Tuesday, November 28, 2006
At Viticulture 2007 in February in Rochester…
“The Big Picture” Sets the Agenda
What is the status of the worldwide grape, grape juice and wine industries? How much does the grape and wine industry contribute to the American economy? What are the latest consumer trends affecting grapes and wine?
These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed at the opening session of Viticulture 2007 (http://www.viticulture2007.org), a three-day conference of seminars combined with a major trade show for grape growers, wine makers, and others. Viticulture 2007 will take place on February 7-9 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, with “The Big Picture” session at 8:30 am on Wednesday kicking off the entire event with five nationally renowned speakers:
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Barbara Insel, Managing Director, MKF Research, St. Helena (Napa Valley), CA
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John Gillespie, President, Wine Market Council, St. Helena, CA
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José Fernandez, CEO and President, Constellation Wines U.S., Canandaigua, NY
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Brent Roggie, General Manager, National Grape Cooperative (Welch’s), Westfield, NY
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Dr. R. Curtis Ellison, Professor of Medicine & Public Health, Boston University Medical Center, Founder and Director, Institute of Lifestyle & Health
The American grape, grape juice and wine industry, which now spans all 50 states, provides major economic benefits to the national economy, as Barbara Insel will report. MKF Research, a leading wine economics research firm, has been conducting a study on the industry’s total economic impact which will be completed in January. The New York industry, which represents only about 3% of the total, generates over $3.4 billion in economic benefits to the State economy alone, so the national number will undoubtedly be huge.
John Gillespie will describe major trends in the wine market based on extensive research undertaken by the Wine Market Council over the past several year. While the United States still lags behind many other countries in terms of per capita adult consumption of wine, virtually all the trends indicate a strong and growing market for years to come.
José Fernandez will offer perspectives from the world’s largest wine company, and how global trends translate into local impacts for New York grape growers and wineries.
Brent Roggie will provide a status report on the grape juice sector of the industry, which represents two-thirds of all New York grapes and is experiencing challenging times due to a confluence of global competition, the low-carb craze, and unusual weather patterns of the past few years.
Finally, Dr. Curtis Ellison, who has twice appeared on 60 Minutes to explain the “French Paradox” and now tracks all major research worldwide on the health effects of wine consumption, will summarize the latest findings and what they mean to the future of the grape and wine industry.
Viticulture 2007 is sponsored by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation in conjunction with Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension. For 2007, this conference combines the annual regional conferences of Cooperative Extension as well as the Wine Industry Workshop. Full information about the conference, as well as the capability for on-line registration, is available at http://www.viticulture2007.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Trezise , jimtrezise@nywgf.org