2015 Conference Session At-A-Glance

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1 2015 Conference Session At-A-Glance Wednesday, March 4 Friday, March 6, 2015 Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, East Lansing MI Wednesday, March 4 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m Winery Development Pre-Conference 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Hard Cider Production - A Technical Insider s View 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Sustainability Issues and Solutions for the Michigan Wine Industry 1:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall open 1:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Winemakers Tasting: Chardonnay 1:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Key Messages from the 2014 Wine Tourism Conference 3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Maximizing the Success of Your Wine Trail 4:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Industry Associations for the Michigan Wine Industry 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall Thursday, March 5 7:45 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall open 7:45 a.m. 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Hall 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Fruit Wine Production Production, Marketing and Promotion 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Media Relations In A New Era: How to make friends and influence writers 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Newcomer s Industry Overview 10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Break Visit Exhibit Hall 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Choosing Events to Propel Your Brand 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Viticulture and Fruit Quality in Cabernet Franc 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Education Programs for the Michigan Wine Industry 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch in Exhibit Hall 12:30 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Convert Social Media Contacts to Wine Sales 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. What to Expect When Your Food Inspector Calls 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. USDA Risk Management Tools 1:45 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Fruit Wine Production Advanced Fruit Winemaking and Overcoming Technical Difficulties to Produce World Class Fruit Wines 1:45 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Estate Planning and Farm Succession 2:45 p.m. 3:15 p.m. Break Visit Exhibit Hall 3:15 p.m. 5:15 p.m. Wine Tasting: Sensory Evaluation of Fruit Wines 3:15 p.m. 4:15 p.m. From Bubbles to Appassimento: Grape and Wine Production in Ontario 4:30 p.m. 5:15 p.m. Decision Tool for NAP Enhancements 5:15 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Break 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Banquet Keynote Address by Dr. G. Stanley Howell Friday, March 6 9:00 a.m. Noon Industry Tours 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Council Meeting Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council Banquet Thursday, March 5 6:30-8:00 p.m. $80 Join us for a specially designed meal featuring the top wines from the 2014 Michigan Wine Competition. Our keynote speaker, Dr. G. Stanley Howell, is professor emeritus of viticulture and enology at Michigan State University. After arriving at MSU in 1969, Howell focused on cool-climate viticulture with the goal of assessing which cultivars were compatible with Michigan s climate and evaluating the wines from those cultivars. Since he retired, he has been working with the VESTA (Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance) program to develop viticulture and enology courses. Tickets are limited to 120 people. The fee increases to $100 on February 14. = Marketing = General/Business = Grape and Wine Production Welcome Reception Wednesday, March 4 5:30-7:30 p.m. $20 Mingle with industry colleagues from around the state while enjoying a variety of Michigan wines and light hors d oeuvres. This networking opportunity takes place in the center of the action the trade show. Pick up your Scavenger Hunt card at registration, visit exhibitors and be entered to win one of a variety of prizes provided by our generous sponsors and exhibitors. Ticket required

