The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium wrapped up Thursday, taking over the Sacramento Convention Center and Hyatt Regency for three days of workshops and a wine industry trade show, and this year's convention attracted record attendance of 12,400. That number is up 200 guests from the previous record of 12,200 set in 2011. And that's a gain of 700 attendees from 2010, which saw a slight drop from the previous year at Unified.
The Convention Center was meanwhile packed with nearly 650 vendors showing off the latest in winemaking and grape growing technologies, and much more in what's billed as the western hemisphere's largest wine industry trade show. That number's up about 20 vendors from 2011, and the challenge for Unified organizers is finding more space for those who want to show off their wares. In recent years, Unified has taken over the third floor and a chunk of the first floor lobby at the Convention Center to accommodate all those who want to show off their wares. The running joke at Unified is they might have to start adding trade show booths in the restrooms. Meanwhile, there's already a waiting list to vend at Unified 2013.
Here's a link to a wrap-up of Unified's "state of the industry" presentation, and another story about Unified's major impact on local restaurant business.
Chris Macias is the Bee's food and wine writer. Follow him on Twitter @chris_macias
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