Dear Friends,
As we get used to daylight savings time once again and anticipate the rise of spring temperatures, your Oregon Wine Board (OWB) team is continuing to advance the campaign to kick-start Oregon Wine Month and focus it to launch the 2023 wine tourism season.Last month we began shipping Oregon’s newest, four-color, 84-page Oregon Wine Touring Guide which tasting room managers can order in cases of 40 for free right here. The guide is also available as a digital flipbook. The early order momentum this year is strong, and we think it reflects consumers’ eagerness to start planning their adventures in Oregon. Your friends and family can order individual copies too, so feel free to share the link far and wide.
OWB has also been investing in consumer outreach via online ads and social channels to promote the guide, along with your local events (submit them here), and AVA-designed travel sweepstakes packages. We’re also getting a jump on highlighting all of the great Oregon wine and food combinations crowd-sourced from our growers, winemakers, consumers, chefs, artisan farmers, and so many other partners. See how you can get involved and add your own wine and food video to our mix as part of “Pair It Forward.” Videos will be featured in OWB’s and Travel Oregon’s global consumer feeds.
Spring also marks the launch of the industry’s annual Vineyard and Winery census. One key difference between a census and a survey is that a census aims to count everyone. By participating, you have a unique opportunity to contribute to a more accurate and complete picture of the wine industry in Oregon. By providing important data to policymakers, industry organizations, and other stakeholders, you help shape the future of our industry. Oregon’s report is envied by our colleagues in California and Washington. Last year marked the first time University of Oregon researchers were able to provide AVA-level information for some areas that had provided sufficient responses. We hope you’ll help us get more questionnaires this year so additional AVAs can get their own reports. Get in touch with Bob Parker at the University of Oregon for your survey form.
In some great news from the Applegate Valley, we hear that Troon Vineyard’s President Craig Camp (pictured here) has been selected by his Rhone Rangers peers to serve as the education and marketing organization’s President.
See details on the Rangers’ ride into McMinnville for a trade seminar and a consumer tasting on April 4.CONGRATULATIONS Craig!
The Rangers are 100-wineries strong now and commemorate the 25th birthday of their national organization this year with renewed focus on promoting the 22 Rhone Valley grape varieties.
Your OWB Directors met earlier this month in their latest public session. Agenda topics included the 2024 Oregon Wine Symposium, OWB’s 2023-24 operating budget and a discussion of the ways in which the different USDA grant funding streams are enabling over 125 Oregon wineries (so far) to sell profitable volume in global markets. Oregon’s export base was 156K cases in 2021, and that’s up 3x versus a decade ago.
Here is the March 1 Board meeting recording. Go to the 1:39:30 mark for International Marketing Committee Chairman Bob Morus’s opening remarks followed by insights from veteran Oregon industry leaders who have invested over the years to pave the way for broader winery participation and further market expansion. The International Marketing Committee’s summer planning meeting is open to any and all interested members of our wine community. Let us know if you’d like more details.
P.S. I hope you’ll register to join us in the Zoom room next week on Wednesday, March 22 at 10 a.m. for Dr. Jeff Peterson’s presentation of the latest Oregon wine industry labor and salary survey. Jeff’s data set includes Oregon-specific compensation ranges for key vineyard and winery positions, and he’ll bring his expert insights on hiring trends. If you saw Jeff at the Oregon Wine Symposium, you’re still welcome since this next session will allow for more Q&A and dialogue about how business owners can use the data in designing high-performing, diverse teams.
Jeff is also scheduling a final follow-on Zoom session next month. Register here for that one Thursday, April 13, again at 10 a.m.
Tom Danowski
President
Marketing
OWB Marketing
Pair It Forward Campaign Celebrates Food and Wine
To celebrate Oregon Wine Month this year, OWB has launched a 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 your video and participate.
Order Your 2023-24 Oregon Wine Touring Guides
The 2023-24 edition of the Oregon Wine Touring Guide is now available. This guide is a magazine and digital book meant to inspire more visits to your tasting rooms by locals and out-of-towners alike. It makes a wonderful addition to any tasting room and wine club shipments. Wineries, restaurants and hotels are encouraged to order complimentary boxes in our Touring Guide Toolkit.
