KELSEYVILLE — A three-part seminar series was recently presented by the Lake County Winegrape Commission (LCWC) and demonstrated that the county”s winegrape growing industry is rapidly moving forward and gaining momentum, according to Susan Stout of LCWC.
The series, titled “Momentum!,” featured seminars in November, January and March at the Soper Reese Community Theatre and attracted winegrape growers, winemakers, grower-relations representatives, grape brokers, buyers, tasting room managers and others with an interest in the wine industry.
The seminars combined keynote presentations by wine industry experts and panel discussions to provide a look at Lake County”s position in the wine industry and where it may be headed.
The third and final seminar was held in March and featured Andy Beckstoffer, chairman and owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards, as its keynote speaker. During the sold-out event, Beckstoffer shared his insights about building a wine region. Carol Kingery Ritter of Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty attorneys at law presented key components of successful business agreements and winegrape contracts.
Both speakers emphasized the importance of business relationships and fostering successful grower-buyer relations as a critical part of the sales process.
The seminar also included a panel discussion led by Commission Chair Peter Molnar, which featured panalests who shared their experiences in grower-buyer relations and noted the importance of Lake County”s appellations to their wine programs.
“From the beginning, the goal of the series was to provide a comprehensive look at Lake County”s position in the marketplace,” LCWC President Debra Sommerfield said.
“It”s one thing to hope for momentum for a wine region and it”s another thing to build it,” Molnar said. “Lake County”s growers have been building it by knowing their land, working with top winemakers and just delivering great grapes to hundreds of local and North Coast wineries.”
The seminar series was presented by LCWC and funded in part by a U.S. Department of Agriculture specialty crop grant. Additional event support was provided by the Lake County Winery Association and several commission affiliate sponsors, including Allied Grape Growers, American Ag Credit, Lincoln-Leavitt Insurance Agency, North Coast Vineyard Services, PG&E, Savings Bank of Mendocino County and Western Weather.
All presentations from the “Momentum!” seminar series are posted on the LCWC website at www.lakecountywinegrape.org/lcwc/momentum. Videos of the March seminar presentations will be available for online viewing soon.
LCWC is a marketing order established in 1991 to promote the region”s winegrapes and to assist winegrape growers in the areas of marketing, research and education. For information about LCWC and its programs, call 279-2633 or visit www.lakecountywinegrape.org.
