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The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, a newbie’s recap.
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By: Amanda Wenzig, Business Development
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself on the I-5 heading to The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium at the Sacramento Convention Center. It’s the largest gathering of its type in North America, with well over 12,000 industry attendees every year. As I cruised down this interior stretch of highway passing grazing cows, citrus groves, and nut orchards, I wondered what was in store for me at this leading wine exhibition. This was my first visit to the show so I was a bit unsure.
When I arrived at the convention center, I was greeted by a table of empty wine glasses compliments California Glass. Nice start. The glasses came in handy as I worked my way down the convention aisles going from one wine association’s booth to another. In addition to the wine organizations, every industry related to wine was represented here. There were tractors, tank cleaners, capsules, packaging, wine labels, glass companies and more. No wonder this is the premier trade event for wine. It’s a winemaker’s one stop shop.
As a Cal Poly alumni, I felt it was my duty to visit Cal Poly’s booth and later their Alumni reception. There was quite a crowd at the reception. I literally rubbed shoulders with current students and alumni, all with varying backgrounds but mostly wine and viticulture. As I enjoyed delicious appetizers and tasted Cal Poly wines, I listened to the Dean of Cal Poly’s Wine and Viticulture Program speak about Jerry Lohr’s generous donation of one million dollars to the Cal Poly program. I always knew Poly had a significant impact on the wine industry and with Mr. Lohr’s gift they will continue to do so.
As I headed back home passing the grazing cows, I thought about how much I learned at the show. I had no idea the wine industry had such a big footprint. My experience with wine has gone no farther than marketing and drinking it. It was interesting meeting all the people who have a hand in getting the grape to the glass. I definitely have a newfound appreciation of how much goes into producing a great tasting wine.