The 2017 Oregon Wine Symposium starts one week from today, running Feb. 21-22 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. As the largest wine industry event in the Pacific Northwest, the 2016 program drew more than 1,700 wine industry professionals together to learn best practices in grape growing, winemaking and wine business from globally-recognized experts in each field.
The Oregon wine industry is vital to the state’s economic prosperity as it contributes $3.35 billion in total economic impact and more than $207 million in tourism impact. It supports more than 17,000 jobs and $527 million in wages annually. The Oregon Wine Symposium brings winery and vineyard owners, vineyard managers, winemakers, marketing and sales managers from around the region together to hone their crafts and advance their grape growing, winemaking and business operations.
Session topics at the 2017 Oregon Wine Symposium include:
- Viticulture: Learn to adapt to some of today’s most critical vineyard challenges like the ecosystem of your site, adapting to climate change, new irrigation and canopy management strategies and the latest research on the detection, vectors and spread of red blotch disease.
- Enology: Learn how to address challenges presented by warming temperatures like tracking and reducing winery water usage and exploring various techniques based on vintage temperature variations. Strategies for preventing Brettanomyces to reduce the risk of spoilage will also be discussed.
- Business: With two business tracks sessions, there is even more choices depending on your go-to-market strategy. Sessions will cover the importance of differentiating your brand through your tasting room, digital media, events, distributed channels and more.
- General Session: All attendees will get an insider’s look at wine industry trends for 2017 with the State of the Industry, gaining actionable insights on the financial climate, purchasing data, distribution prospects and pricing to help grow their business this year.
Information and knowledge obtained at the Oregon Wine Symposium has helped fuel the long-term commitment made by Oregon grape growers and winemakers to creating the highest quality wines possible. Recent acclaim includes:
- Two out of the top three wines in the world were from Oregon, according to Wine Spectator.
- The Willamette Valley was named Wine Region of the Year by Wine Enthusiast.
- Hood River has been one of the top 10 Wine Travel Destinations by Wine Enthusiast.
- The Rogue Valley was named one of the Most Underrated Wine Regions to Visit by Forbes.
The Oregon Wine Symposium also features the Northwest’s biggest wine industry trade show, featuring more than 170 exhibitors with products and services designed to improve business.
Individuals available for interviews:
OWB Chairman Steve Thomson and Communications Manager Michelle Kaufmann will be available during trade show breaks to discuss the impact of the Oregon Wine Symposium on the Northwest wine community and the points noted above. For a complete schedule of the program, speakers and events visit symposium.oregonwine.org.
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About the Oregon Wine Board
The Oregon Wine Board is a semi-independent Oregon state agency managing marketing, research and education initiatives that support and advance the Oregon wine and wine grape industry. The Board works on behalf of all Oregon wineries and independent growers throughout the state’s diverse winegrowing regions. Visit oregonwine.org.
