Tanisha Townsend is a Wine & Spirits Educator and Consultant who delivers educational and informative presentations from the classroom to the living room. As creator of the blog Girl Meets Glass, she aims to promote the history and joys of fermented beverages to the masses. Her multi-sensory presentations are featured at expos, seminars, and tastings. Tanisha not only educates novices to the wine & spirits world, but has developed and delivered training programs for retailers, restaurant wait-staff, and bartenders.
What part of the Croatian wine history story are you most excited to talk about?
I’m most excited to talk about the comeback of Croatian wine. Despite the tragedies, setbacks and conflicts, Croatia has overcome it all and is ready for the world to literally get a taste of what they’re made of!
’50 Shades of Croatia’ as your talk title includes a little innuendo and intrigue. Is there something sexy about Croatian wine that we don’t know about?
Well, I hate to disappoint about the sexy part…but I chose that title more for the fact that this book and author has seemingly come out of nowhere and has taken the world by storm. This book has been on the NY Times bestseller list for weeks and everyone was talking about it! We want everyone to talk about Croatian wine in the same way.
What are some suggestions for a winery or tour operator to make their story as exciting as 50 Shades?
Tell the story of the vines. Don’t just say what grapes/wines you grow, explain it, describe it. Why did you start making wine? How did your family come to make wine with these vines on this plot of land? People want to know the story of the culture and how that ties into the wines.
Play along with me here. Choose a favorite region and answer: If the wine region of ________ was a book, what would it’s title be? Why?
This is a tough one, maybe I should read more LOL! Well, my favorite wine region is Burgundy and while I can’t think of a specific book title, it would be the most romantic love story every told 🙂
For me, the best part of a story is the ending. How do you suppose the Croatian wine industry will end 2013?
Hopefully you don’t skip all the good stuff in the middle as you rush to the end! 2013 will be a huge year for the Croatian wine industry. As a result of this conference, Croatian wine will be on the minds, blogs, and in the suitcases of several new people that can’t wait to spread the word. People may not be able to pronounce Plavac Mali yet, but by the end of this.
Tanisha Townsend will be delivering a talk titled 50 Shades of Croatia in the IWINETC Programme of talks.
