Dr. Damien Wilson to Provide Insight to Import Wine Market at Industry Conference April 28

Rohnert Park, California – The Wine Business Institute (WBI) at Sonoma State University (SSU) announced today that Dr. Damien Wilson, Hamel Family Faculty Chair in Wine Business, will explore the influence of imports on the U.S. domestic wine market in a presentation at the North Bay Business Journal’s Wine Industry Conference on Friday, April 28, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. Professor Wilson has 20 years of international wine industry experience in Australia, France, and the U.S., and is widely known for expertise in how wine gets from the winery to the glass, including distribution, sales, consumers, tourism, and technology. 

“Wine producers know what factors are shaping change in the industry, whether pressure on labor and resources, from imports, changes in currency valuation, production costs and technology, or industry consolidation. Our aim is to provide a deeper understanding of these changes and challenges, and identify ways that businesses can navigate them as opportunities. I look forward to taking a deep dive at this conference on the status of the import wine market in measuring the extent to which imports pose a threat to U.S. producers,” Dr. Damien Wilson, Hamel Family Chair in Wine Business said.  

Other conference sessions include keynote speaker Antonio Galloni, founder of the website Vinous, who will also moderate the panel, “The Wine Life,” featuring Tom Klein of Rodney Strong Vineyards, Emma Swain of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery, and Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards. Kevin O'Brien of Zepponi & Company will lead a session on mergers and acquisitions, and Matt Parker and Eric Pooler of Silverado Investment Management will host a session on labor. Michael Swanson, Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist, will discuss the impact of a strong dollar, and Nick Caston of CannaCraft, Inc. will examine the relationship between the cannabis industry and the wine industry. 

For more information regarding Professor Damien Wilson’s presentation at the North Bay Business Journal’s Wine Industry Conference, or for information regarding programs and degrees with theWine Business Institute and the School of Business and Economics, please emailwinebiz@sonoma.edu, call (707) 664-2377, or visit www.sonoma.edu/winebiz.