With the California grape crush varying as much as 671,000 tons from year to year, and the average price for wine grapes jumping as much as 25% in the state, wineries and private-label producers looking to keep production steady often consult the bulk wine market to fill gaps.

This summer the International Bulk Wine & Spirits show is coming to San Francisco, and the event includes two days of conferences and workshops where winery personnel can hear from importers, distributors, suppliers and retailers about how to find bulk wine, negotiate pricing, create blends and protect your company against quality and delivery woes.

Wine Institute CEO Bobby Koch will give the welcome address, followed by Brandy Rand, who will offer an overview of wine and spirits trends from her post as vice president of U.S. marketing and business development at International Wine & Spirits Research.

After an update on wine trends, Turrentine Brokerage president Steve Fredricks will inform attendees about the latest costs for wine and grapes from various sources, including information about which varieties are widely available and which are in limited supply. Nat DiBuduo, who represents grape growers as president of Allied Grape Growers, is scheduled for a talk entitled “How Current Grape Supply and Demand Affects You.”

Once attendees have the latest knowledge about sourcing and buying bulk wine, wine journalist and sensory consultant Deborah Parker Wong will discuss developing successful bulk wine programs. Sonoma State University wine business professor Damien Wilson will fill follow up that day with a crash course in avoiding obstructions in the distribution channel.

Day two

Developing private labels will be a major focus on July 27, day two of the conference, with speakers discussing ways to grow private-label brands and sell them to major retail chains.

Shipping wine—both to wine producers for blending and then to retail—is one of the major logistical challenges of the wine business. Thomas Barford, managing director of alcohol logistics provider JF Hillebrand USA, will cover imports, exports, and domestic beverage logistics.

Specialized workshops running concurrently with the conference schedule will tackle how to provide certificates of analysis for international importers, creating great blends and more.

Finally, attorney Donna Hartman will illuminate that shouldn’t be missing from bulk wine agreements. To see the schedule and register for the International Bulk Wine & Spirits Show, visit ibwsshow.com.

Source: Wines & Vines