Oregon Wine Industry

Oregon is the third largest viniferous grape growing region in the U.S., with 463 wineries

Oregon Wine Month

Sign up to Pour at Total Wine During Oregon Wine Month

Total Wine & More is planning to celebrate Oregon Wine Month system-wide in May. As you may know, Total Wine is a large retail chain with 193 stores across 20 states. Nearly half of their locations – 44% – are concentrated in Florida, Texas and California. See the Total Wine website for a map showing their retail store presence around the country.

Total Wine is finalizing details of their Oregon Wine Month program, but the chain’s senior associate buyer of Northwest wines has said that the plan will include Oregon end cap displays, marketing through their consumer platforms, and in-store events. They want to bring as many Oregon wineries as possible to their stores during Oregon Wine Month to pour for shoppers. Wineries that have placements in Total Wine are invited to sign up for in-store tasting events throughout May at locations around the country.

As you consider your strategy for working with Total Wine (or other retailers) around Oregon Wine Month, here are a few points to consider:

  • Be sure to include your distributor early in discussions about where and how to best engage with retail partners
  • Make sure you understand any discount structure involved with participation
  • Ensure you have a strategy for how you will afford any pricing adjustments
  • Work with your distributor to consider what impact discounted pricing at Total Wine could have at other off-premise locations in the markets

The Oregon Wine Month platform is intended for use by wineries, retailers, restaurants and distributors to help create a focus period for Oregon wines. Total Wine is the first example of a national retailer that has indicated to us their intent to promote Oregon Wine Month system-wide, and the OWB is supporting Total Wine in its efforts to further build its Oregon business through this platform. In addition to helping spread the word to the industry about available opportunities like this, we are offering Total Wine assistance with point of sale materials and an educational training webinar for store-level staff.

We were made aware of Total Wine’s interest in Oregon Wine Month by wineries that consider this a key account. If you know of other national or large regional retail chains that have expressed interest in Oregon Wine Month, please put them in touch with OWB’s trade relations manager, Christina DeArment.

For wineries that are not working with Total Wine, or do not have volume for large retail placements, rest assured that the complete Oregon Wine Month program will have opportunities for wineries of all sizes and sales channel strategies. The OWB marketing team will be populating the Oregon Wine Month industry toolkit over the coming weeks, so check back for more information about Oregon Wine Month.

Tools & Strategies for Pitching Oregon Wine Month 2019 to Your Distributors

Did you know that over 75 distributors in 35 states participated in Oregon Wine Month in 2018, doubling the exposure from 2017? The Oregon Wine Board marketing team is determined to keep that momentum going. The first step in our game plan is providing you with the tools you need as early as possible so you can recruit your distributors to get them on board in markets that are priorities for you.

Distributor participation is a key component in your brand’s success during Oregon Wine Month. That’s why we’re hosting a webinar on Nov. 15 from 10-11 a.m. to share tools and strategies for pitching Oregon Wine Month to your distributors. Topics included in this session will include:

– Introduction to the Oregon Wine Month Distributor Package – a collection of materials, incentives and selling pieces offered by the OWB
– Best practices for engaging and motivating your distributors
– Ideas and case studies from past Oregon Wine Months

This webinar is complimentary and ideal for marketing managers, sales directors and sales reps of Oregon wineries. Register here. 

Announcing 2018 Oregon Wine Month Rep of the Year Winners

After extensive deliberation, the Oregon Wine Board would like to congratulate the 2018 Oregon Wine Month Rep of the Year Award winners: Danny McBryde of Young’s Market Co. and Amy Paul Maynard of Mitchell Wine Group.

Off-Premise: Danny McBryde of Young’s Market Co.

Danny is a seasoned distributor rep vet, working for Young’s Market Company for 36 years. Despite going up against his same numbers year-after-year in the same accounts,  Danny was able to grow his Oregon wine business 75% over May of 2017.  Danny’s love for Oregon wine was certainly a driving factor in 100% of his accounts creating displays this year.

On & Off-Premise: Amy Paul Maynard, Mitchell Wine Group

As a resident of Oregon wine country, Amy has a love and appreciation for Oregon wineries. Her hard work paid off this year when she pulled off the astounding feat of doubling her Oregon wine volume over 2017 and increasing her Oregon revenue by an impressive 56%. She did this by organizing in-store Oregon focused retail demos, retail displays, Oregon wine month flights and BTG features that ran through May.

When asked about how she feels about representing Oregon wineries, Amy said, “I love Oregon Wine Month because it shines a focus on our local community of restaurants, retailers, wineries and distribution network to highlight the bounty in our own backyard. ”

Danny and Amy won a VIP package to the International Pinot Noir Celebration including tickets to the Counter Culture event on Thursday, IPNC and accommodations for themselves and a guest.

Thank you to Danny, Amy and all of the other nominated sales reps for your hard work leading up to and through May.

For more information about the Oregon Wine Month Rep of the Year program contact Christina DeArment.

