Names: Brad and Terry Johnson
Full-time jobs:
- Brad: Adjunct psychology instructor, Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); and assistant winemaker, Fireside Winery (Marengo, Iowa)
- Terry: Assistant Program Manager, U.S. Navy
City blogging from: Brad (Vinton, Iowa) and Terry (Washington, DC)
Thanks to our sponsor
1. What is the name, subject and URL of your blog:
The name of the blog is “Two Wine Brothers” (twowinebrothers.blogspot.com) and as the name suggests we chronicle wines and wine making. My brother, who lives in the Washington, DC area focuses on wine appreciation while I (Brad), live in Vinton, Iowa, elaborate on my experiences in the Iowa wine industry as an assistant winemaker at Fireside Winery, wine competition judge, and organizer of amateur winemakers (iowawineclub.org).
2. Why do you blog?
Brad (me) and Terry Johnson are two brothers originally from Greenville, Michigan and after 30 years apart have discovered that we each have a passion for wine. Brad has experience “hands-on” working in the vineyard, crushpad and making the best wine possible in Iowa. Terry is the former Wine Director at Restaurant 213, a fine dining restaurant in Fruitland, Maryland.
The reason we began blogging, more than a year ago, was simply to stay connected to one another and talk about the one thing we can agree upon – our love of wine! As our online conversations grew, we invited friends and wine lovers to listen/comment on our discussions, and frequently people from all over the world (most recently from South Australia) check in with us letting us know they are following.
I have a passion for and am a proud advocate for the Iowa Wine Industry and my blog allows me to share my wine experiences with those with an interest.
3. How long have you been blogging and what software do you use?
My brother and I have been blogging together since December 2009. We use Google’s “Blogspot” software! For now, it serves our purpose — free!
4. What’s your favorite blog (besides your own)?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other wine-related blogs available to view. To view a list of the top 100 wine blogs (note: Two Wine Brothers isn’t listed), click here: Top 100.
I’m a fan of “Fermentation” (fermentation.typepad.com) and “Dr. Vino” (drvino.com).
5. What do you think the state of the blogosphere is in our region?
My life is about wine and the blogs I follow concentrate on the same subject. In Iowa there are few opportunities to read about Midwestern wines, wine grape growing, and the wine industry in general. One outstanding resource, in both blog form and in print, is Make Mine Wine Magazine (makeminewinemagazine.com/blog). The focus of this blog/magazine is on Midwestern wine culture in general and about Iowa in particular.
