Media contact:
Misti Preston
Phone: (573) 751-8596
Misti.Preston@mda.mo.gov

For Immediate Release: January 28, 2008

Midwest’s Premier Wine & Grape Conference Features Opportunities to Learn the Industry

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – Wine industry professionals from throughout the Midwest will join this weekend in Osage Beach, Mo. for the 2008 Midwest Grape & Wine Conference, February 2-4. The 23^rd annual gathering of wine professionals, grape growers and Missouri wine fans features informational seminars on viticulture, enology and marketing, an expanded trade show and a sumptuous Grand Banquet finale.

“The Midwest Grape and Wine Conference has become the premier educational meeting in mid-America,” said Tim Puchta with the Missouri Vintner’s Association. “This conference typically draws nearly 500 attendees and offers many opportunities to network and learn more about this industry.”

This year’s conference, held at Tan-Tar-A Resort, promises to wet your educational appetite with presentations from industry experts from Italy, Australia, New York and California. Introductory viticulture sessions covering a range of topics including vineyard irrigation and pest management will be offered. Concurrently, with a more advanced mechanization symposium, other sessions will explore the current status of vineyard mechanization in the U.S. and abroad. Marketing sessions will include discussions of wine as a symbol of good living as well as direct wine shipping do’s and don’ts.

The expanded trade show will feature exhibitors from all over the U.S. specializing in all areas of the wine business including vineyard and winery equipment, bottle and label companies, tank and barrel manufacturers, salesroom merchandise and vineyard supplies and nursery stock. This year’s trade show hours will be Sat. Feb.2 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sun. Feb. 3 from 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. The popular finale to the Midwest Grape & Wine Conference is the Grand Banquet where attendees experience regional foods paired with local wines for a deluxe six-course gourmet dinner.

Registration information and forms are available online at www.missouriwine.org or by calling Rozanna at (573) 486-5596.

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