Sue and I have just returned from a week in Northern Italy as guests of the Valpolicella Consorzio (look for a series of industry reports on Valpolicella and Prosecco in the coming weeks) and now we are getting ready to head to Napa, California for the Wine Industry Financial Symposium that will be held there on September 22 and 23.

The theme of the symposium is “Let the Good Times Roll,” which will strike some as a bit off-key since the California headlines this year have been dominated by bad news — first drought and then the recent Napa earthquake. The program (see below) doesn’t sidestep the challenges, but seeks to put them into the context of a rising tide in the U.S. market. It should be an interesting couple of days!

Monday’s program features workshops that focus on specific issues of interest to wine industry professionals including the Hispanic wine market in the U.S., the rise of craft beer, the emerging talent gap in the wine industry, tax issues and vineyard finance.  Lots of interesting topics and great speakers — something for everyone.

The Tuesday morning program accentuates the positive, beginning with David Freed’s industry overview and ending just before lunch with Carolyn Wente and the celebration of 130 years of Wente Vineyards. In between Dr. Robert Smiley will present the results of his annual survey of wine industry CEOs and John Ciatti will report on U.S. and global harvest trends.

I will talk about “Lessons from the Global Wine Wars,” with an overview of important global market trends, focusing on two that I think are particularly relevant for the U.S. industry today: the “premiumization” of the wine market and the surge in “disintermediation” in the wine industry.

Tuesday afternoon features sessions on social media marketing, “next generation” consumers and wine distribution. Looking forward to hearing the speakers and seeing everyone in Napa next week. Here’s the complete program. Cheers!

>>><<<

Wine Industry Financial Symposium

Monday Workshops – September 22, 2014

Session I: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Choose One

1. NEW DIRECT TO CONSUMER TRENDS
Examine new ways to relate to consumers through the direct to consumer channel. Speaker-moderator Craig Root will present several new tips designed to enhance your operation. Featured speaker Norman Stolzoff, President of Ethnographic Insight, will offer a detailed look at ethnographic research. This important field uses anthropological insights to solve real-world problems. Ethnography helps better serve customers, leading to profitable results.
Craig Root, Visitor Management Resources
Norman Stolzoff, PhD, President, Ethnographic Insight Inc.

2. TRANSACTIONS: WHO ARE THE BUYERS AND WHO ARE THE SELLERS?
John Mackie, Partner, Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross, LLP, Moderator
Tony Correia, Owner, The Correia Company
Matt Franklin, Principal, Zepponi & Company
Josh Grace, Managing Director, International Wine Associates

3. THE HISPANIC WINE CONSUMER
What does it mean to the wine industry and what do we do to make wine the beverage of choice?
Steve Rannekleiv, Executive Director, Research, Rabobank International
Natalia Velikova, PhD., Texas Tech University

4. THE EMERGING TALENT GAP POSES RISKS FOR THE WINE INDUSTRY
Ray Johnson, Director of Wine Business Institute, Sonoma State University
Carol O’Hara, Partner, Burr, Pilger & Mayer, Moderator
Tom O’Brien, Director of Human Resources, Trinchero Family Estates
Larry Smith, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Jackson Family Wines
Dawn Wofford, Managing Partner, Benchmark Consulting

Session II: 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Choose One

5. EQUITY AND DEBT MARKETS: CURRENT TRENDS AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
David Freed, Chairman, The Silverado Group
William Beyer, Principal, Prudential Agricultural Investments
Hal Forcey, American AgAppraisal
Perry F. Deluca, Senior Vice President, Wine Industry Team Leader, Wells Fargo Bank

6. WHO IS THE COMPETITION? WILL CRAFT BEER AND CRAFT SPIRITS HURT WINE SALES, OR SHOULD YOU JUST JOIN THEM?
Bill Leigon, President, Jamieson Ranch Vineyards
Mark Crisler, CS, Founder & Chief Everything Officer, Trellis Wine Group
Jesus Ceja, Ceja Winery / Carneros Brewing Company

7. USE PERMITS: CURRENT ISSUES AND FUTURE TRENDS
Phillip Kalsched, Partner, Carle, Mackie, Power, Ross, LLP, Moderator
Dean Parsons, Project Review Manager, Sonoma County Permit & Resource Management Department
Jeff Redding, Principal, Land Use Environmental Planning Service
Beth Painter, Principal, Balance Planning

8. COMMON TAX ISSUES FOR VINEYARDS AND WINERIES
Federal Income Tax Updates, State Income Tax Updates, Sales Tax Updates and Estate Tax/Valuations
David Pardes, Tax Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers
George Famalett, Tax Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Joan Armenta Roberts, Managing Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Eric W. Nath, ASA, Principal, Eric Nath & Associates
Thomas Garigliano, Tax Partner, Burr, Pilger & Mayer

---

Tuesday General Session – September 23, 2014
7:45 – 8:15 a.m.
COFFEE & REGISTRATION

8:15 – 8:20 a.m.
WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS
Lisa Adams Walter, Director of Programs, Wine Industry Symposium Group

8:20 – 8:30 a.m.
WINE INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
David Freed, Chairman, The Silverado Group

8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
WHAT WINE INDUSTRY LEADERS THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE
Robert Smiley, PhD, Dean and Professor Emeritus, Director of Wine
Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.
LESSONS FROM THE GLOBAL WINE WARS
Mike Veseth, Editor, The Wine Economist Blog

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
GET – ACQUAINTED BREAK

10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
THE CALIFORNIA AND GLOBAL HARVEST UPDATE
John Ciatti, Broker, Ciatti Company LLC

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 noon
WENTE VINEYARDS CELEBRATES 130 YEARS
Carolyn Wente, CEO, Wente Vineyards

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
NETWORKING LUNCHEON

1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
HOW SKILLFUL USAGE OF DIGITAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA
NEED TO BE INTEGRATED IN THE BIGGER PICTURE OF BRAND BUILDING AND POSITIONING
John Gillespie, President, Wine Market Council and CEO, Wine Opinions
Karena Breslin, VP Digital Marketing, Constellation Brands
Alisa Joseph, Vice President, Business Development, The Nielsen Company
Mark Gordon, Digital Marketing Manager, Jackson Family Wines
Mike Osborn, Founder and VP Merchandising, Wine.com

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.
NEXT GENERATION WINE
Liz Thach, PhD, MW, Professor of Management and Wine Business, Sonoma State University
Judd Finkelstein, Judd’s Hill Winery
Lisa Broman Augustine, Broman Cellars
Nicole Bacigalupi Dericco, Bacigalupi Vineyards

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
WINE AND DISTRIBUTION
Jonathan Pey, Principal, TEXTBOOK Napa Valley
Jon Moramarco, Principal, BW 166 LLC
Dan Grunbeck, EVP Corporate Business Development & Strategy, Youngs Market

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
FINANCIAL SPONSOR FINALE
WINETASTING & RECEPTION – Hosted by WIFS Sponsors