Amorim of Portugal, the world's largest producer of natural cork wine closures, and a Gold Sponsor of the 2009 European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) to be held in Lisbon on October 30-November 1, announced that on Sunday, November 1st, they will host a tour of the cork forests and wine estate of Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima, near Lisbon. The tour will also include a visit to the world's largest cork stopper manufacturing plant at nearby Coruche, and the opportunity to taste wines from the recently created Tejo River Region.
This is the second year that Amorim is supporting the EWBC event, which was founded and organized by Gabriella and Ryan Opaz of Catavino.net and Robert McIntosh of The Wine Conversation. "Wine blogging has become an integral part of everyday communication. We want to ensure that everyone from importers to producers alike understands how to approach and deal with this increasingly influential sector of the wine industry," says Gabriella Opaz, owner of catavino.net.
Carlos de Jesus, Amorim's Director of Corporate Communications, adds, "Blogging and other social media tools are dramatically changing the way we share information with our stakeholders and write about wine. Given the importance of global information sharing to our business, events such as the EWBC are very meaningful to us."
In 2008, Amorim successfully implemented an award-winning online media campaign called "Save Miguel" (www.savemiguel.com/) to raise awareness of the important role cork forests play in our delicate ecosystem. Hundreds of thousands of consumers from around the world had the opportunity to use tools such as YouTube, Facebook and FlickR to obtain information about natural cork and its unique advantages.
Amorim has become a recognized leader in cork manufacturing technology and product innovation. The company's most recent innovation is Acquamark®, an all-natural, biodegradable and environmentally friendly closure designed with sustainability and cost-effectiveness in mind. Amorim also leads the way in natural cork recycling, with collection and recycling programs underway on three continents. American Airlines, Whole Foods Markets, Continente Supermarkets and many top international wineries and hospitality organizations have joined Amorim's recycling efforts.
Amorim's other green credentials are equally significant. It was the first packaging company in the world to obtain FSC®-accreditation, and the first company in the cork industry to go on record with a sustainability report three years in a row. Their 2008 report was awarded top honors from CorporateRegister.com, and the company received a "Top 25" environmental ranking from Drinks Business, a major UK drink trade publication. For additional information about Amorim's environmental activities, visit www.amorim.com, www.corkfacts.com, or contact Carlos de Jesus at carlos.dejesus.ai@amorim.com.
For information about the EWBC event and its organizers, please contact Gabriella Opaz at Gabriella@catavino.net or visit www.winebloggersconference.org/europe, www.catavino.net, or www.wineconversation.com.
