What a terrific event IPNC 2010 has been thus far.

If you're interested in following my coverage, please visit my Twitter feed for pics and posts captured at various times each day.

That said, trying to distill all of the great people, wines, and food into a series of Tweets would be an injustice to this extraordinary event. As such, I am relying more on visual representation of my experiences by shooting pics and posting them to my Twitter feed. The words will come later next week in more details posts here at BeyondtheBottle.com.

While I have some downtime, it is worth noting the unique experiences one has here at IPNC. It continues to amaze me how I can find myself sitting next to a winemaker whose pinot noir had a transformative impact or a being poured a wine from a vintage that aligned with an important moment in my life.

I am not alone in making such claims, as I heard at lunch today several stories from others experiencing similar profound intersections this weekend. It is the magic of IPNC, an event like no other, celebrating a grape like no other.

From Thursday night's amazing dinner at Scott Paul Wines, to Friday's terrific winery visit at Lemelsom Vineyards, to last evening's wonderful Grand Dinner, to this morning's enlightening food/wine pairing seminar, to today's alfresco lunch, this IPNC event has exceeded all expectations.

Now, it's time for a nap so I can recharge my batteries for tonight's NW Salmon Bake dinner.