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Annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium will be virtual-only in January

Todd Fitchette, Associate Editor

July 15, 2020

1 Min Read
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The annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, typically held each January in Sacramento, Calif., will go all-virtual in 2021 as concerns over COVID-19 continue. The event is well-attended and features an array of topics for discussion by the industry.Todd Fitchette

The ever-popular Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, Calif. will go all-virtual with no live components in January due to the continued concerns over COVID-19 and California's renewed business closures.

The virtual conference takes place Jan. 26-28, 2021. It was scheduled to take place earlier the same month at Cal Expo.

The annual event typically draws about 12,000 people from around the United States and world over three days and includes a large trade show with over 700 vendors. For 26 years it has been the premiere industry event that includes presentations on the state of the wine grape industry and detailed discussions on various issues of immediate importance to growers and wineries.

"First and foremost, the Unified Symposium is about serving the interests of the people who make the wine industry so special," said John Aguirre, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

Given the new format, the committee responsible for putting on the large event is working through some similar, and some new details as the group looks to provide the kind of information the wine grape industry has come to rely upon during the annual event. The event seeks to serve as a clearinghouse of information important to growers, vintners, and allied industry members.

"There has been a strong interest in continuing the unified tradition of starting the new year by accessing this vital information," said American Society for Enology and Viticulture Executive Director Dan Howard. The goal: "Deliver the same invaluable content in a convenient and safe virtual format," he continued.

For more information on the conference, including registration information, visit www.unifiedsymposium.org.

About the Author(s)

Todd Fitchette

Associate Editor, Western Farm Press

Todd Fitchette, associate editor with Western Farm Press, spent much of his journalism career covering agriculture in California and the western United States. Aside from reporting about issues related to farm production, environmental regulations and legislative matters, he has extensive experience covering the dairy industry, western water issues and politics. His journalistic experience includes local daily and weekly newspapers, where he was recognized early in his career as an award-winning news photographer.

Fitchette is US Army veteran and a graduate of California State University, Chico. 

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