You're Invited: Volcanic Wines and Scorched Earth #ItalianFWT

What do Sicily and Campania have in common? If you said that they are wine-producing regions in Italy, you are correct. If you answered that they are volcanic regions that produce wine, then you are also correct...and headed in the right direction for this invitation.

Now that we've wrapped our August #ItalianFWT event, I'm extending an invitation for September's event. I'm hosting! Let's talk volcanic wines and the areas around Etna and Vesuvius. You have just under a month to play, experiment, pair, cook, uncork, and join the party on Saturday, September 3rd. I can't wait to see what you choose.

And remember: it's not all about wine...or food. If you want to write about volcanic wine you can choose any region in Italy that produces volcanic wine. If you would like to write about travel or food in Sicily or Campania, have at it.

While Jake and I have been to both the Etna and Vesuvius areas, all of my photos from that time in our lives are on slide film. And I have yet to invest in a slide scanner. So, I'm including photos from our trip to Costa Rica when we visited Volcan Poás.

Volcan Poás, Costa Rica

Why would proximity to a volcanic crater influence a wine? Or does it affect the wine? I think so, but I can't wait to hear what the  #ItalianFWT crew decides.

Scorched Earth and Terroir
Volcanic soils are rich in minerals, particularly calcium, iron and magnesium; those can all contribute to a wine’s minerality.

Me and Jake at Volcan Poás, Costa Rica

The concept of terroir is that the specificity of place - which includes not only the soil, but also the climate, and other aspects of the vineyard that can possibly differentiate one piece of land from another - affects the flavor profile of the wine.

Volcanic Wines

For this event, think about anything from Sicilian vineyards on and around Mt. Etna. When I lived in Rome, I found an interesting red from around Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. I'll have to see if I can locate a bottle in this country!

Not Only Wines

If you would like to write about travel or food in the areas around Sicily or Campania, have at it. I always welcome a virtual trip to my favorite country!

Details for participation

Are you ready to jump in and participate in the Volcanic Wines and Scorched Earth #ItalianFWT? Here are the details…

Send an email to tell me you're in: Include your blog url, Twitter handle, link to your Pinterest profile, and any other social media detail. If you know your blog post title now, include that...but you can send me that a bit closer to the event, I'd like to get a sense of who's participating and give some shoutouts and links as we go. The email is constantmotioncamilla[at]gmail[dot]com.

Send your post title to me by Tuesday, August 30th, to be included in the preview post. I will do a preview post shortly after getting the titles, linking to your blogs. Your title should include "#ItalianFWT"

Publish your post between 12:01 a.m-7:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday, September 3. You can always schedule your post in advance if you will be tied up around then.

Include a link to the other #ItalianFWT participants in your post, and a description of what the event is about. I'll provide the html code you can easily put in your initial post--which will link to people's general blog url--then updated code for the permanent links to everyone's #ItalianFWT posts.

Get social! After the posts go live, please visit your fellow bloggers posts' to comment and share. I'll follow-up later with some specific strategies for that social sharing.

Sponsored posts OK if clearly disclosed. Please be sure to disclose if your post is sponsored or if you are describing wine or other products for which you have received a free sample.

Live #ItalianFWT Twitter Chat September 3, 11 a.m. ET: Participating bloggers and others interested in the subject will connect via a live Twitter chat. It's a nice bring way to bring in others interested in the subject who didn't get a chance to share a blog post. You can definitely still join the blog event if you're not available for the live chat.