WIN Expo 2026: The North Coast Wine Industry Expo for Suppliers

If you sell to wineries, the name WIN Expo raises a practical question: will you meet people looking for your equipment, packaging or services, or people looking for a glass of wine? The distinction matters before you reserve a booth.

WIN Expo is the Annual North Coast Wine Industry Expo, a trade show and conference produced by Wine Industry Network. Its focus is the business of growing, making and selling wine in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties. Here is what that means for your company, and what to check before committing to the next edition. Official event overview

When and where is the next WIN Expo?

The organizer has confirmed the 14th Annual WIN Expo for Thursday, December 3, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa, California 95404. The August 19 registration announcement and the event FAQ agree on the date, venue and hours. Registration announcement, official FAQ

The show uses Grace Pavilion, the Hall of Flowers and outdoor exhibit areas. That gives a supplier with a bottle sample range a different display choice from one bringing vineyard equipment. Start with the organizer's current floor maps and available spaces; the right location depends on what a buyer needs to see in person. Show information and floor maps

Use the Santa Rosa venue address when planning your visit; the organizer's office is in Healdsburg.

What kind of wine event is it?

The clearest way to understand WIN Expo is to look at who supplies whom. Exhibitors offer products and services to winery and vineyard businesses. The visitor may be evaluating a production change, a packaging purchase or a way to sell more wine. This is a different purpose from a public wine festival, where the experience revolves around tasting wines as a consumer.

Wine tasting does have a place at WIN Expo. The official schedule includes exhibit-floor trial tastings that compare how products or methods affect wine. For a supplier, that is a way to discuss a production result. A tasting on the program therefore does not make the whole event a consumer festival. Show-day program

If your aim is to introduce a finished wine label to retail shoppers, this audience description is a poor basis for buying exhibition space. If your product helps a winery produce, package, manage or market its wine, the connection is much clearer. Confirm that connection before treating the word “wine” as enough of a match.

Where does your product fit on the show floor?

The organizer's exhibitor directory shows the range more clearly than a general “wine industry” label. It includes fermentation products, filtration, bottling equipment, bottles, closures, labels, vineyard sensors and business services. For example, the listed categories for Enartis USA include yeast and nutrients; Herti US lists screwcaps; FloraPulse lists vineyard sensors and irrigation scheduling. Official exhibitor directory

For your own exhibit, use that range to work out which conversation you belong in:

• Cellar and production products: A winemaker needs to understand the process your product changes. A compact sample, a component or a clear demonstration may explain that better than a broad company presentation. Be ready to discuss the conditions under which your results apply.
• Packaging: Put the bottle, closure, label or shipping pack where the buyer can handle and compare it. Bring the information needed to continue the discussion, such as compatible formats, minimum orders and lead times, using your actual specifications.
• Vineyard technology: Show what the grower measures or controls. For a sensor or irrigation product, an example of the information the grower sees can be more useful than a screen full of features.
• Winery business services: Demonstrate one recognizable task, such as processing a wine-club order or tracking a shipment. Explain what the winery would need to change to use your service.

If you cannot name the winery task your product helps with, you have more audience research to do before reserving space.

Why does the North Coast focus matter?

WIN Expo concentrates on four wine counties rather than trying to represent every beverage market. For a sales team already serving, or actively developing, winery accounts in that region, the concentration makes the show relevant. It does not establish that every attendee has purchasing authority or that an unfamiliar supplier will secure orders.

The organizer's homepage describes prior shows as drawing more than 2,000 wine professionals and more than 250 exhibiting companies. Treat those as the organizer's historical scale indicators, not confirmed 2026 attendance or a count of available buyers. Organizer's show overview

Your more useful check is specific: do your target wineries operate in this market, and can you support them after the exhibition? If a sale needs local servicing, installation or repeat deliveries, decide how you will provide those before presenting the product. A good regional audience cannot solve a gap in your service coverage.

What does the conference add to the exhibition?

WIN Expo combines the supplier floor with education on winemaking and production, sales and marketing, business strategy and leadership, and vineyard growing. The current conference program includes discussions of alternative white-wine varieties, marketing on a budget, bulk-wine markets and vineyard ground covers. These subjects show how widely the event reaches across a winery's business. Official conference program

Read the sessions related to your customers' work before deciding what to demonstrate. A packaging supplier does not need to give a lecture on wine-market trends. It does need to understand whether its buyer is reviewing bottle formats, adjusting a product range or preparing a new release. Use the program to identify questions worth asking; do not assume that a session topic proves demand for your product.

The sessions also run alongside the show floor. If you plan to attend one yourself, arrange booth coverage and confirm the pass you need. The organizer distinguishes access to the trade show from access to conference sessions, so a floor pass should not be treated as an all-session ticket. Check the current registration options before purchasing. Conference registration

How do ExpoDeals and booth options affect your decision?

WIN Expo's #ExpoDeals program lets exhibitors offer one-day, year-end promotions to industry attendees. The organizer says the 2026 buyer's guide will be available in November. Until it is published, you cannot use it to compare this year's offers. Official ExpoDeals guide

If you participate, make the offer something a winery can evaluate. A packaging discount needs a defined quantity and product range. An equipment offer needs a clear description of what is included. Avoid a headline saving that leaves the buyer guessing about delivery, installation or exclusions. The promotion should make a relevant purchase easier to assess, not stand in for explaining the product.

For the exhibition itself, the organizer currently lists a standard 10 × 10 ft booth at $2,500, or $2,000 for WIN members. Tabletop and outdoor options are listed separately. These are exhibition-space options, not quotes for your complete exhibit or trip; check the live availability, included items and agreement for your choice. 2026 exhibitor pricing

A supplier showing a small set of closure samples may need much less display space than one demonstrating a machine. Decide what the visitor must examine, then choose the space. For equipment, get written confirmation of the services and demonstration conditions before you promise a live run.

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