Nick Frey of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission has been named as the chair of the 2012 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Program Development Committee. The selection was made by the Unified Symposium’s LLC Managing Committee, representing the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), who have co-hosted the Unified Symposium for the past 17 years.

For 2012 the Unified Symposium will again take place at the Sacramento Convention Center, located in downtown Sacramento, January 24–26.

“Nick brings proven leadership skills and a wealth of knowledge to the job of Program Development Committee chair,” said John Aguirre, president of CAWG. “He is well regarded within industry circles and has a strong grasp of the many issues and trends affecting wineries and growers.”

Assisting Frey in developing the 2012 program for the Unified Symposium will be more than 16 other leaders from the wine and grape industry, who will all work from now through the summer to combine topics and speakers for the Unified Symposium program sessions.

Frey is currently the president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. Prior to that, he was the executive director of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association from 1999–2006.

“All our previous program chairs and committees have done an excellent job of creating past programs, so part of my job will be maintaining that high level and direction,” said Frey. “My other goal is to see that the Unified Symposium continues to offer information that is useful to all attendees.”

The first meeting for the group is planned for June. “During our first meeting we will flesh out any ‘hot topics’ and then build from there,” said Frey. “The program has to deliver important information to the industry both inside and outside California. And while I am not sure what issues might rise to the top at this point, we will be addressing as many as possible during the Unified Symposium.”

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. The Unified Symposium also hosts the industry’s largest trade show of its kind, with over 600 vendors displaying their products and services. For additional information, please call (530) 753-1342 or on the Internet go to www.unifiedsymposium.org.