The annual TEXSOM conference is considered by many to be the most prominent and influential wine trade education conference in the U.S., offering seminars, networking opportunities and rare chances to taste premium wines from around the world. The conference boasts an impressive list of attendees including sommeliers, retail wine buyers, distributor/importer executives and sales reps, Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, consumer and trade media, wine educators and producers from all over the world.
In August 2016, Christina DeArment, Oregon Wine Board assistant trade marketing manager, attended TEXSOM in Las Colinas, Texas and identified the conference as an opportunity for Oregon wine because of the high caliber restaurant trade in attendance. Read her recap and assessment of the conference here.
An immediate opportunity identified was for individual Oregon wineries to submit wines to be judged in the TEXSOM International Wine Awards, which takes place in February every year. Wines that score well in TIWA are often showcased at the TEXSOM conference. OWB communicated a call for wines for this competition in December. Thanks to the enormous industry response, the number of award-winning wines from Oregon more than doubled compared to 2016. View a recap of TIWA Oregon results here.
TEXSOM 2017 Conference
The OWB will be participating as a sponsor at the TEXSOM Conference for the first time this year. The main component of our sponsorship will be hosting a lunch for the 200 or so TEXSOM volunteer sommeliers that help with wine service and logistics at the conference. Volunteers must apply and be selected by TEXSOM conference organizers for their professionalism and wine service experience. The majority are fine wine restaurant buyers studying for the Court of Master Sommelier exams and come from all over the country including key markets for Oregon wine such as Chicago, Atlanta, Florida and Texas.
At the lunch, OWB education manager Bree Boskov MW will give a short presentation that will serve as an exploration of Oregon’s diverse climates and geology through the lens of white wines from around the state. This presentation will also provide an opportunity to promote the educational tools available on Oregon Wine Resource Studio. OWB will continue to engage with this group of influential trade members by collecting contact information and fold them into our trade marketing communications platforms, including the trade newsletter.
Note: According to TEXSOM conference guidelines, all wines poured at the event must be currently distributed in Texas.
If you have any questions about OWB’s trade marketing partnerships and efforts, email Christina DeArment.
