Field-to-Table Technology Moves that Pay Back Big Time
January 28, 2025
9:30 am - 11:00 am
Field-to-Table Technology Moves that Pay Back Big Time
Join us for a candid conversation about maximizing results and weighing risks for improved ROI, field-to-table. With their broad range of operations and experiences, the panelists’ insights will be helpful to decision makers for grape growers and wineries, both small and large scale.
Successful businesses continually challenge conventional thinking, test new ideas and invest in innovation. Each of our panelists will share their stories of three to five technology moves that paid off big for ROI, field-to-table. Importantly, they will also share insights from what did not.
If you are contemplating an investment in a significant technological innovation for your vineyard, winery, sales or marketing operations, then you will want to hear the strategic considerations and analyses these leaders used to guide their organizations’ decision-making. We will dive into advice on assessing different business situations, specific costs and benefits of their technology investments, efficient implementation and the bottom line returns to their businesses. Plus, we will discuss what they are exploring next and why.
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Moderator
Erin Kirschenmann
Organization:
WineBusiness Monthly, California
Sessions:
Erin Kirschenmann, DipWSET, is the managing editor for WineBusiness Monthly and has been with the company since 2012. In addition to production responsibilities for the monthly trade magazine, she writes about business, technology, sales and marketing, and also oversees content and programming for WBM’s symposia. She speaks on wine industry trends at numerous conferences, including the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium and the World Bulk Wine Exhibition, and guest lectures on wine, media and public relations.
In 2022, she joined the Napa Valley Wine Academy as a WSET instructor. Erin has served as a judge in the international Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wine competition since 2016 and at several regional competitions.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in communications with a journalism emphasis from Sonoma State University. When she’s not working in wine, she’s at the dog park with Scout, on a run or curled up on the couch with a good book. Find her online via her Instagram, @erinakirsch.
Julie Lumgair
Organization:
Art Nouveau, California
Sessions:
Julie Lumgair is an award-winning consulting and hands-on winemaker. Her wines span nineteen vintages and 25 varietals from Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Italy. She has served in many combined estate winemaking and winegrowing roles with a keen eye on agricultural and cellar practices to significantly elevate sustainability, wine quality and sales. Her calling cards are consistently producing acclaimed wines that reflect their place, excellence in winery operations, substantial innovation and trial programs feasible for artisan wineries’ scale, a passionate attention to customer delight and long-lasting relationships.
Julie is a 5th generation Tennessee family farmer, who honed her sensory science, new product development, team building and executive leadership in her first career at Procter & Gamble and other noted Fortune 100 firms for 15 years. That experience, along with her “roll up the sleeves” work ethic, plus technical and analytical skills learned on the job from many mentors in the vineyards and cellars have been supplemented by years of rigorous independent technical study.
She has made exceptional wines including Art Nouveau, a new artisan Napa winery launching in 2025, J. Moss, Ideology Cellars, Valley of the Moon / Lake Sonoma, Castello di Montegiove, Windsor Oaks Vineyards and other private clients. Julie’s ongoing wine trials and experiments have been featured in industry press and conferences. Over 70 of her wines have consistently achieved 90+ scores and been noted by several leading critics including a Wine Spectator “Producer to Watch,” Wine & Spirits varietal “Top Ten” and “Year’s Best” lists.
Julie deeply enjoys volunteering, mentoring and building community. She is one of thirty industry leaders on the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Program Committee and serves as President of Women for WineSense Napa / Sonoma and long-time Chair of their Winemaking & Viticultural Roundtable. She is a contributing technical writer and wine judge for wine industry trade and consumer publications, frequent winemaker panelist for Napa Valley Vintner’s top trade and media conferences and VIP immersions and masterclass developer / instructor at Napa Valley Wine Academy. She is a past board member for Napa Valley Wine Technical Group and IQ (Innovation + Quality) Conference for luxury winemaking advances.