Share Your Thoughts on Oregon Wine Month 2018

Oregon Wine Month 2018 is in the books! Thanks to all of you who came out in force to help make May a great success. We saw creative events in tasting rooms, enticing specials on mailing lists, impressive in-store displays, loads of partnerships with restaurants and an extraordinary amount of social media activity.

The OWB marketing team works hard to put together an Oregon Wine Month program that gives wineries, distributors and accounts the tools and support needed to drive activations across direct-to-consumer and distributed channels alike. Each year, we carefully review the feedback you give and use it to make the program stronger. Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback on Oregon Wine Month 2018.

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As a reminder, here is a brief recap of the elements of the 2018 program:

  • New campaign point-of-sale
  • Pitch deck to help sell the program to distributors
  • Oregon master class webinar for trade presented by Bree Boskov MW
  • Partnership with OpenTable to promote restaurants hosting Oregon flights
  • Events calendar hosting tasting room, retail and restaurant events
  • Consumer sweepstakes featuring a 3-night trip to Oregon
  • Promotion of collaborative events hosted by regional groups
  • Digital and social advertising to bring people to our website to enter sweeps, explore events and plan their time in wine country
  • Five week takeover of Vintage, a radio show and podcast with Brian Bushlach
  • Media coverage earned through work with PR firm including local TV, online coverage and influential bloggers
  • Comprehensive toolkit with program information, digital assets and printable materials for use by wineries, accounts and distributors

We greatly appreciate your input, and thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to help us understand what’s working well and how we can make Oregon Wine Month even stronger next year.

Submit Oregon Wine Month Association Events

If your AVA or association is having a special event or promotion in April or May please share those event details with us by emailing Kai McMurtry by March 9. Multi-winery events or promotions are great for inspiring people to visit areas they haven’t been before, and they also provide both OWB and media with events that can be promoted on a broader scale, which is not always possible with individual winery events.

If you choose to share your event or promotion, we will include it on our Oregon Wine Month featured events page, which will receive focused promotion to our owned social and consumer channels. As always, individual winery events can be added to our consumer calendar here.

Email Kai McMurtry

Deadline Coming Up: Oregon Wine Month Distributor Commitment Form Due Feb. 1

Are you ready to take Oregon Wine Month to the next level – or even to another market? Now is the time to make it happen!

The Oregon Wine Board has compiled a benefits package to support all distributors – in and out of Oregon – interested in participating in Oregon Wine Month this May, and it’s up to you to make the pitch and get them on board.

The Oregon Wine Month Distributor Package Includes:

  • Oregon Wine Month Pitch Deck – This succinct presentation starts out with key selling points of Oregon wine then leads into the benefits of participating in the OWM campaign
  • POS shipped to distributor’s warehouse by April 1 – orders must be placed by March 1
  • Digital graphics for customization
  • An Oregon Wine Masterclass webinar delivered by a Master of Wine for sales reps in March
  • Getaway sweepstakes to promote to consumers
  • Oregon Wine Month Rep of the Year Competition (for Oregon distributors only)

Distributors interested in participating in Oregon Wine Month must complete the Distributor Commitment Form by Feb. 1. By filling out this form, distributors will receive instructions for ordering POS, attending the masterclass webinar and other important messaging from the OWB.

Did you miss the Nov. 30 webinar: Pitching Oregon Wine Month to Distributors? Download the presentation with speaker notes and access all Oregon Wine Month distributor resources on the Oregon Wine Month Toolkit. Happy selling.

Oregon Wine Month Distributor Commitment Form Due Feb. 1

The OWB is making it easier to get your in-state and out-of-state distributors on board for Oregon Wine Month. We held a webinar about the resources available for distributors in November (see below) and have created a presentation to help you pitch the campaign. In order for distributors to receive shipped Oregon Wine Month POS, they must fill out the distributor commitment form by Feb. 1.

View resources and commitment form.

Tools & Strategies for Pitching Oregon Wine Month to Your Distributors

Register Now for Webinar on Nov. 30

Are you ready to take Oregon Wine Month to the next level?

While Oregon Wine Month has been gaining momentum for the past several years, the Oregon Wine Board marketing team is determined to make the 2018 campaign the biggest, best and most booming yet. The first step in our game plan is providing you with the tools you need as early as possible so you can recruit your distributors to get them on board in markets that are priorities for you.

Distributor participation is a key component in your brand’s success during Oregon Wine Month. That’s why we’re hosting a webinar on Nov. 30 from 10-11 a.m. to share tools and strategies for pitching Oregon Wine Month to your distributors. The webinar will feature a panel including:

Alison Sokol Blosser, co-president, CEO and winegrower of Sokol Blosser Winery will share her experience collaborating this past May with other Oregon wineries in her distributor’s portfolio to take Oregon Wine Month to a major East Coast market. The partnership resulted in astounding success.

Bree Boskov MW, education manager, Oregon Wine Board will present best practices for engaging and motivating your distributor for Oregon Wine Month.

Christina DeArment, trade marketing, Oregon Wine Board will provide an overview of the resources available in the Oregon Wine Month distributor package, including the Oregon Wine Month Distributor Pitch Deck.

This webinar is complimentary and open to any employee of a winery or vineyard in Oregon.

REGISTER NOW