MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025.  BY STEPHANIE BOLTON, PhD, LODI WINEGRAPE COMMISSION.

Featured image above showing Lodi Grower leadership at our booth for the Unified trade show in 2023. From left to right: Kevin den Hartog, Bruce Fry, Stuart Spencer, Ben Kolber and Diego Olagaray. Photo taken by author. Visit the Lodi Winegrape Commission at Booth #611 this year.

It’s almost time for the biggest wine industry conference in America to hit Sacramento again! The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, hosted by the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) and the American Society of Enology & Viticulture (ASEV), kicks off on January 28, 2025 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center. To register for Unified, click HERE.

As a member of the volunteer Unified Planning Committee, I got a sneak peek into some of this year’s hot topics.

Five highly recommended things to do at Unified this year:

 1.  State of the Industry Session  |  Wednesday, January 29  |  8:30 – 11:00am
By far most well-attended session is always the State of the Industry, where wine and grape market conditions are analyzed by experts and emerging trends are elucidated. This year, our esteemed colleague Michelle Moyer, PhD (Washington State University) will open the session. Mike Veseth of The Wine Economist will moderate and Jeff Bitter (Allied Grape Growers, pictured to the right), Danny Brager (Beverage Alcohol Consultant), Glenn Proctor (Ciatti) and Stephen Rannekleiv (Rabobank) will serve as panel speakers.

 2.  Whole Farm Profitability Session  |  Tuesday, January 28  |  9:30 – 11:00am
How can we reinvigorate the family farm, so it is fun, thriving, exciting and profitable for the long run? Winegrowers are missing several exciting opportunities to add extra income to their farms. Like in the Viticulture X Games session last year, this event will feature interactive time for engaging conversations with practitioners to explore new on-farm revenue streams and the skills needed to make them successful. Small-group table discussion topics led by practitioners include: agritourism, animals, biochar, carbon credits, ChatGPT business plans, compost, crop diversification, culinary partnerships, engaging with youth, farmer’s markets, non-wine value-added products, rare grape varieties, R&D tax credits, return on investment calculations, scale, skill set inventories, social media and vertical integration. I will be moderating and Tara Beaver Coronado along with Lodi Winegrape Commission Board member Jacylyn Stokes and her father Bill are serving as expert panelists.

Farm to Table outdoor dining experiences are one type of agritourism that can help connect growers and consumers, while bringing extra income to a farm. This photo was taken at West 12 Ranch in Lodi, a horse farm turned into a photography studio and event space, during a Lodi Winegrape Commission harvest lunch. Photo by author.

3.  Keynote Speaker Luncheon with Pink  |  Tuesday, January 28  |  11:30am – 1:30pm
The last time I saw Pink was about 20 years ago in the back of Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, famous for it’s music scene. Known globally for her multifaceted career, Pink (Alecia Moore) will share another very talented side of herself at Unified – bringing her passion for grape growing and winemaking to center stage in a live talk-show-style interview with Ray Isle, author and Executive Wine Editor at Food & Wine. Their engaging conversation will explore Pink’s journey that led her to wine, and the passion that fuels her unique approach to her brand. Registration for the Keynote Luncheon is limited to current members of ASEV, CAWG and Exhibitors.

4.  Threat of Spotted Lanternfly Session  |  Wednesday, January 29  |  1:00 – 2:30pm
The winegrape industry faces many challenges with the threat of exotic pests and their ability to move within the global supply chain. In this seminar, experts will take us through what we’ve learned from the establishment of the vine mealybug and highlight the success story on the eradication of the European Grapevine Moth. We will then take a deep dive on our next biggest threat, the Spotted Lanternfly. Moderated by Randy Heinzen (CAWG’s 2025 Leader of the Year), speakers include Dr. Monica Cooper (UCCE Napa), Dr. Kent Daane (UC Berkeley), Dr. Neil McRoberts (UC Davis) and Dr. Julie Urban (Penn State, pictured below on the left examining a Tree of Heaven).

5.  Corti Brothers Grocery Store  |  Open 9:00am – 7:00pm during Unified  |  5810 Folsom Blvd
If you are into wine and food, no trip to Sacramento is complete without a visit to Corti Brothers, my favorite grocery store. Started in 1947 and now led by Frank Corti’s son Mr. Darrell Corti, a true aficionado, the store offers delicacies from local farms and around the globe. Every single item is carefully and thoughtfully selected for it’s quality and authenticity. If you are visiting from another country, you will undoubtedly find something special that reminds you of home. Grab a unique bottle of wine for your room, snacks to keep you going for the week, or a deli sandwich for a casual lunch meeting on the Corti Brothers patio. You’ll be glad you did!

 

ABOUT THE UNIFIED WINE & GRAPE SYMPOSIUM

Since the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) joined forces to create the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in 1995, it has become the largest wine and grape conference in the nation. And while they’re proud of the size of the Unified Symposium, it is their established reputation for providing outstanding, current and breaking news, as well as information and content that they find most rewarding. As one of the industry’s premier gatherings, the Unified Symposium presents a vital platform to focus on the issues shaping today, while interfacing the topics and trends shaping the future of grapegrowing and winemaking.

 


Have something interesting to say? Consider writing a guest blog article!

To subscribe to the Coffee Shop Blog, send an email to stephanie@lodiwine.com with the subject “blog subscribe.”

To join the Lodi Growers email list, send an email to stephanie@lodiwine.com with the subject “grower email subscribe.”

To receive Lodi Grower news and event promotions by mail, send your contact information to stephanie@lodiwine.com or call 209.367.4727.

For more information on the wines of Lodi, visit the Lodi Winegrape Commission’s consumer website, lodiwine.com.

For more information on the LODI RULES Sustainable Winegrowing Program, visit lodigrowers.com/standards or lodirules.org.