View this email in your browser

NEWS FOR JUNE 23, 2020

COVID-19 Updates
Marketing
Research
Education

Opportunities
Other News
Upcoming Events

LETTER FROM TOM DANOWSKI

Dear Friends,

As we move into summer and Oregon’s economic reawakening continues, there’s still time to get involved with a few recent Oregon Wine Board initiatives:

First, join the nearly 150 wineries from across Oregon that have signed up to participate in Oregon Vine Perks. Consumer awareness for Oregon Vine Perks continues to build through advertising and PR supplemented by announcements in Travel Oregon’s direct to consumer vehicles;
Second, view this page where consumers and media are going for county-by-county details on reopened winery tasting rooms around the state. Then refresh your winery’s profile so the most accurate and current information is displayed for visitors planning return trips to wine country.
Third, if you know a tasting room manager looking for a great deal, this next one’s for them. OWB has arranged for industry members to take advantage of deep discounts on any, or all, of six DTC courses from VingDirect. These are regularly priced from $199 to $399, but a place in each class can now be reserved for only $25. Time is running out though, so be sure to register by next Wednesday, July 1.

Many Oregonians tuned in a couple weeks ago for a presentation about the marketplace’s perception of sustainably produced wines. The Oregon Wine Board accessed grant funding to co-host the event along with LIVE and industry colleagues from Washington state, California and New York. Participants heard from Lulie Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligence in London, and Christian Miller, proprietor of Full Glass Research in Berkeley. They presented new insights from recent consumer and trade research on sustainable winegrowing, certification and practices.

Halstead summarized her key findings with these observations:

“Younger consumers of legal drinking age are significantly more engaged with sustainability and view it as increasingly important to protect future resources;” and
Nine out of 10 Millennials (also known as “Gen Y”) are “willing to pay more for sustainably produced wines.”

More than 500 webinar registrants from 19 U.S. states heard the discussion and this recorded version lasts just over an hour.

While our global wine industry is living through a webinar frenzy, there are several other promising sessions that deserve your attention. Here is one to consider: “State of the Retail Wine Market: The Off-Premise & DTC Landscape in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond.” It’s free on Thursday, July 9 at 11 a.m. and you can register here. Guest speakers, including Nielsen sage Danny Brager, will discuss recent trends and the pandemic’s impact on consumer behavior—what wine drinkers are shopping for in stores and online, and what it means for your business.

I can’t forget to mention one other webinar. It delivered on an important commitment in the OWB’s strategic plan and supports the winemakers and sales professionals who work relentlessly to expand Oregon’s global footprint through market expansion activities. One of those activities was a unique educational seminar and tasting event created for media and influential trade decision makers in London, a top focus market in which Oregon’s annual sales exceed 11,000 cases.

The virtual presentation was delivered June 18 to more than 60 attendees and was built around distinctive wines from Oregon and New Zealand. New Zealand Winegrowers worked with us to co-develop and co-fund “Wines from the Edge,” which was first unveiled successfully last year in New York. We were glad to see author and international wine personality Oz Clarke in the Zoom room last week for the most recent in this series of joint presentations. Clarke seemed impressed by what he characterized as a “really good choice of wines from New Zealand and Oregon.”

Finally, here is information that should be helpful to any Oregon grower or winemaker curious about how to apply for a seat on the Oregon Wine Board of Directors. New terms start in January, and applications should be sent directly to the governor’s Executive Appointments staff by Friday, July 31.

Tom Danowski
President

COVID-19 UPDATES

Updated: Reopening Guidelines for Oregon’s Tasting Rooms

On June 16, an updated version of Guidelines for Oregon Wine Tasting Room Operations in Response to COVID-19 was published. Other reopening information—including Phase 1 and Phase 2 guidance for restaurants, bars and tasting rooms—can be found on the OWB’s frequently-updated COVID-19 Oregon Wine Industry Toolkit.

Prepping for Harvest Industry Forums | Thursdays at 10 a.m.

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association is hosting weekly calls for vineyard and winery teams to discuss particular questions and concerns related to harvest 2020 in the COVID-19 environment. Links to recordings from the first two calls as well as registration for the next meeting on June 25 can be found in the Prepping for Harvest Toolkit Google doc. These calls are open to all interested industry members.

Have You Reopened for Onsite Consumption?

OWB is assembling a database of all tasting rooms open for onsite hospitality using visit.oregonwine.org. We are referring consumers and media to that site for up-to-date information. Filtered results will only capture tasting rooms that have been updated as open for onsite consumption. Please help keep it accurate.

MARKETING

Wine Spectator 2020 Co-op Advertising Opportunities | Deadline: July 16

Wine Spectator is offering cooperative advertising opportunities in its October issue, providing exposure in the magazine at a more affordable price than standalone advertising. Participation is first-come, first-served, and only a few spaces remain available.

Order Copies of Oregon Wine Touring Guide

Now is a great time to keep Oregon wine country visitation top of mind with the complimentary Oregon Wine Touring Guide. Whether on display in tasting rooms or included in club shipments, the 2019-2020 Oregon Wine Touring Guide will inspire people to come (back) to Oregon wine country. Cases of 40 copies can be ordered here.

