Again this year the North Coast Wine Industry Expo (WIN Expo) will be the second largest wine industry trade show in North America with 300 premium wine industry suppliers at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Thursday Dec. 6. The broad array of exhibitors will showcase everything vineyards and wineries need and some new things you didn’t even know where possible.
Below are a few exhibits to note including four of this year’s WINnovation Award winners, exhibitors launching new products, experts to learn from on the trade show floor, and #ExpoDeals.
Innovators
DIAM – Booth 211
DIAM Bouchage has a well established reputation for their micro-agglomerated corks treated with the Diamant process, which uses supercritical CO2 to extract compounds that cause sensory deviations, including TCA from the cork. Their latest innovation is Origine by DIAM, an ultra-sustainable cork made from natural ingredients: cork, beeswax emulsion and a 100% vegetable polyol binder. The beeswax used is completely natural, making the corks watertight and protecting the wine against any capillary migration while also protecting the integrity of the cork elasticity.
Cork already has a highly sustainable credentials, but Origine takes the next step in the evolution providing an option for wineries that are fully committed to natural and sustainable products and won’t compromise on the quality and reliability of their wines.
Emetry – Booth 234
Using data analytics for marketing isn’t new, but the wine industry is still learning how to best take advantage of the massive amounts of data that can be collected about their consumers. And who better to help pave the way than digital wine pioneer Paul Mabray, who’s heading up Emetry. Their innovative approach is to aggregate data from multiple sources and help wine brands quickly and clearly see what opportunities exist in the market, so they make informed strategic plans for growth and marketing.
Their software uses data from a range of digital sources, including the wine scanning app Delectable, and packages it into one easy to use insights dashboard. Within the dashboard, users are able to enter their product and look at the diagnostics of it in different markets. The insights go beyond product sales data and focus in on consumer purchasing behaviors. The users can see what type of consumers are talking about their product, where they purchased it, what else they purchase and who their competitors are within a market and more.
Prosurix – Booth 101
Prosurix is a new packaging innovation that combines anti-counterfeiting technology with powerful marketing tools for the wine and spirits industry. Founder and CEO Steve Glamuzina, long-time owner and operator of Georgetown Wine and Liquor, developed it to guard against fake wine and spirits products making it into the hands and cellars of consumers, but that’s just the beginning.
The combination of the Prosurix app and unique encoded NFC chips on each product not only form a powerful anti-counterfeiting shield at a low price point, it also offers wineries an opportunity to track their goods and interact directly with the consumer at the point of purchase through the augmented reality features of the app, which can deliver information that informs the consumer at both before and afterward purchase. The app includes a cellar archive for the consumer to keep record of their wines, and brands can communicate with the consumer that has their wine cellared to offer them pairing suggestions or offers of similar products they might like.
VA Filtration USA – Booth 513
VA Filtration a wine service company with an ingrained spirit of innovation, that have developed numerous cutting edge technologies for the wine industry all designing and manufacturing in-house. CEO and Founder Bryan Tudhope will be at booth 513 to share more about their latest products and services.
The latest offering from VA Filtration is its lees recovery system which allows the recovery of wine from lees without the use of DE. The benefits of the technology include zero oxygen pick-up, filtration to 0.2 microns, resulting in complete removal of bacteria, no D.E needed, and no heat pick-up.
New Products
G3 Enterprises – Booth 213
At the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento this year, G3 Enterprises introduced the expansion of Vivelys’ Boisé® oak chip line with the Boisé® Inspiration line of 100% French oak staves to the U.S. Market. These two new Boisé Inspiration 7mm staves, #07.1 and #07.5, were created with two distinct profiles that reflect the demands for maturity and fruit balance on the palate seen in the U.S. market, and were based on the same research and selection process that have guarantees consistent results of Boisé oak chips for year. Following the success and customer feedback on these staves they’re now introducing a third reference of 7mm staves, called #07.3 at the WIN Expo, which will provide caramel and spicy notes and a lot of roundness in the mouth.
Western Square – Booth 527
Western Square Industries and EQX Global are introducing their new Seismic Safety System designed to increase barrel room safety and minimize potential earthquake damage. The safety tray fits beneath a stack of barrels, and in conjunction with an epoxy coated floor, it is designed to reduce the effect of seismic shock waves. It went through numerous prototypes and rigorous testing at the University of California, Berkeley’s Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center and is now ready for use in the wine cellar to enhance the safety of staff and wine.
Topnest – Booth 129
TopNest Designs is a multi-line manufacturer’s representative company that specializes in promotional products for the wine industry, and they’re bringing many new products to display at the WIN Expo like a wrist watch made from French oak barrels as well as many classic items that work well for branding giveaways, wine club gifts, or in the tasting room.
UPM Raflatac – Booth 518
UPM Raflatac is introducing a new range of sustainable wine label materials with 90% post-consumer recycled (PCR) label liner. When paired with FSC-certified or PCW (post-consumer waste) face stocks, the sustainable materials will give your brand an uncompromising edge towards environmental responsibility.
Experts in the Trade Show Floor
The Engine Is Red – Booth 453
The Engine Is Red is hosting three 15 minutes talks on branding at their WIN Expo booth by invited guest. Drop by for one or all of them as well as a snack
9:40-9:55 AM – The Mind of a Designer: Understanding the Strategy of Packaging with Nicole Walsh, Managing Designer, The Family Coppola
11:10-11:25 AM – Building a Wine Brand to Believe in with Jesse Inman, Founder & Winemaker, Lucky Rock Wine Company
2:40-2:55 PM – Creating Brand Experiences That Delight with Andrew Ballus, Founder, Sift
Steamericas/Hotsy Pacific – Booth 235
Steamericas is not only focused on bringing the best products to market, but are actively investing in research to determine how effective their sanitation methods truly are. They teamed up with Dr. Stewart Lebrun Ph.D. of Lebrun Labs LLC to conduct research into the effectiveness and best-use methodology of dry steam using the Optima Steamer SE II. This 4 phase study focuses on one of winemakers’ biggest fears, the wild yeast strain Brettanomyces (Brett), and how dry steam can reduce the risk. Dr. Lebrun will be available to answer questions about the study at the Hotsy Pacific booth, the distributor for Steamerica’s Optima Steamer SE II.
WineDirect – Booth 525
With expertise in all areas of ecommerce and fulfillment and a longstanding commitment to wineries’ growth, WineDirect can help you at every stage in your development. WineDirect’s team of DTC Experts will be on site at the WIN Expo offering complimentary DTC Check Ups. Stop by for actionable ideas on how you can grow your DTC sales and everything your winery needs to start, manage, and grow your direct-to-consumer business from wine club, ecommerce and point of sale software to fulfillment and marketplace distribution.
You can check out the Wine Industry Advisor’s Featured Exhibitors Guide for more insights on what will be in display on the WIN Expo trade show floor or see the full list of exhibitors here.
You can also follow what’s happening on the trade show floor and conference sessions on twitter #WINexpo.
#ExpoDeals
The WIN Expo is also called “The Buying Show” because lots of business is being conducted on the trade show floor and this year there are over 50 special #ExpoDeals being offered by exhibitors at the show. Exhibitor booths offering a special deal for WIN Expo attendees are marked with a gold star balloon, so you can easily spot them on the floor, but you can also see a list of the #ExpoDeals offered at the show on the website.
For more information about what exhibitors are showing that might be interesting to you, check out the Wine Industry Advisor’s Exhibitors Guide with featured exhibits listed by category below. To register for the WIN Expo visit www.wineindustryexpo.com.
By Kim Badenfort
