Event
Sovos ShipCompliant Wine Summit
Event Summary
The Sovos ShipCompliant Wine Summit is the premier conference for winery compliance, hospitality and owner/operator professionals. The Wine Summit gathers winery professionals for one-and-a-half days of hands-on user training, learning, networking, one-on-one Sovos ShipCompliant staff interaction, and more!
May 21-22, 2025
Napa Valley Marriott
#WineSummit
What attendees can expect from the Wine Summit:
Updates on the latest regulations impacting the wine industry
Sessions focused on marketing, hospitality and customer experience
Strategies for innovation and growth
ShipCompliant product news and user training
Networking and inspiration!
2025 Agenda
Wednesday, May 21
ShipCompliant User Training
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Registration and Check In
Grand Ballroom Foyer
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
ShipCompliant User Training
Join experienced members of the Sovos ShipCompliant team for an afternoon full of practical user training. There will be an Avanced Track for our super users, as well as an Intermediate Track for those who are newer to the software or who are regular but not advanced users. Detailed session information is to be announced.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Welcome Reception
Grand Courtyard Event Patio
Thursday, May 22
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Registration and Breakfast
Grand Ballroom Foyer & Grand Ballroom
8:30 am – 9:00 am
Opening Session: Looking Back: 20 Years of Granholm & DtC Wine Shipping
Grand Ballroom
Alex Koral, Sovos ShipCompliant
Join us as we take stock of 20 years of the landmark Granholm v. Heald decision and its profound impact on the U.S. wine market. Regulatory General Counsel Alex Koral will share observations on the journey of direct-to-consumer wine shipping from gray area practice to a well-regulated, $4+ billion channel that has opened doors for wineries to serve customers that previous remained out of reach. Alex will also reflect on the role of ShipCompliant and our many key partners in the DtC shipping ecosystem along the way, and as the industry collectively examines what’s ahead for a mature shipping channel.
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Opening Keynote: Charting the Future: Keeping Pace with the Changing Consumer Landscape
Grand Ballroom
Speaker TBA
As a highly regulated industry, wineries are no strangers to significant business hurdles. And yet the challenges facing all of beverage alcohol today are at least as numerous and significant, if not more so, than ever. Aging Baby Boomers and younger consumers focused on moderation and non-alcoholic adult beverages. Cannabis. Inflation. Global attention on the health impacts of alcohol. Changing palates and occasions. Technology and how to connect with digital natives. This talk will delve into how these factors are shaping the wine market and influencing purchasing decisions, and how savvy wineries can keep pace.
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer
10:30 am – 11:30 am
General Session: Regulatory Updates from the TTB
Grand Ballroom
Speaker TBA
Hear directly from the TTB on the agency’s current and upcoming areas of focus, including updates on initiatives that are already underway.
11:30 am - 12:20 pm
General Session: State Regulatory Updates
Grand Ballroom
Speakers TBA; Moderator: Alex Koral, Sovos ShipCompliant
Gain perspective and insights directly from some of the key regulating agencies governing the wine industry as they discuss a range of issues impacting your business.
12:20 pm - 1:20 pm
Lunch
Grand Ballroom
1:20 pm - 2:10 pm
Breakout Session: Balancing Tradition and Innovation Within Your Winery
Vintner’s Ballroom
Speakers TBA
Heritage and tradition are gifts enjoyed by many family-owned and other small wineries. These legacies can also bring challenges as brands wrestle with how to reach and remain relevant with younger and emerging generations of consumers. What strategies and pillars are successful wineries leaning on as they make marketing and go-to-market decisions? Hear from companies navigating these waters in thoughtful and innovative ways.
1:20 pm - 2:10 pm
Breakout Session: Legal Professionals Panel
Grand Ballroom
Speakers TBA; Moderator: Alex Koral, Sovos ShipCompliant
Hear from expert beverage alcohol attorneys as they discuss the history of DtC shipping, along with key regulatory topics impacting winery compliance professionals, including direct shipping and three-tier compliance concerns. This conversation will be moderated by Alex Koral, regulatory general counsel, Sovos ShipCompliant.
2:10 pm – 2:40 pm
Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer
2:40 pm - 3:30 pm
Breakout Session: Inspired Tactics for Growing Tasting Room Visitation
Grand Ballroom
Speakers TBA
Driving traffic to the tasting room remains a central pillar in growing your wine club and building customer loyalty. With the new realities of post-pandemic tourism and travel, how are wineries getting people to the tasting room and building profitable customer relationships? Hear creative and practical ideas from wineries innovating in this arena.
2:40 pm - 3:30 pm
Breakout Session: Expanding Horizons to Wholesale Distribution
Vintner’s Ballroom
Speakers TBA
Congratulations, your winery has built a strong audience via direct-to-consumer sales and shipping — and done so compliantly. If a new or expanded wholesale distribution play is in the cards, what are the contractual, marketing and compliance considerations to be aware of? Learn from wineries that go to market via both DtC and three-tier channels on how get the balance right and how to avoid potentially costly mistakes in the process.
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Break
Grand Ballroom Foyer
4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
Closing Keynote: State of the Industry
Grand Ballroom
Steve Gross, Wine Institute
Steve Gross will deliver his highly anticipated deep dive into regulatory and legislative activities impacting the wine industry, with a focus on direct-to-consumer shipping regulation and what’s on the horizon in the coming months and years.
5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
Wine Party
Grand Courtyard Event Patio
2024 Speakers
Read full speaker bios here.
Victoria Anderson
Sales & Marketing Director, Hudson Ranch and Vineyards
Matthew Botting
General Counsel, California Alcoholic Beverage Control
Nigeria Cole
Administrative Operations Specialist, Sonoma State University
Ian Consolli
Marketing Director, Tablas Creek Vineyard
Melanie A. Full
Associate General Counsel, Gallo
Steve Gross
Vice President, State Relations, Wine Institute
Bahaneh Hobel
Partner, Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty
Quinton Jay
Managing Director, Bacchus Consulting Group
Alex Koral
Regulatory General Counsel, Sovos ShipCompliant
Chuck Maniace
Sovos ShipCompliant
Rob McMillan
EVP & Founder, Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division
Lexie O’Neill
Director, Product Management, Sovos ShipCompliant
Jennifer Purcell
CEO, Avaline
Aniko Ritchie
Industry Education Technical Advisor, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
Rebecca Stamey-White
Partner, Hinman & Carmichael LLP
Risa Williams
Investigations Sergeant, Arizona Department of Liquor License and Control
Thanks to our 2025 sponsors
Gold Exhibitors
Premium Exhibitors
