wine-learning-thanks-to-snooth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/my-weekend-of-in-depth-wine-learning-thanks-to-snooth\/","title":{"rendered":"A Unique Experience, Thanks to Snooth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blogging has brought many adventures to my life I never expected, and even a few once-in-a-lifetime-type things. This is actually my fourth blog to launch, and each blog has had its moments for inspiration and unique experiences. Some of those experiences, though, are more amazing than the others.<\/p>\n

\"Cindarella's<\/a><\/p>\n

Cinderella’s Castle<\/h3>\n

In 2010, I was at the Disney Social Media Moms conference at Walt Disney World when my friend\u2019s ticket was drawn for a magical overnight stay in Cinderella\u2019s Castle. (As a side note, it was also at that conference that the idea to launch this blog was born.)<\/p>\n

Andrea<\/a>, who won the spectacular grand prize, was kind enough to invite four other bloggers and ME to join her for the experience, which is something so unique, so special, that you cannot even buy it. That\u2019s right, you can only win<\/em> a stay in Cinderella\u2019s Castle and all the ultra VIP treatment that goes along with it, and I was so super lucky enough to be along for the ride. (Squeeee!)<\/p>\n

The six of us were totally giddy and giggly. \u00a0I am not sure our guides knew how to handle us. Then, again, they are probably a bit used to it. We were told about one woman who kept fainting because she was so excited. After three times, the team knew to stand behind her when something extra special was about to happen.<\/p>\n

If you want to know what happens behind the scenes and how the peeps at Disney tend to every single detail (and what Cinderella’s Castle is really like<\/a>), click over to my family travel site, MomsTravelTales.com and read all about it. If you click over to read it, be sure to come back, as\u00a0I’ve\u00a0got more to share.<\/p>\n

\"Ribero<\/a><\/p>\n

Weekend of Wines from around the World<\/h3>\n

In March, I felt like I won a very similar prize.<\/p>\n

Gregory Dal Piaz of Snooth<\/a>, a great resource for wine information with insightful wine writing and an active wine lovers\u2019 community, and who hosts the Snooth People\u2019s Voice Wine Awards<\/a>,\u00a0invited me to join him and 20 other bloggers for a weekend of wine seminars surrounding the People’s Voice Awards Grand Tasting\u00a0in New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat??! Me???\u201d I\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0help but think. Of course I jumped at the chance and responded to the invitation right away, hoping Gregory\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0re-think the invitation and change his mind.<\/p>\n

And then an email with the airline confirmation arrived and it looked like I really was invited and would get to go.<\/p>\n

Really?? I\u00a0didn’t\u00a0faint, but I did start to feel like I was in a\u00a0fairy tale.\u00a0 Manhattan? Wine? Amazing bloggers? And someone else was inviting me, flying me out, and hosting me? Are you kidding????<\/p>\n

I wiggled a few things on my schedule, cut my attendance at Blissdom<\/a> short (but made the most of it by planning a pre-Blissdom event with Rodney Strong<\/a>\u2014I like to bring wine to other bloggers, too), packed some fun dresses and boots, pulled out my wool coat and gloves, and headed for Manhattan. My head was spinning, and I was giddy again.<\/p>\n

I checked the wine-packed schedule. There were some seminars planned on wines I knew absolutely nothing about, and some I knew a bit about.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a glimpse:<\/p>\n