Sell More Wine with Oregon Vine Perks

OWB recently launched Oregon Vine Perks, a new consumer rewards program aimed at inspiring sales of Oregon wine now and visitation as tasting rooms reopen and people start traveling again. Visit the Oregon Vine Perks toolkit to learn more and for assets to promote the program to your customers, including recently-added tasting room POS materials.

RESEARCH

OWB-Sponsored Research Update: Persistence of Fungicide Resistance in Grape Powdery Mildew

Dr. Walt Mahaffee, research plant pathologist with the USDA-Agriculture Research Service, has prepared an update about research he is conducting to understand how fungicide resistance persists among grape powdery mildew in vineyards and how to mitigate resistance development to rejuvenate the efficiency of cost-effective fungicides.

2019 Preliminary Grape Pricing Report Available

The preliminary pricing report for grapes from the 2019 Oregon Vineyard and Winery Survey is available. It includes median, weighted average, minimum and maximum prices per ton, including breakouts by region and variety where possible, to provide a comprehensive picture of pricing around the state.

June 2020 Weather and Climate Forecast

On June 3, Dr. Greg Jones of Linfield College published an updated weather and climate summary and forecast. This report looks back at May conditions and forecasts conditions for June, July and August.

EDUCATION

To Be Welcoming: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Curriculum from Starbucks

Starbucks has partnered with Arizona State University to produce a 15-part curriculum to help hospitality associates create a more welcoming environment. The short courses are available to all for free in a self-paced format.

Wine Summit Piccolo from Sovos ShipCompliant | June 25

Join Sovos ShipCompliant for a free half-day online summit. The event will feature an update on regulatory issues, a state of the industry address and an open Q&A forum.

OWB-Sponsored VingDirect Online DTC Courses Extended through July 1

As the direct sales landscape is shifting, OWB is committed to providing quality DTC education opportunities. We are sponsoring access to six courses from VingDirect, enabling all members of the Oregon wine industry to access these courses, normally priced between $199 and $399, for only $25 each. Courses include Guest Experience Bootcamp, Navigating Through a Crisis and more.

Webinar: State of the Retail Wine Market: The Off-Premise & DTC Landscape in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond | July 9

Sovos ShipCompliant, Nielsen and Wines Vines Analytics will host a webinar on July 9 to discuss recent shifts and trends in the retail wine marketplace, both in the off-premise sector and direct-to-consumer shipment channel. They will also demo a new platform that enables a more comprehensive view of off-premise wine sales in the U.S.

Women in Wine: Fermenting Change in Oregon Conference | July 20

The second-annual Women in Wine conference, a gathering of women and men dedicated to advancing and supporting women in all facets of the Oregon wine industry, is going virtual. Topics covered at the July 20 conference will include career journeys, implicit bias, sustaining excellence and building a culture that supports women in the workplace.

Seminar/Webcast: Agriculture Law | July 23-24

Stoel Reeves LLP and the Oregon Farm Bureau will host their third annual Agriculture Law conference in-person in Bend with the option to join by live webcast. The program will include a recap of the 2020 legislative session, a look ahead to the 2021 legislative session and updates regarding key areas of environmental law.

Viticulture Seminar from Linfield College | July 29 – August 12

Linfield College offers a hybrid online coursework/field experience seminar designed to introduce students to where and how grapes are grown. Emphasis will be given to understanding varieties of grapes, their general biology and physiology, and the environmental factors required to grow grapes including climate, geology, soil and landscapes. The course will also cover the basic aspects of vine growth development and training, trellis systems and vineyard management.

OPPORTUNITIES

Apply to the Oregon Wine Board of Directors | Deadline: July 31

The Executive Appointments staff at the governor’s office are accepting applications from industry members interested in joining the Oregon Wine Board of Directors for a three-year term starting Jan. 1, 2021. Learn more about Oregon Wine Board service and submit your application by July 31.

OTHER NEWS

OWB’s Commitment to Equity

Like you, the team and directors at the Oregon Wine Board have been processing, reflecting on and discussing our responsibility in the fight for racial equity in America. As a first step, we published Our Commitment to Change, which outlines a number of steps we will take as an organization to incorporate the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion into our work.

Post Harvest Jobs on the OWB Marketplace

The Marketplace on the OWB industry website is frequently used by producers to post grapes, bulk wine and equipment for sale. Did you know it can also be used to post job opportunities? If you have harvest internship jobs—or others—available, post them to the Marketplace so we can spread the word to other organizations that might know of good candidates.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The OWB’s industry website hosts a calendar that includes industry-facing events as well as events with significant industry participation. Consult it when scheduling or rescheduling events to avoid conflicts, and don’t forget to post entries as well.

Links to post to both the industry calendar and the OWB’s consumer-facing calendar can be found here.

July 20

Women in Wine Conference

Virtual

August 11

OWB Board Meeting

TBD

August 17-23

Oregon Wine Experience

Jacksonville

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Website

Grapevine Newsletter June 23 2020