2 Wednesday, March 4 10:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m Winery Development Pre-Conference Facilitators: Tino Breithaupt, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Brad Baughman, Michigan State University $80 per person ($100 beginning Feb. 14), includes lunch This Pre-Conference Workshop is targeted to individuals who are considering starting a winery or recently entered the business, with topics relating to industry trends, wine grape suitability, business planning, marketing, regulatory considerations, available resources and owner experiences. A detailed agenda is available at or 1:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Winemakers Tasting: Chardonnay Facilitator: Robin Usborne, East of Eden Vineyard and Cristin Hosmer, Bel Lago Vineyards and Winery Limited attendance, $30, includes Welcome Reception ($50 beginning Feb. 14) Each year during the Michigan Grape and Wine Conference, eligible commercial winery representatives are invited to submit wines and technical data and participate in a peer evaluation tasting. Please note: Do not register and pay for this session until your participation is confirmed by Robin Usborne, robin0140@gmail.com. There is space for two representatives per winery. For those registrants who are eligible, Robin will follow up with instructions for submitting your wines and technical data. 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Hard Cider Production - A Technical Insider s View Speaker: Dominic Rivard, Owner and Cidermaker, Bulwark Cider and Wine Production Consultant, WinePlanet Consulting Included in All-inclusive Conference Registration; $40 A la Carte, includes lunch ($60 beginning Feb. 14) In this session, Dominic will explore in detail various topics of hard cider production such as the relation between apple varieties and taste of the cider, overcoming common technical issues in cider production, the best yeast strains to use and why production variances between industrial and craft cider production. He will also touch on his experiences with production and how this has helped him overcome various technical issues along the way. 11:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Sustainability Issues and Solutions for the Michigan Wine Industry Speakers: Liesl Clark and Cam Brown, 5 Lakes Energy; Erin Gerber, Lakeshore Environmental Included in All-inclusive Conference Registration; $30 A la Carte, includes lunch ($50 beginning Feb. 14) This session will inform and engage members of the industry around projects currently underway to address winery wastewater management issues and conduct a feasibility study for a winery sustainability certification program for Michigan. Note: The following two sessions (Key Messages and Wine Trail) are included in the All-inclusive Conference Registration; $30 A la Carte, includes Welcome Reception 1:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Key Messages from the 2014 Wine Tourism Conference Speakers: Karel Bush, Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council; Lorri Hathaway, Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail In this session, you ll get an overview of the current state of wine tourism from information gathered at the 2014 Wine Tourism Conference, plus information you can use for social media marketing, public relations, promoting your region, working with other tourism businesses and more. 3:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Maximizing the Success of Your Wine Trail Facilitator: Lorri Hathaway, Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail Join us for an open discussion of successes, challenges and ideasharing among Michigan s six wine trails. We ll discuss several topics including defining your wine region; membership requirements and fees; generating revenue; creating local partnerships with lodging, restaurants and touring companies; maximizing advertising dollars as a group; creating marketing strategies; media relations; embracing your local community, staff training and education; assisting individual wineries for the betterment of all; member benefits and industry trends. In addition, we ll discuss current hot topics including drink responsibly messaging and the risky use of volunteers.

3 Wednesday, March 4, continued 4:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m Industry Associations for the Michigan Wine Industry Speakers: Mike Beck, Uncle John s Cider Mill, Michigan Wine Producers Association; Dr. Dave Miller, White Pine Winery- Michigan Wine Collaborative Attendance is open to anyone with an interest in the future of the Michigan wine industry. There is no registration fee to attend this session. Thursday, March 5 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Fruit Wine Production Production, Marketing and Promotion Speaker: Dominic Rivard, Owner and Winemaker, Muwin Estate Wines and Wine Production Consultant, WinePlanet Consulting This talk of fruit wine production will cover all the general aspects of establishing a fruit winery, planning fruit wine product development and production, as well as overcoming production pitfalls. We will also go over the many fruit wine styles that are possible to produce and adjusting production procedures accordingly. We will also discuss specialized fruit wine marketing and promotion (including export) of this fast growing wine segment. Different fruit wine styles will be tasted during this session. 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Media Relations In A New Era: How to make friends and influence writers Speaker: Michael Wangbickler, Balzac Communications The business of news publishing has changed dramatically over the past several years. With the advent of Internet media such as blogs, social networks, etc., many traditional publications have had to evolve to survive. More and more consumers are getting their news and information from sources other than print publications, so media outlets have had to evolve to compete. We will discuss these facts and the resulting opportunities for wineries to promote their wines to key influencers. 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Newcomer s Industry Overview Speakers: Gordon Wenk and Linda Jones, Grape and Wine Industry Council; Dave Lorenz and Carol Royse, Michigan Economic Development Corporation If you are new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, this session will help you get the most out of the Conference and your year round interactions with the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. With many years of industry observations to draw from, Gordon Wenk and Linda Jones will provide tips on how best to leverage Council activities to improve your bottom line. Representatives of Travel Michigan will cover the promotional opportunities available to the wine industry connected with the award winning Pure Michigan website from free listings, to national television advertising campaigns. 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Choosing Events to Propel Your Brand Speakers: Kate Cardinali and Liberty Starkweather, Innovative Media Design Bombarded with requests to sponsor or donate for fundraising events? Are you not sure when to be part of a local occasion to promote your product? Look no further for tips on how to pick and choose events so that your business gains maximum return and a better bang for your resources. Discuss strategies and solutions to maximize exposure and how to responsibly make decisions on requests for sponsorships and on-premise promotions. Explore the art of making choices that make sense for your brand when deciding where to spend your time and money. Objectives of the session: identify opportunities for business growth while supporting nonprofits or public community events; make decisions on where your resources will show the most return; learn how to say no and when to say yes; become a sharper strategic thinker when dealing with partnerships. 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Viticulture and Fruit Quality in Cabernet Franc Speaker: Dr. Paolo Sabbatini Achieving desired fruit quality at harvest in cool climate conditions is a challenge, especially for red varieties, and the typical inability of fruit to reach technological maturity is a critical contributing factor requiring examination. Crop thinning and canopy management are significant tools offering potential for improvement in fruit quality in cool climates where the onset of polyphenols accumulation could be reduced and decoupled from sugar accumulation. Research results on the impact of yield per vine and canopy management of fruit technological maturity in Cabernet Franc grapevines will be presented.

