Sip and Twit

I am not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, as a traditional tasting, its a nice way to get introduced to the wines of Chile and Argentina (assuming GiraMondo does its usual good job of picking out wines). The introduction of Twitter into the event is what intrigues and bemuses me.

I am not sure what value Twitter adds to a wine tasting event like this. When I go to an event like this, I am interested in what my companions think, but frankly, I have no interest in what people outside of my group think. I am also skeptical about this claim:

Whereas a typical tasting involves attendees busily scribbling in notebooks, Sip & Twit participants will be able to ‘tweet’ their tasting notes and thoughts as they walk around the room. The tweet-feed will be simultaneously broadcasted locally to plasma screens around the room and globally to the online community utilizing the technology of our partner WineTwits.

First, I rarely see anyone scribbling in notebooks at tastings. At best, you see people putting stars or check marks on the sheet provided by the hosts. But even if the scribbling point is true (and admittedly, I hang out with people who are drinkers not spitters), how is people busily typing on their iPhones and Blackberries any better?

I'd love to hear your thoughts?