Buzzy, Upbeat Mood as Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Emerges from Pandemic Years
SACRAMENTO, Calif., January 26, 2023…With a sold-out tradeshow and robust sessions in all things wine and grape, guests here at the 29th Unified Wine & Grape Symposium sipped wines, learned about trends, perused innovative products and enthusiastically reconnected with colleagues from around the nation after years of pandemic isolation.
“It felt like a gigantic class reunion,” said Natalie Collins, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) and co-host of the Unified Symposium. “After relocating the Unified Symposium in 2020 while the Sacramento Convention Center was remodeled and then two years of the pandemic, the energy on the show floor was palpable as colleagues and friends from every corner of the winegrape and wine world embraced the chance to meet in person again at Unified.”
More than 10,000 people attended the three-day industry symposium, listening to speakers from around the world address topics ranging from vineyard efficiency and marketing trends to new technologies. In addition to three days of symposia, including a full-day workshop presented in Spanish, the Unified has the largest wine industry tradeshow with over 650 exhibitors showcasing everything from microscopic yeasts to full-scale harvesting equipment
“We saw a major boost in attendance this year after the understandable challenges posed by COVID,” said Dan Howard, executive director of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and the show’s other co-host. “Given the amazing success of this year’s conference, I think it’s safe to say the Unified Symposium is on solid footing to continue our mission of providing the industry with the information, connections, and opportunities they need to pursue success in the coming year.”
The 2024 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium will take place on January 23-25 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. Built with the joint input of growers, vintners, and allied industry members, the Unified Symposium will celebrate 30 years of serving as a clearinghouse of information important to wine and grape industry professionals. The Unified Symposium also hosts the industry’s largest trade show of its kind. For more information, visit www.unifiedsymposium.org.
