SommCon Beverage Conference 2026

An event for beverage professionals, including coffee and tea experts. It offers education, tastings, and networking opportunities for industry leaders.

SommCon San Diego 2026

SommCon runs November 3–5, 2026 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, California. The co-located Beverage Expo is on November 3–4, and wine and spirit certifications are held the day before, on Monday, November 2.

What it is

SommCon is a conference and trade tasting on "the business of wine, beer & spirits." It is for sommeliers, beverage directors, wine and spirits buyers, bar managers, retailers, distributors, importers, restaurateurs and educators. The conference has three days of tasting seminars, master classes and workshops.

Sessions cover regional and varietal comparisons and blind tastings, plus career development, program profitability, sales, leadership, sustainability and regulatory topics. The organizer, SommCon USA, also runs a SommCon in Washington, D.C., the SommGo streaming service, the Imprint Awards and a scholarship and mentorship program.

Agenda at a glance

• Monday, November 2: wine and spirit certifications
• Tuesday, November 3: buyer and supplier roundtables, the opening keynote with Datassential, the Beverage Expo, and the First Pour welcome party
• Wednesday, November 4: seminars, the Beverage Expo, and the SommChill "Vino & Vinyl" after-party
• Thursday, November 5: seminars, leadership, career and sales sessions, and the SommCon Imprint Awards ceremony

New for 2026 is the Profitability Bootcamp, presented by Coravin and The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas. This business track for buyers covers margin and pricing, inventory and cash flow, P&L literacy, portfolio strategy and sourcing.

Beverage Expo access

The Beverage Expo is trade-only: it is open only to buyers, somms, importers, distributors, educators and industry professionals. It connects on- and off-premise buyers with domestic and international wine, beer, spirits and low- and no-alcohol brands. Hours:

• Tuesday, November 3: 12:30–2pm (conference pass holders only)
• Wednesday, November 4: 12:30–2pm (conference pass holders only), then 3:30–6pm for all expo attendees

A conference pass includes the expo. Buyers who want only the tasting can register for an expo pass.