Wine Industry Insights
SOVOS Ship Compliant Free eBook: DtC Alcohol Shipping Essentials
The free ebook details the basics of what you need to know about staying compliant and finding success in DtC alcohol shipping. Topics include licensing, age verification, volume limits, brand registrations, tax determination and reporting, and more.
Community Benchmark Releases Overall DtC Trends for Jan. 2023
The analysis includes year-over-year (Jan 2023 vs. Jan 2022 and 2021) data from nearly 500 wineries across all the regions and 128 wineries in Oregon that participate in Community Benchmark. View all regions data and Oregon-specific data.
Education
Register for Dr. Jeff Peterson’s Webinars on Salary Survey Findings | March 22 and April 13 at 10 a.m.
Join sociologist Dr. Jeff Peterson for two webinars providing an in-depth analysis and interpretation of the 2022 Oregon Wine Industry Labor and Salary survey. Dr. Peterson will provide insights and comparisons into regional cost of living, new and growing roles in the industry, and strategies to improve equitable salary solutions. Register here for March 22 and here for April 13.
2023 Oregon Wine Symposium : Recordings Now Available
Thanks again to all who participated in the 2023 Symposium. We had a fantastic line-up of speakers and thought-provoking discussions. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Filling out our survey will help us improve future events and provide you access to the 2023 Symposium recordings, allowing you to revisit your favorite sessions and catch up on any missed sessions.
Press and Media
Press Highlights
OPB Reports on Portland’s Natural Wine Fair
Elizabeth Castillo reports on this year’s Wild Bunch wine fair which featured more than 60 wineries and importers pouring their products for consumers. Dana Frank owner of Bar Norman and organizer of the fair, Luke Wylde, Statera Cellars, and Nathan Wood from Johan Vineyards joined “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller to discuss wine and the natural wine event.
Wine Industry Advisor Covers Partnership Between Oregon Winery and Zoo FoundationWine By Joe’s partnership with the Oregon Zoo Foundation, “Cheers to Joe & Jolene” honors Oregon Zoo resident, Jolene, a baby orangutan, on her first birthday. A portion of the retail sales of Wine By Joe’s wines will be shared with the Oregon Zoo Foundation, with funds directed to both Jolene’s care and the Oregon Zoo’s larger efforts around the world to support the protection of endangered species.
Media Opportunities & Calls for Wine
TEXSOM International Wine Awards 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
March 2023 Weather and Climate Forecast
Dr. Greg Jones recently published an updated weather and climate summary and forecast. This report looks back at February conditions and forecasts conditions for March, April and May.
Register for Oregon Wine Research Institute (OWRI) Grape Day | Earlybird ends March 14
This annual event will take place in person on April 4 at Oregon State University. It provides the most recent information from research projects relevant to the Oregon wine industry by researchers at Oregon State University’s OWRI and partners at the USDA-ARS. The focus this year is the grapevine red blotch virus. Learn more and register here.
Opportunities
Register for Malbec in the City | 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
Register for LIVE 2023 Annual Meeting | March 29 – 30
Day 1 will be held over Zoom and will include program updates and a board meeting. Day 2 will be in person at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg. It will feature three presentations, including keynote speaker Jancis Robinson. All are welcome to attend. The full program and registration for each day can be found at www.liveannualmeeting.com.
Register 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.
Oregon Grape Quarantine: New Requirements for New Plantations
If you are planting grapevines this year, be aware of new rule changes that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. The Oregon Grape Quarantine now requires all plants purchased from outside the state to be certified. Learn more about this rule change here. If you are interested in having your out-of-state shipments tested by the Oregon Department of Agriculture for free, read the handout and complete the request form.
French Wine Region Bourgogne no longer Wants its Name Translated
Jill Barth reports for Forbes on why Bourgogne, no longer wants its name translated. Bourgogne is commonly referred to as “Burgundy” in English, “Burgund” in German or “Borgogna” in Italian. