Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/602988
46 WINES&VINES December 2015 UNIFIED PREVIEW Franzia, a nephew of E. & J. Gallo Winery founder Ernest Gallo, founded Ceres, Calif.- based Bronco Wine Co. in 1973 with his brother and cousin. Today the company is one of the largest wine producers in the nation, bottling 11 million cases per year, according to Wines Vines Analytics. The group's portfolio includes the popular Charles Shaw label sold at Trader Joe's stores and nicknamed "Two-Buck Chuck" by consumers. Additionally, Bronco Wine Co. owns 35,000 acres of vineyards, most of them in California's San Joaquin Valley. Ac- cording to the company, that makes Bronco the largest vineyard owner in the United States. Operations, marketing and more Knowing that Franzia's talk is likely to draw wine industry executives to town, Collins and the programming committee stacked the after- noon of Jan. 26 with business operations and marketing sessions. Topics include how to con- vey your brand's story to a generation raised with information at their fingertips and the effective use of social media. Panelists at the business/operations afternoon session will discuss capital markets and investing. Meanwhile, the annual joint winemaking and grape- growing session held the same day will focus on Chardonnay. "Over the past several years the joint session has come to be perceived as more of a wine- making session," Collins told Wines & Vines. "One of the things we really tried to focus on for this year is having ade- quate coverage of grapegrow- ing aspects." He added that panelists would discuss farming Chardonnay in five different growing regions as well as how geography plays a role in winemaking deci- sions. Speakers will include Peter Bell, the longtime winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in Dundee, N.Y. Another variety-focused session will take place Jan. 27, when winemakers gather for "Perfecting Pink: All About Making Rosé." Col- lins said rosé is an area of growing interest for consumers and winemakers alike, a viewpoint reflected in the number of high-end rosé wines entering the marketplace. (According to figures from The Nielsen Co., off-premise sales of im- ported rosé wines were up more than 50% by value in 2014.) Also of note: The programming committee matched the themes of its 2016 trade show tours with topics that will be covered in edu- cational sessions during the three days of Uni- fied. For example, "Best Practices for Bottling Preparation" is the title of a winemaking ses- sion scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 27. The following afternoon, between 1:15 and 3:15 p.m., guides will offer tours of the trade show floor with planned stops at vendors sell- ing new and innovative bottling equipment, supplies and services. Tours will be offered in English and Spanish. The Jan. 28 grapegrowing tour will spot- light water monitoring and measurement, an appropriate follow-up to the Jan. 27 grape- growing session "Tools for Measurement," which will emphasize practices from different grapegrowing regions. Labor sessions In light of the decrease in available labor for wineries and vineyards during harvest as well as other busy times for seasonal tourism, Uni- fied organizers developed two sessions dedi- cated to finding and keeping wine industry workers. The first, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Jan. 27, will tackle the availability of labor to the Decades of experience, know-how and innovation are evident in the quality construction of all of our presses, resulting in many years of reliable performance. Open and Dual Presses also available. Your advantages of a closed press system: Sealed door (option) Gentle pressing Large dejuicing area, unique channel design Juice outlet fittings can be closed for fermentation or maceration time Easy cleaning of the interior press drum and the removable drain channels FOR THE LOVE OF WINE THE NEW EUROPRESS TANK PRESS ı-320 hl T24 with sealed door West: 707-864-5800 East: 540-825-5700 info@euromachinesusa.com – www.euromachinesusa.com Fred Franzia