Santa Rosa, Calif.—The Wines & Vines Oak Conference will move to a spacious new location at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on April 26, enabling more trials tastings, more fine-tuned sessions content and a larger trade show.

The one-day meeting and trade show was created specifically for winemakers and other winery personnel who make decisions about purchasing, using and maintaining barrels and oak adjuncts.

More than 20 exhibitors in the expanded exhibit areas and courtyard will be offering oak trials at their booths, demonstrating toasting and barrel repairs and sharing oak research papers.

In addition, this year’s conference offers added content on fermentation and enology products and processes, and more time devoted to cellar management.

Session topics
• Tools and techniques for cellar management, covering tracking and scanning, cleaning and sanitizing, cellar cooling and humidification and seismic safety;
• Red barrel fermentation workflow, covering equipment and maneuvers for accomplishing red-wine barrel fermentation, including filling barrels, cap management, moving and draining barrels, etc., plus winery trials tasting;
• Focus on barrel aging of Pinot Noir, a panel discussion and tasting with leading winemakers who will share how and why they use specific barrels and cellar practices;
• Élevage without barrels, a look at maturing red and white wines with barrel adjuncts, alternative aging vessels, micro-oxygenation and more;
• Managing phenolics during fermentation, a panel discussion about new enology products and how to best use them.
 

To see the full schedule and to register, please go to wvoak.com.