For more information, please connect via LinkedIn or reach out directly to Julie.lumgair@gmail.com or 415-786-3415
Speakers
Lise Asimont
Organization:
Foley Family Farms and Dot Wine, California
Sessions:
Lise Asimont studied with the Environmental Horticulture graduate group with a specialization in viticulture in the lab of Dr. M. A. Walker at the University of California and conducted her master’s research on grapevine rootstock resistance to root-knot nematodes. After graduating from UC Davis, Lise has had the opportunity to work in Santa Barbara County in vineyard management at Cambria Vineyard and Winery, grower relations roles with Geyser Peak Winery and the Francis Coppola Winery throughout the state of California and Oregon, as CEO for Vinsense in agricultural technology, winegrowing in the North Coast for Cakebread Cellars, and Farm Management for Prudential in the West Coast. Lise joined the Foley Family companies in 2022 and serves as their Senior Vice President for Foley Family Farms, collaborating with an intrepid team overseeing five thousand planted acres throughout California, Oregon, and Washington, which strives to sustainably grow the greatest wines on earth.
In 2016, her family launched Dot Wines, LLC, a wine brand specializing in Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and produces wines expressive of the beautiful vineyards they come from.
Sharing her valuable knowledge and passion, Lise is a strong voice for the American Society for Viticulture and Enology; she served as a past president and currently serves on their technical program committee. She lives in Healdsburg with her family and enjoys the agrarian life of Sonoma County.
Juan Muñoz-Oca
Organization:
Marchesi Antinori, California
Sessions:
Juan Muñoz-Oca is the Chief Operating Officer for Marchesi Antinori’s business in the United States. As COO, Muñoz-Oca oversees all properties, spending most of his time leading the operations from grapes to table for some of the most historical and influential properties in Napa Valley, California and Red Mountain, Washington: the iconic Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in the heart of the Stags Leap District, Antinori Napa Valley in the Atlas Peak AVA, and Col Solare atop Red Mountain. Describing himself as “stupidly obsessed with wine,” Muñoz-Oca has a true passion not only for making great wine and influencing the way people experience it, but he’s also passionate about protecting the planet so future generations can make wine in the same pristine conditions we’re lucky to grow grapes today. He believes that wineries have the ability to influence geography, communities, and social environments.
Raised in Mendoza, Argentina, Juan gained respect for wine at an early age. After graduating from college, he joined the winemaking team at Terrazas de los Andes, an Argentine premium winery owned by luxury giant LVMH, following multiple harvests in Australia, France, and Spain, Juan moved to the US to work for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates where he was the creative force behind some of the most daring wines ever made in Washington: BORNE of FIRE and Intrinsic, eventually becoming their Chief Winemaker. In early 2023 Juan joined B Corp Certified O’Neill Vintners and Distillers where he served as its Chief Wine-Growing Officer.
Juan holds dual degrees in agricultural engineering as well as enology and viticulture from the National University of Cuyo and is a graduate of Columbia Business School at Columbia University in New York.
Carol Reber
Organization:
Board Member & Advisor, California
Sessions:
Carol Reber is a highly respected and market-focused operating executive specializing in high-growth omni-channel beverage businesses. With more than three decades of experience at beverage and entertainment companies, Ms. Reber has held leadership roles at The Duckhorn Portfolio, Treasury Wine Estates, Gallo and the Walt Disney Company.
Ms. Reber is currently a trusted advisor and independent board director for market-leading companies poised for growth. She currently serves as an independent Board Director at Arterra, Far Niente Wine Estates, and Rack & Riddle and as an Advisory Board Member at Fresh Victor, a premium line of cold-pressed, all-natural cocktail and mocktail mixers.
From 2010 to 2022, she served as EVP Chief Marketing & DTC Officer at The Duckhorn Portfolio and was instrumental in transforming the company from a small luxury winery into one of the world’s most successful premium wine companies expanding the portfolio, revenue and EBITA by >10X.
Carol earned her M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.