New York Wine & Grape Foundation

Leadership Summit

The Up State of Wine

Together, we’ll change the trajectory of New York Wines.

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation will host the inaugural Leadership Summit on Thursday, January 15, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the New Yorker Hotel.

This Leadership Summit will convene winery owners, grape growers, marketers, distributors, policymakers, and allied professionals from across the state for a focused, working conversation about the future of our industry.

Registration deadline is Friday, January 9th!

Why this Summit, Why Now?

The global wine and grape industry is at a pivotal moment.

Worldwide oversupply, shifting consumer preferences, and the rise of health-conscious drinking habits are reshaping markets faster than ever. In the United States, total wine consumption has declined 16% since 2019, marking the first demand-driven correction the category has experienced in decades.

For the New York wine and grape industry, this moment represents both challenge and opportunity.

Younger consumers are drinking less—but drinking better—seeking authenticity, sustainability, and experiences that align with their values. To succeed in this environment, our industry must move beyond incremental change and toward coordinated, forward-looking strategies.

The Leadership Summit is designed to help us meet this moment together—with clarity, collaboration, and purpose.

What to Expect

This is not a traditional conference.

The Leadership Summit is a working, solutions-oriented gathering built around the World Café method—a facilitated conversation format designed to encourage meaningful dialogue across large groups.

Rather than passive panels or presentations, participants will engage directly with one another to identify shared challenges and opportunities, explore new ideas and perspectives, build alignment around common priorities, and more.

Every voice in the room matters. The goal is not just conversation—but momentum that extends beyond the day itself.

Featured Speakers & Guests

The Leadership Summit will be anchored by nationally respected voices who bring data-driven insight, consumer perspective, and industry context to the conversation:

Christian Miller is Research Director for the Wine Market Council, a non-profit organization that conducts consumer research on behalf of its members. The WMC produces the longest-running large-scale tracking survey of wine consumers on a biannual basis, as well as 2-4 in-depth studies each year on specific topics.

Christian is also the proprietor of Full Glass Research, which provides market research and industry analysis for food and beverage producers and marketers, including projects for NYWGF and the International Riesling Foundation. Miller has worked in market research, brand and category management for over two decades, and has marketed wine brands ranging from a few thousand to over a million cases. From 2008 until 2023, he co-directed the UC Davis OIV Wine Marketing course.

Born and raised in the Finger Lakes, Christina Pickard has been surrounded by wine her whole life–and she’s been writing about it for over 15 years–first from her former home in London, England, then from her second former home in Perth, Australia, and now in her current home in New York’s Hudson Valley. She has penned countless stories for global publications, including Bon Appétit, Decanter, SevenFifty Daily, Gourmet Traveller Wine, James Halliday’s Wine Companion, Afar, and Food & Wine. Since 2017, Christina has held a Writer at Large and Reviewer role for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, reviewing over 1500 wines per year from New York, Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain, as well as covering these regions in numerous articles, podcasts, and interviews. Christina is an active presenter, educator, and moderator for wine trade and consumer events.

Wanda Mann has been writing about wine for almost twenty years. She is the East Coast Editor for The SOMM Journal and Tasting Panel magazines. Wanda’s writing has also been published in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, NAPA Magazine, VinePair, Saveur, and other publications. Wanda’s love of wine was kick-started by her professional chef father, two years of study abroad in Spain, and her previous career as a professional events planner.

An in-demand speaker and wine presenter, Wanda has been featured at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and Charleston, the Women in Wine Leadership Symposium, the New York Wine Classic, the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival, the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience, and the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta. She is also an ambassador for Star Wine List. Wanda’s wine experience has also landed her media appearances on television and radio, including The Splendid Table on NPR.

Summit Focus Areas

Marketing: Attracting the Next Generation

Younger consumers are not novices—they simply have different expectations. Converting them requires emotional connection, premium storytelling, sustainability, and lifestyle relevance. Together, we’ll explore how New York wine can meet consumers where they are and build lasting loyalty.

Tourism: Strengthening Regional Economies

New York wine is defined by small, family-owned businesses that anchor regional identity and drive rural economic activity. We’ll examine how wine tourism can be strengthened to support these businesses and the communities around them.

Public Policy: Building Long-Term Resilience

From agriculture and tourism to workforce development and infrastructure, public policy plays a critical role in the health of our wine regions. The Summit will explore how coordinated strategies between industry and government can support long-term resilience and growth.

Become a Leadership Summit Sponsor

The wine category faces its first demand-driven contraction in decades. The Leadership Summit is designed to address this reality head-on—equipping stakeholders with coordinated tools to attract the next generation of wine drinkers, lean into tourism, and strengthen New York’s economic engine.

To learn more about Sponsoring the Leadership Summit, please contact Sam Filler, Executive Director of the NYWGF, at samfiller@nywgf.org.