The dynamic and wide-ranging array of speakers and session hosts continues to build at the Robert Mondavi Winery’s Taste3 conference, scheduled for July 17-19 at Copia in Napa. For three days, the Taste3 conference will bring more than 300 guests together for one of the most unique and compelling gatherings of the year.

New to the vibrant roster of Taste3 2008 presenters and hosts:

Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, on food safety and cloning our meat;

Ben Wallace, author of “The Billionaire’s Vinegar,” on the continuing twists and turns in the saga of the world’s most expensive bottle of wine;

Dan Barber, chef and owner of Blue Hill & Blue Hill at Stone Barns shares his vision for the future of agriculture;

Bruce Gutlove, winemaker discusses his role at Coco Farm & Winery in Japan where winemaking and vineyard work give mentally disabled Japanese a future;

Chris Jordan’s compelling photographs visually depict the alarming statistics of mass consumption;

Ben Roche, pastry chef at Moto Restaurant and director of R & D for Cantu Designs talks about the creative process of designing new dishes;

Author Andrew F. Smith defines the key events that shaped American cuisine;

David Lee Hoffman, tea expert and vermicologist, talks about the potential of vermiculture in an urban world;

Tara McHugh, research food technologist with the US Dept. of Agriculture, on creating edible films for both flavor and food safety;

Serge Hochar of Chateau Musar in Lebanon on how his winery kept him from fleeing the civil war;

Speakers’ and hosts’ bios are posted at www.taste3.com.

Private winery dinners at Etude, Gargiulo, Hall Wines, Mumm, Quintessa and Rubicon Estate are also on the menu exclusively for Taste3 attendees. Insider pre-conference activities range from a private tour of artists’ studios with Margrit Mondavi; a behind-the-scenes peek into Napa Valley wine caves that are usually not open to the public; a hands-on exploration of “all things fermented” at the Culinary Institute of America with Master Baker Peter Reinhart; a hike up Mount Veeder with Mount Veeder Winery winemaker Janet Myers and more.

A full conference pass includes eight speaker sessions, world-class food, wine and networking, and special behind-the-scenes pre-conference field trips. Conference registration is open at www.taste3.com or call 967-3997.