4 Thursday, March 5, continued 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Education Programs for the Michigan Wine Industry Speakers: Randy Showerman and Vance Baird, Michigan State University; Tom Smith, VESTA; Michael Moyer, Lake Michigan College; Brian Lillie, Chateau Chantal Academic credit and degree programs are explored including VESTA, the Institute of Agricultural Technology Certificate Programs, the Specialization in Beverage Science and Technology at Michigan State University, and the new Viticulture and Enology Program at Lake Michigan College. Michigan Wine Foundation s three-module alcohol management training is previewed as a tool for creating a pool of credentialed hospitality talent for the industry. 12:30 p.m. 2:45 pm Convert Social Media Contacts to Wine Sales Speaker: David Steel, Chief Viral Officer, Sneeze.it With more than 100 wineries in Michigan, it s important to know how to separate yours from the pack and get customers into your tasting room. It s not easy to find the time to market your business when you are fully responsible for the ins and outs of winemaking, growing grapes, bottling and distribution. In this exciting presentation, best-selling author and online marketing expert David Steel asks and answers pertinent questions about how to market your wine business and sell more wine. From creating targeted promotions to developing Facebook ads that deliver, he ll show you how to use social media to increase the number of patrons you have visiting your winery each year, and increase sales while they re in the tasting room. 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. What to Expect When Your Food Inspector Calls Speaker: Tom Tederington, Food Safety Specialist, Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development The role of a food inspector is to evaluate establishments where food and beverage products are handled, manufactured, processed, stored, or offered for sale in order to ensure compliance with state food laws. This presentation will cover all of the general aspects of a food evaluation conducted at winery. Don t panic when an inspector arrives. Think of the visit as a learning opportunity that will benefit your operation by making it as safe as possible. 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. USDA Risk Management Tools Speakers: Eric Fischer and Dale Allen, Farm Services Agency, Michigan Office, USDA This session will provide an introduction to risk management programs available through USDA with a focus on how the Non- Insured Assistance Program (NAP) and Tree Assistance Program (TAP) can assist you in mitigating certain risks to your investments and livelihoods. 1:45 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Fruit Wine Production Advanced Fruit Winemaking and Overcoming Technical Difficulties to Produce World Class Fruit Wines Speaker: Dominic Rivard, Owner and Winemaker, Muwin Estate Wines, and Wine Production Consultant, WinePlanet Consulting We will dig deeper in the world of fruit wine production and look at ways to overcome various technical difficulties in fruit winemaking. We will discuss in detail all aspects of fruit wine production for various wine styles and fruit varieties that have the highest marketability. Detailed technical questions from the attendees will be encouraged so that this session may help all overcome issues and make better fruit wine. 1:45 p.m. 2:45 p.m. Estate Planning and Farm Succession Speaker: Adam Kantrovich, Michigan State University Extension This program will discuss the importance of having in place a formal Estate/Farm Succession plan and items that must be considered when preparing a plan. Discussion topics will include: understanding tax law that may affect farm succession/estate plans, communication, documentation, business structures, equal vs. equitable. 3:15 p.m. 5:15 p.m Wine Tasting: Sensory Evaluation of Fruit Wines Speaker: Dominic Rivard, Owner and Winemaker, Muwin Estate Wines, and Wine Production Consultant, WinePlanet Consulting Included in All-inclusive Conference Registration; $15 for Thursday-only and A la Carte Registration Limited attendance A variety of commercial fruit wines will be tasted in many of the versatile styles than can be made with fruit grown in North America. This will be a great overview of the fruit wine industry and what can be created by the winemaker who wishes to expand his wine portfolio. We will discuss how each of these wines are made and for some of them, what steps could have been implemented to improve them. This will be a very instructive and thought provoking session for winemakers, owners, marketing and tasting room staff.

