(Wines&Vines) - The largest wine exhibition in North American opened today with a discussion about the wine industry as an international business. A grapegrower in Fresno, Calif., may still feel worlds apart from a farmer in Australia’s Barossa Valley, but the two are linked by the same market dynamics and are essentially competitors. While U.S. growers and vintners may see their margins pinched by imports, the global market also offers new markets and bolsters overall demand. Organizers at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium said they received about the same number of registrations for the event that opened today as at last year’s symposium, which was attended by about 12,000. Wednesday’s schedule includes the State of the Industry discussion with Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers, and industry expert Jon Fredrikson of Gomberg Fredrikson and Associates. The annual trade show also opens Wednesday and will feature 643 exhibitors.