Dear Friends,
Congratulations again to West Coast research scientists Drs. Tom Collins (WSU), Anita Oberholster (UC – Davis) and Elizabeth Tomasino (OSU). All were recognized as Innovators of the Year during Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Wine Star Award presentations last month.
The three, pictured here with Anita on Tom’s right and Elizabeth on his left, have joined forces to expand our understanding of the ways wildfire smoke affects grapes, grapevines and wines
Photo courtesy of Gamma Nine Photography.
Thank you, Tom, Anita and Elizabeth, along with your students, for your continuing work to guide viticulturists and winemakers through the complicated matrix of variables they confront during those difficult vintages. Our thoughts are with Chilean winemakers, vineyard and wine professionals as they currently face one of the worst catastrophes for Chile’s wine industry.
Another of our most reliable and experienced academic partners is Dr. Jeff Peterson, who is keeping the 2023 Oregon Wine Industry Labor Survey open for a while longer to ensure everyone has a chance to offer their input. Stay tuned for future announcements about Jeff’s webinar next month during which he’ll follow up his presentation at this week’s Wine Symposium with further survey insights. In the meantime, here’s the link you can use to complete Jeff’s questionnaire.
Turning to marketing and promotion, don’t forget to order your free Oregon Wine Month merchandising materials which are being produced and distributed by the Oregon Wine Board (OWB). They are available to your wholesale distribution partners around the country as well. The deadline for orders is three weeks away on Tuesday, March 7. Click here for a look at additional support pieces specific to Willamette Valley wines developed by the WV Wineries Association.
For further program information, you can view the most recent Oregon Wine Month webinar held a couple of weeks ago hosted by our Trade Relations Manager David Dewitt. It runs a brisk 32 minutes. You’ll also see the OWB’s editorial calendar in our online toolkit and details about this year’s new virtual educational seminars being presented from April 17 through May 22.
One more important point about Oregon Wine Month: post your public events to the OWB calendar so we can be your megaphone through our social channels and consumer newsletter. That letter goes out nationally to nearly 45,000 subscribers now. I should mention that events on our calendar are promoted as well by Travel Oregon for additional consumer reach and impact.
Aspiring Masters of Wine (MW) from around the world visited the Northwest last week for their Stage 1 preparation. Gina Bianco from the Rogue Valley Vintners was on-hand for the Oregon tasting with wines from RVV members. Oregon MWs Billo Naravane, pictured below on the right, and Bree Stock, pictured far left, poured wines from The Rocks District, the Umpqua, and Willamette Valleys.
Finally, don’t miss this webinar from SOVOS/ShipCompliant next Thursday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. with DtC wine shipping trend data and analysis. Register here.
P.S. Congratulations to Dr. Alexander Levin, the new station director at Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC) in Central Point. Alec is well known to grape growers around the state and especially to those in the Rogue Valley. He takes on the new role starting March 1 and will host Southern Oregon’s Grape Day at SOREC on March 14 starting at 8:30 a.m.
Tom Danowski
President
Marketing
Wine Industry Insights
Read SOVOS ShipCompliant DtC Consumer Wine Shipping Report and Register for their Webinar | Feb. 23
The one-hour webinar will share an overview of findings and analysis from the 2023 DtC Wine Shipping Report, including key insights and examples of trends that emerged in the 2022 year-in-review data. Register here.
Press and Media
Press Highlights
Oregon Wine Press Highlights the Oregon Wine Symposium
In her article Symposium is wine education at its best, Michele Francisco writes about the importance of the Wine Symposium and how Oregon wine growers have historically joined together for the greater good.
Oregon Live Covers Bottle Bill Expansion to Include Canned Wines
Wine in a can is no longer an oddity and consumers assume that these cans carry the same deposit as other beverages, this is why Oregon’s Bottle Bill would expand to cover canned wine under legislation advancing in Salem. The idea of adding bottled wine to the Bottle Bill is still under discussion.
Media Opportunities & Calls for Wine
James Suckling Requests Wines for 2023 Oregon Report | Deadline March 5JamesSuckling.com team is looking for commercially available or soon-to-be-released Oregon wines they have not yet had the opportunity to review. OWB has worked with them to coordinate the venue for tasting and will be on hand to assist for the week they are in our state. In preparation for this event, OWB is coordinating wine gathering at Northwest Distribution & Storage and will organize the delivery of collected wines to James Suckling’s team. All Oregon wineries are invited to submit up to three different Oregon wines using the form available on our website.
TEXSOM International Wine Awards is Accepting Wine Submissions | Deadline April 14
Judging for TEXSOM International Wine Awards (TIWA) will occur from April 30 through May 3, 2023, in Irving, Texas. Wineries do not have to have distribution in Texas to submit entries. OWB has partnered with FedEx to support this opportunity and can cover ground shipping for your wine entries. Shipping details and instructions are available on our website.
Research
February 2023 Weather and Climate Forecast
Dr. Greg Jones recently published an updated weather and climate summary and forecast. This report looks back at January conditions and forecasts conditions for February, March, and April.
Opportunities
Wine America Solicits Industry Feedback on Potential TTB Ruling on Wine Nutritional Labeling | Deadline Feb. 28
This year, Wine America expects the TTB to release two rulemaking proposals: first on nutrition information and caloric content, and second, ingredient labeling on beverage alcohol labels. This would be the most drastic change to wine labeling that we have seen in decades. Tell them what you think.
Travel Oregon Seeks Input on State Tourism Industry | Deadline March. 2
Travel Oregon and the state’s seven Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMOs) are requesting your thoughts and perspectives on how best to support Oregon’s tourism industry. In advance of strategic planning and in support of Travel Oregon’s newly adopted 10-Year Strategic Vision, your feedback is welcomed here by March 2.
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Seeking Public Comments on Trade Practice Regulations | Deadline March 9
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is seeking public comment on trade practice regulations related to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act’s exclusive outlet, tied house, commercial bribery, and consignment sales prohibitions. President Biden’s Executive Order 14036 (“Promoting Competition in the American Economy”), the Department of the Treasury’s related February 2022 report (“Competition in the Markets for Beer, Wine, and Spirits”), and public comments related to that report have raised questions about whether these regulations could be improved. Read more.
Register for Malbec in the City on April 30 | Deadline March 30
Malbec in the City! will bring together producers of wines made with Malbec grapes grown in Oregon. This consumer event will take place on Sunday, April 30 in Portland at the Castaway and will benefit Our Legacy Harvested. Wineries interested in participating can fill out this form.
Other News
Registration Open for Governor’s 2023 Conference on Tourism | April 3 – 5
Join your travel and tourism colleagues in Portland for Oregon’s largest tourism gathering of the year. Keynote speakers and breakout session will focus on objectives aligned with Travel Oregon’s 10-Year Strategic Vision, which includes experiences, equity, economy, and environment. Register for the conference here.
Tom Danowski
President
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