Registration is now open for the 14th Annual North Coast Wine Industry Trade Show & Conference (WIN Expo), scheduled for Thursday, December 3rd, 2026, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Santa Rosa, CA. This year’s theme focuses on The Next Era of Wine, and the event will explore ideas, strategies, and connections that will help shape your winery’s next chapter.
WIN Expo is the largest trade show and conference focused exclusively on the Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake County wine regions. The Expo has become THE year-end business and networking event for North Coast wine industry professionals to celebrate the success and achievements of the past year, reconnect with colleagues, foster new connections, and prepare for a thriving 2027. The event will feature hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest vineyard, winery, and business solutions, complemented by outdoor exhibits, live trial tastings, and one of the North Coast’s most comprehensive educational conference programs.
“This year’s WIN Expo is built around the theme, The Next Era of Wine,” said George Christie, Founder and CEO of Wine Industry Network. “Our industry is evolving faster than ever before, creating both challenges and opportunities. Every conference session, exhibitor, and networking opportunity is designed to help wineries, growers, and suppliers better understand what’s changing, discover new solutions, and leave with practical ideas they can put to work immediately.”
WIN Expo’s educational conference is focused on highlighting the latest research and innovations available to wine industry professionals. The sessions are designed as interactive learning workshops for all sectors: Winemaking & Production, Sales & Marketing, Business Strategy & Leadership, and Vineyard Operations. Some of this year’s topics include:
Chillable Reds: Breaking the Rules of Tradition to Increase Consumer Choices
Non‑Alcoholic Wine Marketing Strategies to Celebrate the Expanded Consumer Landscape
DTC Reinvented: What 500 Wineries Reveal About Clubs, Loyalty & Collaboration
Rip It Out or Ride It Out? The Economics of Vineyard Transition
AI in Action: Practical Tools, Real Winery Use Cases & Smarter Workflows
Winery & Vineyard Transactions: What Buyers & Sellers Need to Know
See all of the conference topics at wineindustryexpo.com/conference.php.
“The wineries that thrive over the next decade won’t necessarily be the biggest—they’ll be the ones that adapt the fastest,” said George Christie, Founder and CEO of Wine Industry Network. “WIN Expo is designed to accelerate that process. From breakthrough technologies and innovative products to practical business strategies and peer-to-peer learning, attendees will leave with new ideas, new relationships, and new opportunities to strengthen their business. If you’re serious about staying competitive in the years ahead, WIN Expo is one day you simply can’t afford to miss.”
To see the full list of this year’s conference topics, expert speakers, and registration information, please visit: wineindustryexpo.com.
In this WIN Insider episode, George interviews Robyn Sebastiani, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance, about her journey from medical sales and founding Westshore Canned Wine Company to leading one of California’s most collaborative wine communities. Robyn discusses how her marketing expertise shapes the Alliance’s vision, balancing the interests of small and large wineries while operating the Vintage Festival—a long-standing consumer event raising funds for local nonprofits.
She addresses industry trends including changing younger consumer preferences and the importance of demystifying wine to attract new audiences, while sharing her strategy for reviving Sonoma Valley’s distinct identity and positioning the region as a unique wine destination. From managing visitor traffic to creating evolving tasting experiences, Robyn’s perspective offers valuable insights into how regional wine organizations can lead their communities while honoring wine’s traditions.
Learn More:
https://sonomavalleywine.com/
https://valleyofthemoonvintagefestival.org/
In this WIN Insider episode, George interviews Jim Trezise, a legendary figure in the US wine industry, about his remarkable career from Navy journalist to transformative leader of New York State’s wine sector and president of WineAmerica. Jim shares his journey from living in France to his pivotal move from corporate executive at Conrail to managing a struggling New York wine grape growers association, where through collaborative advocacy and innovative legislation, he helped grow New York’s wineries from around 40 to over 400.
Now reflecting on decades of experience advocating for fair public policy and supporting all US wine regions, Jim discusses wine judging, evolving industry challenges including climate change and hemp products, and why he remains optimistic about wine’s future despite setbacks. His personal resilience story and commitment to unity, hope, and grit offer both inspiration and practical insight into policy advocacy that builds thriving wine communities.
In this WIN Insider episode, George interviews Julie Pedroncelli St. John, board president and founding winery owner, and Katie Ambrosi, the new executive director of Wine Road, a regional association founded in 1976 that promotes wineries and lodging throughout northern Sonoma County. Julie and Katie discuss the organization’s 50-year evolution from a simple visitor map to a major regional brand hosting signature events like Barrel Tasting, Winter Wineland, and Wine & Food Affair, while adapting to changing market conditions.
Katie brings fresh creative energy to her new role, aiming to refresh marketing and events while honoring traditions, and both leaders emphasize making wine accessible for younger consumers facing affordability challenges. They highlight upcoming initiatives including the landmark 50th Anniversary Gala and “Sip Into the Weekend” program, capturing the Wine Road’s journey and optimistic outlook for the region’s future.
Learn More: https://www.wineroad.com
Learn More About Wine Roads 50th Year Anniversary Event: https://www.wineroad.com/members/members-events/50years/
Come Over October is more than a campaign. It’s a growing movement to reconnect people with what wine has always represented: hospitality, culture, connection, and community. Whether you’re discovering Come Over October for the first time or looking to expand your participation, you’ll leave with practical ideas, free resources, and a roadmap for joining the largest grassroots pro-wine movement in the world.