5 Thursday, March 5, continued 3:15 p.m. 4:15 p.m. From Bubbles to Appassimento: Grape and Wine Production in Ontario Speaker: Jim Willwirth, Senior Scientist, Viticulture Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University, Ontario This session will be an overview of grape growing regions, grape varieties, production practices, pricing and regulations in the Ontario grape and wine industry. 4:30 p.m. 5:15 p.m. Decision Tool for NAP Enhancements Speaker: Adam Kantrovich, Michigan State University The federal Farm Bill passed in 2014 and significantly changes the coverage options available under the FSA/USDA administered Non-Insured Assistance Program (NAP). Previously, growers could cover up to 50% of their historical average yield, with losses if they should occur, paid at 55% of the NAP price established by FSA/ USDA. Under the 2014 Farm Bill, growers can purchase coverage up to 65% of historical average yield and losses, should they occur, and are indemnified at 100% of the NAP established price. If a grower has a current approved yield, it will serve as the basis for coverage. The premium rate is 5.25% of liability for all buy-up coverages. Michigan State University has developed online tools to assist growers in evaluating the buy-up decision. This session will be most relevant to those who have experience participating in the NAP program in prior years. Friday, March 6 No charge for Friday activities 9:00 a.m. Noon Industry Tours Take advantage of your time in the East Lansing area to visit these industry partners: Burgdorf s Winery 5635 Shoeman Road, Haslett, MI Red Cedar Spirits 2000 Merritt Rd, East Lansing, MI Maps and a sign-up sheet will be provided at the registration desk for this no-charge, self-guided tour. One-hour tours will be repeated in both locations at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. with travel time to visit both properties during the morning. 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Council Meeting Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council Meetings are always open to the public and the members invite you to attend to engage with the Council and learn more about how it supports the industry. Copies of the meeting agenda will be available at the Conference registration desk.

6 2015 Registration Form Registration Instructions If you are unable to register online, you may register for the conference using this form. (One form for each registrant.) Complete the form in its entirety and return by fax, or mail to: Diane Drago, Conference Coordinator c/o Diversified Management Services, LLC P.O. Box 7976 Ann Arbor, MI Fax: MMI IC CH HI GI GA NA N Contact Information Name Title Organization Address City State Zip Telephone Fax If you have special dietary or physical requirements, please indicate them: Payment Information I will pay by: q Check made payable to Michigan Grape and Wine Conference. (Mail to address above.) q Credit card (To provide credit card by phone, call ) q Credit card (Information provided below.) Credit card number Expiration date Name on card (if different than registrant) Billing Address (if different than above) CVV Code (3 or 4 digit code on back of card) City State Zip Cardholder signature Inclusive Registration Categories Fee by Feb. 13 After Feb. 13 All-inclusive Conference Registration ($60 savings) $155 $225 Includes all sessions and meals on Wednesday and Thursday except Pre-Conference, Winemakers Tasting* and Banquet Thursday-only Conference Registration $80 $100 Includes all Thursday sessions and meals except Sensory Session and Banquet Optional Program Offerings WED., MARCH 4: Winery Development Pre-Conference (includes lunch) $80 $100 WED., MARCH 4: Winemakers Tasting* (includes Reception) $30 $50 WED., MARCH 4: Additional Welcome Reception ticket (for guests) $20 THURS., MARCH 5: Banquet $80 $100 *Contact Robin Usborne to confirm your participation. Attendance is limited. See session description. A La Carte Sessions The following sessions are included in the All-inclusive registration category. If you selected the Thursday-only category and wish to attend the Sensory session, you need to register for it here for the $15 fee. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 Hard Cider Production (includes lunch) $40 $60 Sustainability Issues and Solutions for the Michigan Wine Industry $30 $50 (includes lunch) Marketing/Trails sessions, includes Welcome Reception $30 $40 THURSDAY, MARCH 5 Sensory Evaluation Session $15 (Included only with All-inclusive Conference, not Thursday-only fee; registration for Thursday educational sessions required.)

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