| Wednesday, February 24, 2027 | |
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| 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Location: Mission Square | Bottle Bash Central Coast |
| Join WineBusiness Monthly for the Central Coast edition of Bottle Bash—a night of networking, collaboration and celebration. WineBusiness Monthly is bringing Bottle Bash, the party that kicks off each year’s Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, to Paso Robles as part of the Central Coast Insights and WiVi Central Coast events. Hundreds of local winemakers, growers, speakers and sponsors will gather following the Central Coast Insights conference. | |
| Thursday, February 25, 2027 | |
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| 7:30 am - 8:00 am Location: Ponderosa | Continental Breakfast |
| 8:30 am - 10:00 am Location: Ponderosa | General Session: The Practical Reset: Where Central Coast Wine Can Gain Ground in 2027 |
| Rising costs, changing consumer habits and new technology are reaching every part of the wine business, from the vineyard to the tasting room. WiVi 2027 opens with industry leaders looking at the business trends shaping the year ahead and the practical steps winery teams can take now to improve efficiency, strengthen customer relationships and position themselves for sustainable growth. Moderator: Erin Kirschenmann, Managing Editor, WineBusiness Monthly Speakers: Jacki Strum, President & Publisher, Wine Enthusiast Media |
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| 9:30 am - 3:30 pm Location: Estrella Hall & Adelaide Hall | Exhibit Halls Open |
| 10:15 am - 11:15 am Location: Ponderosa | Wine and Viticulture Session 1: From Demo to Deployment: Vineyard Tech That’s Ready to Work |
| AI, robotics, imaging, irrigation and vineyard monitoring are advancing quickly, but not every promising tool is ready for the field. This session looks at technologies already working in vineyards today, what it takes to put them in place, how to measure the results, and what growers should know about who owns their data. Attendees will leave with a clearer sense of which investments can save time and money now and which are worth watching. Moderator: TBD Panelists: TBD |
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| 10:30 am - 11:30 am Location: Frontier | DTC Session 1: Hospitality Revisited: Are You Seeing What Your Guest Sees? |
| Every winery visit is made up of small moments, from the drive in and the first greeting to the restroom and the follow-up email. Together they decide whether a guest buys, joins or comes back. This session goes back to hospitality fundamentals and shows winery teams how to walk their own guest journey with fresh eyes, hire and train people who are natural hosts, and improve conversion without leaning on discounts or club promotions. Moderator: TBD Panelists: Bradley Cance, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara |
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| 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Location: Estrella Hall | BBQ Networking Lunch |
| 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Location: Ponderosa | Wine and Viticulture Session 2: Redox Potential Applications in Wine Production (Sample Wine Tasting) |
| Oxidation-reduction (redox) potential is a valuable parameter that winemakers can use to better understand and manage key wine-production processes. It can provide insight into fermentation kinetics among yeast strains, the development of sulfur-related aromas, the efficacy of antioxidant treatments, and phenolic evolution throughout winemaking. Together, these factors can substantially influence sensory attributes, wine style, and overall quality. This session will present practical approaches for measuring redox potential and applying redox management strategies in commercial winery operations. Speakers: Dallas Parnigoni, Winemaker, Alta Colina Vineyards and Winery Miguel Pedroza, Associate Professor of Enology, Cal Poly |
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| 12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Location: Frontier | DTC Session 2: The State of Wine Club Health: What Drives Signups, Cancellations and Retention |
| Wine clubs are DTC’s highest-value channel, and keeping them healthy takes more than a strong signup season. Drawing on aggregate data from hundreds of wineries, this session sets real benchmarks for signup and cancellation rates, explains why members actually leave, and shows what top-performing wineries do differently to keep them. It’s built as a practical diagnostic that attendees can apply to their own club. Moderator: Ryan Ashton, Commerce7, Head of Marketing Panelists: TBD |
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| 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm Location: Ponderosa | Wine and Viticulture Session 3: Why Media Matters: A Guided Tasting on How Scores and Stories Sell Wine (Sample Wine Tasting) |
| A strong score or a well-placed story can open doors with buyers, distributors and consumers. Wine Enthusiast critic Matt Kettmann leads a guided tasting of eight wines that reflect what’s selling right now, from sparkling and whites to lighter reds and classic red styles. He’s joined by sales and marketing leaders who bring real-world examples to the conversation. Together they’ll explore how critics approach a wine, why scores still matter, and how wineries can use reviews and media coverage as practical sales tools. They’ll also share how to build lasting, professional relationships with the critics and writers who cover your region. Speaker: Matt Kettmann, Writer-At-Large, Wine Enthusiast |
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