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MANA GEMENT Dr. Luis Miguel Albisu of the Center for Agro-Food Research and Technology of Aragon, Spain, said the conference engen- dered international networking, which is an "extraordinary asset" for wine industries in many countries. "Wine is one of the most sophisticated agro-food products—not only in terms of the amount of technology applied, both in viticulture and oenology processes, but also with respect to consumer behaviour," he said. "Wine education needs to put together the ability to quantitatively analyze data, from production costs to financial arrangements, but also to get in- volved on social and psychological explana- tions about consumers' reactions." Peter Mondavi said after the conference that it was important to possess "the wis- dom of the market; getting the wine in the bottle is easy to do." Other executives at the conference included Joel Miller of Jackson Family Wines, Nancy Bailey of Gary Farrell Winery, Tom Blackwood of Boisset Family Estates, Abigail Smyth of Heck Estates and Michael Holden of Treasury Wine Estates. Getting 'everyone in the same room' Anisya Thomas Fritz, owner of Lynmar Estate in Sebastopol, Calif., organized SSU institute metes out scholarships T he Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute awarded three scholarships totaling $16,000. Marilyn Reisen, widow of former Ridge Vineyards president Donn Reisen, split the $5,000 Donn P. Reisen Memo- rial Scholarship between Brandye Al- exander and Palmer Emmitt, who both received $2,500. The $10,000 "Pigs and Pinot Scholar- ship" by Charlie Palmer and Daryl Groom also was split evenly between students Rachel Kau-Taylor and Lacey Madrigal. The Women for WineSense's $1,000 scholarship went to undergraduate wine business student Jenna Riggan. A.A. the conference and paid for the travel and lodging of those who participated. She said the idea for the conference originated from conversations with Bill Silver, dean of the SSU School of Busi- ness and Economics, and Ray Johnson, director of the SSU Wine Business Insti- tute, about the vision of wine education at the university. The group knew that Liz Thach, SSU professor of management and wine business, had the connections in the international field of business to draw a conference together. "The more we started talking, the more it became clear that we needed to have everyone in the same room," Fritz said. She said she was surprised by how dramatic the transitions have been for the wine industry in terms of changing de- mand levels and the popularity of sweeter wines. "From an owner's point of view, over and over again during the confer- ence we heard there's a shift from product orientation to sales," Fritz said. "There seems to be a greater and greater focus on navigating markets, selling more products and selling direct to consumer." Graduates entering the field need to be more "critical and strategic" in their approaches to the industry and understand the consumer trends that are driving consumption. "The wine industry is becoming more dynamic and less predictable," she said, adding that Fritz said she hopes for a similar event in two years. Bruwer, from the University of Adelaide, said it is "paramount" for wine business schools to offer the best training for the new challenges of the industry. The wine business profession is definitely "at the same credibility level from an industry viewpoint as are enology- and viticulture- trained graduates. This is a huge challenge for wine business academics and can only be achieved through collaboration." Dr. Huiqin Ma, an agriculture and biotechnology professor with China Agricultural University, said she saw the conference as a necessary first step to forge more exchange programs. "For the future I think an international wine business education network will be built: Students will have more chances to study in different wine production and consuming countries, more visiting scholars, Internet courses, and specifi- cally we could launch wine business education degrees and certifications together." D E S I G N P L A N N I N G M A N A G E M E N T WINERY PRODUCTION HOSPITALITY ESTATES S T R A T A A R C H I T E C T U R E A P www.STRATAap.com S T R A T E G I C D E S I G N S T U D I O A R C H I T E C T U R E B R A N D D E V E L O P M E N T B R A N D D E V E L O P M E N T www.strataap.com S O N O M A, C A L I F O R N I A 7 0 7. 9 3 5. 7 9 4 4 You know how good your Zinfandel is... Promote your wines to leading Zinfandel enthusiasts and extend your winery's relationship in the market. Join Us! We are champions of Zinfandel— America's Heritage Wine Become part of our proud legacy zinfandel.org • 530-274-4900 Zinfandel Advocates & Producers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history. WINES & VINES SEPTEMBER 2012 65