Schedule

Breakfast and Vendor Break

President’s Welcome, Dr. Shockley

Dr. David Shockley | President, Surry Community College

NC Wine Consumer Survey

Dr. Charles Safley | Department Head at North Carolina State University’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

In order for the wineries to thrive in the market, it is important to understand their consumers. In our study, we surveyed consumers   in North Carolina, New York, and Virginia to identify the consumer base in each wine market and analyze consumers wine purchases and winery visits patterns, to help winery managers make better marketing decisions for their products and services.

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Keynote - Are You Sure You Know What Business You’re In?

Jerry Douglas | President, Biltmore Wines

Producing wine is complex. With a diversity of roles ranging from farmer to chemist, it’s easy to focus on a singular aspect of the business. But are you sure you’re focused in the right area? Together we’ll explore the crucial element of hospitality and how this is the driving force behind any winery’s success.

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Lunch

Vendor Break

How to Run a Successful Wine Trail

Patty Held | Patty Held Winery Consulting

Brand Your Region – Communicate With Customers - Sell Tons of Tickets

Winery consultant Patty Held graduated from California State University at Fresno with a bachelor’s degree in Enology and then went on to become the winemaker at Taylor Wine Company in New York before returning to her family-owned winery, Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri, where she served as director of public relations and special events. Currently, Held has her own winery consulting business, Patty Held Winery Consulting. She has served as a judge at prestigious wine competitions across the country and was instrumental in forming the Hermann Wine Trail. She is an adjunct online instructor for VESTA teaching Small Winery and Tasting Room Management classes along with serving as America’s Wine Trail’s industry advisor and part of the marketing team for the website and mobile app. Held will share her insights from years of experience and consulting on the intricacies of crafting regional wines.

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Vendor Break

Concurrent Sessions

Viticulture – Innovation in mid-Atlantic Vineyards: thinking outside the box

Tremain Hatch | Viticulture Extension/Research Associate

Innovation and unique ideas are key to growth in the eastern wine industry.  This presentation will review innovative practices in the vineyard, winery and winegrowing community.

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Enology – Stuck Fermentation Management: Causes, Prevention, and Resolution

Dr. Stephan Sommer | ASU Fermentation Sciences

During fermentation, yeast cells consume sugar and produce ethanol and CO2. This, of course, is the main reason why sugar levels are important. Yeast not only require sugar but in addition a multitude of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Even when you thought you got it all right, there might be an outside factor that prevents the yeast from multiplying and your fermentation becomes stuck. It happens to everyone! So throw your ego out the door and attend this session to attempt to better understand yeast metabolism and the causes (and treatments) for stuck fermentations..

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Marketing and Business – The Business of Wine: The UNCG Approach

Samuel Troy & Erick Byrd | UNCG Bryan School of Business

Nine years ago the Bryan Business School at UNCG recognized wine industry in NC was rapidly growing. While at the same time, the industry recognized the need for sound business practices to sustain the growth. As a result, UNCG has partnered with the industry to help address this need by developing a business needs assessment for the industry. This lead to 15 subsequent wine business related projects including a strategic plan for the industry, as well as, projects related to winery visitors, highway signage, winery classification and the development of a customer service on-line training program. In this session team members from UNCG will discuss how the Bryan School identified NC wine as a growth industry and developed wine related projects thus helping the industry continue to continue its rapid accent.

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Grand Wine Tasting

As a part of the symposium, the Grand Wine Tasting will highlight wines of the Southeast complemented by heavy hors d’oeuvres. The Grand Wine Tasting is open to the public for a non-conference rate of $25. The entire conference registration is $100 and includes the Grand Wine Tasting. Participants can register for the entire symposium or the Grand Wine Tasting.