SACRAMENTO, Calif., September 10, 2020… The 2021 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium’s LLC Managing Committee, which represent the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), has selected its co-chairs to lead its 2021 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Program Development Committee. Michael Boer, North Coast Sales Manager and Pest Control Advisor/IPM Consultant with Grow West in Geyserville, and Leticia Chacón Rodríguez, winemaker and winery manager at the University of California, Davis, have been appointed to manage the 30-member committee, all of whom volunteer their time to find applicable and timely topics in winemaking, grapegrowing, business and marketing, and pursue appropriate speakers for the Unified Symposium program sessions.
In his position with Grow West, which specializes in agricultural technologies, consulting and product sourcing for transitional and organic farming, and fertilizer manufacturing and fertility consulting, Boer serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties. He received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and management from the University of California, Davis, and holds both PCA and CCA licenses. He previously served as a CAWG board member. As a fourth-generation farmer at Stipp Ranch, he grows winegrapes, apples, peaches, pears, walnuts and pumpkins.
Chacón Rodríguez, a wine professional with over 20 years of experience in California, recently joined the University of California, Davis, as winemaker/winery manager. Previously, she was the director of operations at Safe Harbor Wine Storage, where she oversaw the operations from harvest to bottling as well as developed and educated the team on food safety and industrial safety programs. She has been part of the winemaking team for Treasury Wine Estates, E&J Gallo Winery, Golden State Vintners (now Wine Group) and Delicato Family Vineyards. She is an active member of ASEV and has served as past president (2012-2013) and on various ASEV committees. She has served on the Unified’s program development committee and LLC managing committee since 2008. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, Mexico City, and her Master of Science with emphasis on enology from the University of California, Davis.
The Unified Symposium will host a virtual conference and trade show on January 26-29, 2021. The Unified Symposium’s LLC Managing Committee made the difficult decision to do a full virtual conference after consulting with risk experts at Arup, an international design and engineering firm. Under difficult circumstances, they believe this is the responsible decision for the health, safety and well-being of its attendees. The Unified Symposium will continue to serve the industry, via a different format, and make vital business, research and marketing information available to participants, while avoiding the many challenges associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Registration is set to open on Tuesday, November 3.
Built with the joint input of growers, vintners and allied industry members, the Unified Symposium serves as a clearinghouse of information important to wine and grape industry professionals for 26 years. The Unified Symposium also hosts the industry’s largest trade show of its kind, with over 700 vendors displaying their products and services. For more information about the upcoming show, visit www.unifiedsymposium.org.
