April 23, 2024

Letter from Céline Fauveau Schaff

Dear Readers, We hope you are having a great start to the week. In this edition of the Grapevine, I will share some of the Market intelligence the OWB is taking part in, and how to get involved. As the director of Insights & Industry Relations, I am a member of the Wine Market Council (WMC) research committee. It has been such a pleasure to attend the WMC annual conference and work alongside highly qualified marketing professionals to provide an Oregon perspective in WMC’s decisionmaking and to help shape new studies.

Some takeaways from the WMC conference are summarized in Liz Thach’s article in Forbes: How Wine Is Winning Over The 30-Something Crowd. Danny Brager is pictured here presenting: The Core Wine Consumer by Generation and Income.

Should you be interested in reading what Christian Miller and Liz Thach presented at the event, their member-exclusive presentation is available here. WMC has given us permission to share with the industry as a special thank you for the OWB support in their organization. WMC is currently working on two new studies: the first one is focused on DtC performance, and the second one is a deep dive into young and multicultural consumers.

For the DtC study, WMC will gather insights from wine club members across the country to uncover the key factors that contribute to wine club success: engagement tactics, consumer preferences trends, behaviors, and more. As a WMC member, the OWB was offered the possibility to engage Oregon wineries.

Winery participation is voluntary and only requires sending the survey link to your club members. Wineries will not be asked to share their mailing list. Club members’ information will remain confidential and with the winery only. True to Oregon’s collaborative spirit, this study will benefit all by allowing us to learn directly from many club members. Wineries willing to find out more about this opportunity can reach out to me ([email protected]). Upon release of the study, OWB will schedule an all-industry forum with Christian Miller from WMC to provide a presentation of the findings to the Oregon Wine Industry. Attending the forum is not conditional to participation in the study.

The next study is being developed to describe and quantify young, multicultural consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, and usage of wine. It will aim at identifying barriers and finding out the attributes of wine that are most valued or attractive to them. The research findings should be usable for developing marketing strategies and tactics to encourage this population to adopt and enjoy wine as part of a healthy lifestyle.

I will update you on this work as we make progress. I hope you enjoyed reading about this aspect of my work, I sure enjoy being part of it. Next time I will provide an update on the viticulture and enology research, which the research committee has recommended to the OWB Board of Directors to be discussed at their May 2 meeting. (Board meeting Zoom). Kindly, Celine P.S.: In case you missed it, Neil and David provided an extensive overview of Oregon Wine Month activities in our previous Grapevine letter. Past Grapevine editions are always available on our industry website here.

Céline Fauveau Schaff Director of Insights & Industry Relations

Marketing

OWB Marketing

Showcase Your Wine in the Pair It Forward Campaign

OWB is relaunching its successful social media campaign called Pair It Forward (#pairitforward). This campaign uses short videos in which winemakers, chefs, or artisan food producers across the state talk about their favorite wine and food pairings. Visit the Pair It Forward toolkit for a detailed overview of the campaign, including instructions on how to film and upload your video.

Wine Industry Insights

Read Wine Market Council (WMC) Category Shifting and High-end Consumer studies

At the WMC annual research conference, held in Napa California on March 20, Liz Thach and Christian Miller’s presentation titled Portrait of the U.S. Wine Consumer and What They Want from the Wine Industry included key learnings from both the category shifting and high-end consumer study. As a member of the Wine Market Council, the OWB has been exceptionally allowed to share these presentations with you. View the presentation here.

Education

Registration Open for the U.S. Sustainable Winegrowing Summit | April 30 – May 1

Join the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and co-hosts from California, Washington, New York, and Oregon to learn about cutting-edge sustainable and climate-beneficial practices. Be inspired and gain ideas on how to share sustainable wine-growing stories with consumers and trade. Register here.

AVP Wine Collective Launches Incubator Program for Winemakers | Applications Due April 30

Alis volat propriis (AVP) is Latin for “She flies with her own wings” — the state motto of Oregon. AVP Wine Collective is launching its first-ever incubator program and looking for applications for its first cohort. This program is designed to foster the growth of a more diverse landscape of winemaking projects and support communities that lack representation in Oregon wine. Their goal is to engage 2 – 3 new winemakers each year in the process of launching their brand and offer them training, support, and expertise in reaching their goals. Learn more.

Linfield University Center for Wine Education and Women in Wine Offer WSET Scholarships

One scholarship for WSET Level 1 course and one scholarship for WSET Level 2 course will be awarded (must be located in Oregon or Washington). In addition, Women in Wine will offer a complimentary annual membership. Apply by May 31, here.

