Our Top Program Picks
We’re gearing up for the 2023 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on January 25-26 in Sacramento, California — North America’s largest wine and grape industry trade show. The 2019 show boasted nearly 14,000 industry professionals in attendance and, with in-person events back to nearly full swing in the wake of the pandemic, we could be looking forward to the best turnout since.
Will we see you there? The Crafted ERP team will be chatting up visitors to our exhibit booth (#A2300); spreading the word about the only true end-to-end winemaking and business management platform as well as passing out handmade cocktail kits, fun fortune cookies and other swag.
We also have a full itinerary of panels and presentations to attend where we’ll be drinking up the latest news, information and innovations in the industry. Here is our short list of do-not-miss program picks:
1. Leveraging Technology to Increase Sustainability | January 25, 2:45 P.M. – 3:45 P.M.
Crafted ERP is sponsoring this Winemaking Breakout Session featuring speakers Bob Coleman (Treasury Wine Estates), Ron Runnebaum (University of California, Davis) and Wolfgang Weiss (ergSol).
This one-hour session will touch on new winemaking technologies and how some wineries are leveraging them to help meet their sustainability goals. The session will be moderated by Nate Weis of Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars.
2. Sustainable Business 360 — Today’s Toolkit for Tomorrow’s Success | January 24, 2:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.
This Business/Operations Breakout Session will focus on today’s best practices, from grape-growing to winemaking to sales, for maximizing ROI by saving resources, reducing costs and positioning wine businesses for sustainability.
Speakers include Anna Brittain (Napa Green), Tyler Klick (Redwood Empire Vineyard Management) and Nate Weis (Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars). The session will be moderated by Erin Kirschenmann of Wine Business Monthly. Tyler was on our tech and sustainability panel moderated by our own winery product lead Mike Alley at the WIN Expo in December, and we very much look forward to hearing more from him.
3. New Packaging for New Consumers | January 25, 1:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M.
The consumer landscape is changing, priorities are shifting, and there is a whole wide world of alternative packaging formats out there that might be the perfect fit for your customer.
This Business/Operations Breakout Session will explore the gamut of new packaging innovations and how some wineries are using these to their advantage. Moderated by Susan Owen of G3 Enterprises, the session will feature speakers Libby Enright (McBride Sisters Wine Collection), Marian Leitner-Waldman (Archer Roose Wines), and Martha Stoumen (Martha Stoumen Wines).
4. Keynote Speaker Luncheon |January 24, 11:30 A.M. – 1:30 P.M.
Of course, you’ll want to make sure to take part in the Keynote Speaker Luncheon featuring Robin McBride of McBride Sisters Wine Company. Robin is the Co-founder, Board Chair and President of McBride Sister Wine Company, a multinational, Black-owned wine company in the top 1% by volume in the United States. Robin and her sister Andréa were the first Black women winery owners on the cover of Wine Enthusiast magazine and were nominated for the Wine Star Award for the US Winery of the Year in 2021.
Inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability are at the heart of the McBride’s endeavors — their SHE CAN Professional Development Fund has awarded over $3M in grants, scholarships and training to 3,000+ professional women in the wine and spirits industries. Check out our August interview with Robin to learn more.
5. Doing Even More, with Even Less | January 25, 2:45 P.M. – 3:45 P.M.
This Grape-growing Breakout Session focuses on the creative solutions and resourcefulness that vintners and viticulturists have shown in the face of challenging times when it comes to water conservation.The program will delve into the various alternative methods to traditional irrigation.
Speakers will include Mark Battany (University of California Cooperative Extension), Anita Oberholster (University of California) and Francisco Pedrero Salcedo (CEBAS-CSIC, Spain), with moderator, Clint Nelson of Bonterra Organic Estates.
See You In Sacramento!
These are our top picks, but there is a packed schedule of programs and sessions to choose from and different tracks (like Business Operations or Winemaking) if you want to focus on a particular facet of the industry. Visit Unified Wine & Grape Symposium online to browse through the programs being offered and make your own itinerary.
And don’t forget to stop by and chat with the wine industry experts from Crafted ERP about how the Crafted ERP Winery Edition can get your wine business on the path to scalable growth.