In this Expert Perspective interview, Chris Bitter, Senior Wine and Grape Analyst at Terrain, discusses California vineyard valuations and the current state of the agricultural real estate market based on the latest Winescape newsletter, "Tangled Vines.
Prime appellations maintain stronger prices due to reputation and secured grape contracts, while marginal vineyards face steep devaluations. With limited transactions and a disconnect between seller expectations and buyer willingness to pay, Chris explains why valuing vineyards is difficult right now. He anticipates further downward pressure over the next 12-18 months before stabilization, but offers growers practical strategies to facilitate sales.
This conversation is essential viewing for vineyard owners and industry professionals navigating California's agricultural real estate market.
Read the Summer 2026: Tangled Vines report:
https://www.terrainag.com/insights/ta...
Sign-up and Learn more:
https://www.winescape.com/
Event Type: Webinar
Date: 7/23/2026 — 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Come Over October is more than a campaign. It’s a growing movement to reconnect people with what wine has always represented: hospitality, culture, connection, and community.
Join Karen MacNeil, Gino Colangelo, Kimberly Noelle Charles, and leaders from across the wine industry for a conversation about how wineries, distributors, retailers, media companies, and trade organizations are coming together to strengthen wine culture.
Whether you’re discovering Come Over October for the first time or looking to expand your participation, you’ll leave with practical ideas, free resources, and a roadmap for joining the largest grassroots pro-wine movement in the world.
Today's winery and vineyard professionals are rethinking supplier research and finding the trusted partners driving the industry forward
There was a time when finding a new supplier for your winery or vineyard meant waiting for a trade show, asking a neighbor for a recommendation, or thumbing through a printed directory. Referrals and face-to-face introductions still matter - a lot. But if those are the only places you're looking, you're only seeing a fraction of what's available.
Today's supplier landscape is larger, more specialized, and moving faster than ever. New technologies, sustainability solutions, service models, and companies enter the market every year. The suppliers solving the specific problem you're facing right now may not be the ones you already know, and they may not be the ones your neighbor knows either.
The research burden has shifted to buyers
Whether you're evaluating smoke taint detection, labor-efficient trellis systems, DTC compliance software, packaging innovations, or a new tank supplier, most of the meaningful research now happens before the first sales conversation. And it typically falls on you — the buyer — to figure out who's out there, who's credible, and who actually understands the wine industry.
That's not always easy. General web searches highlight companies that market to every industry. LinkedIn is noisy. Vendor lists get stale quickly. And even the strongest referral network can't cover every category you might need help with.
The result is that buyers often spend more time than they'd like just trying to figure out who to talk to — and sometimes miss the right partner entirely because that supplier didn't happen to be at the last trade show they attended.
Wine Industry Network has closed that gap.
A better starting point
The newly relaunched Wine Industry Supplier Network is designed specifically to make the research phase faster, smarter, and more useful for winery and vineyard professionals.
Instead of digging through generic search results, you can:
Search by category or problem, not just brand name - Quickly see who's working in the space you actually care about.
Compare suppliers side by side - Company profiles, product information, news updates, and recent activity are available all in one place.
Evaluate companies actively engaged in the industry - view current articles they publish, the events they participate in, and their year-round engagement with the wine community.
Discover new and niche companies - including smaller, specialized suppliers who may be exactly the right fit for a specific challenge.
The platform is free to use, wine-industry-specific, and built around how you actually work, not how a general search engine assumes you work.
Discovery is now year-round
Trade shows are still valuable; nothing can replace doing business face-to-face, but they represent only a handful of days each year. The richest discovery now happens in the months in between - when a problem shows up on your desk in real-time, and you need to find someone to solve it now.
Start your search on the Supplier Network. You'll find trusted suppliers, proven expertise, and the products and services your business needs — all in one place.
Explore the new platform now!
Event Type: Conference, Webinar
Location: online
Date: 7/29/2026 — 10:00 AM
What will matter most to the wine industry over the next 12 to 18 months? In this special mid-year edition of Bold Predictions, industry leaders will examine the forces shaping the market and share their forecasts for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. Expect thoughtful insights into the trends, risks, and opportunities likely to define the next chapter for wineries, growers, and suppliers.
Register NOW for free!
Warmer winters, longer growing seasons and shifting vector ranges are changing the disease landscape in California vineyards. Pierce’s Disease pressure has historically been lower in the North Coast, aided in part by cold winter temperatures. Climate trends, however, may alter that risk profile as Pierce’s Disease adapts. Are there opportunities to curtail this trend?
This session will share recent PD/GWSS Board-funded research on Pierce’s Disease ecology and potential control strategies. Growers will leave with a clear understanding of how area-wide programs protect premium vineyards and what today’s research means for vineyard resilience over the next decade.
The Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (GWSS) is an invasive insect that acts as the primary and most aggressive vector for Pierce’s Disease, and resources will be shared in the session for growers to stay updated on the evolving issue of Grapevines sold at Costco which contained GWSS.
Read more about our Growing Forward Series here: https://wineindustryadvisor.com/growingforward