Press and Media

Media Highlights

View OWB Press Releases

Wine Enthusiast Reports on Southern Oregon Pinot noir

Michael Alberty shares his own personal Pinot noir selection found off the beaten path—the ones he shares with friends. None of them appear in Wine Enthusiast’s Buying Guide, for now. Read more.

VinePair and Wine Searcher Share Best Pinot Noirs for 2024

After tasting hundreds of Pinot noirs from all over the world for VinePair’s “Buy This Booze” review Hannah Staab shares 25 favorites of which over 30% originate from Oregon’s Willamette Valley! Read more. Wine Searcher also has a list of different wines they have tasted, which you can find on their website here.

Wine Spectator‘s Tasting highlights Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnays

Aaron Romano writes: “Some of Oregon’s finest vineyard sites take the spotlight in these new reviews of reds and whites that scored at least 90 points, most priced at $40 or less”. Read more.

The New York Times Features Oregon Wine Company’s Diversity Endeavors

Eric Asimov writes about Channing Frye and his Chosen Family Wines’ unpretentious approach to bring wine to communities of color. Read more.

The Drinks Business Spotlights Oregon’s Sheep Share

Liz Thach interviewed wineries taking part in this novel sheep share. Mark Björnson presented it as typical Oregon wine industry behavior saying, ‘we’re all friends and collaborate on just about everything. We all (Bethel Heights, Björnson, and Bryn Mawr) prioritize regenerative farming practices, and this flock plays a crucial role in advancing these efforts.” Read more.

Media Opportunities & Calls for Wine

View all calls for wine

Paul G on Wine Call for Samples

Paul Gregutt is requesting wine samples to review for his website PaulG On Wine. He posts reviews every week, including a wine of the week, a value wine of the week, and a wine for the Cellar. Learn more.

Vinous Seeks Wines for its Annual Oregon Report | Deadline May 13

Vinous Pacific Northwest critic Eric Guido will be in Oregon in mid-May. OWB will coordinate a comprehensive tasting with wines from all over the state. Learn more.

Research

Viticulture & Enology

April 2024 Weather and Climate Forecast

Dr. Greg Jones recently published an updated weather and climate summary and forecast. This report looks back at March conditions and forecasts conditions for April, May, and June.

OWB Viticulture & Enology Funded Research Webinar | May 14, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

The Oregon Wine Board provides grants to institutions for research in viticulture and enology of particular relevance to the Oregon wine industry. The results of OWB-supported technical research are reported to the industry through seminars, symposia, extension publications, and peer-reviewed journals. On May 14 OWB will host a webinar where scientists will present their completed research projects as well as ongoing research. You can learn more about OWB-funded research here and register for the presentation and Q&A here.

Read the American Journal for Enology and Viticulture (AJEV) Best Paper Awards

Each year, the ASEV Best Paper Awards Committe completes an evaluation of all research papers published in the AJEV for the prior year. The committee selects one paper in the field of enology and one in the field of viticulture that is deemed outstanding in its content and a substantial contribution to the field. Biological Control of Botryosphaeria Dieback of Grapevines was awarded best viticulture paper, and Hydrogen Sulfide Formation in Canned Wines, best enology paper.

Opportunities

Participate in the Oregon Vineyard & Winery Census | Deadline May 8

Census participants will receive the preliminary price report in May in advance of the full report. All Oregon vineyard and winery owners are invited to complete the annual census for the 2023 crop. Data generated from the census will go into the 2023 Oregon Vineyard and Winery Production Report. This report is used by many, but the information is particularly useful to organizations that serve you, including the OWRI, OWB, OWA, USDA-ARS, and more. Past reports are available on the Oregon Wine Board website. Contact Robert Parker ([email protected]) with any questions. Participate in the census.

Join the Women In Wine Family

Women in Wine (WiW) Oregon invites you to join as they grow and expand their reach. Membership with WiW provides access and discounts to educational seminars, networking events, and the annual conference in July. You’ll receive access to the video library from past events and much more. Memberships are valid for one year after purchase. Scholarships and payment plans are available. Please reach out with any questions: [email protected].

Other News

Register for the OIV Press Conference: State of the World of Vine and Wine | April 25 at 11 a.m.

The Director General of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), John Barker, is to review the current situation of the viti-vinicultural sector at a global scale in 2023, and the preliminary estimates of wine production for 2024 in the Southern Hemisphere. Register here.

Upcoming Events

Industry event calendar | Consumer event calendar | Post an event

OWB Board Meeting

May 2 at 3 p.m. Zoom

OWB Funded Research Updates

May 14, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Register here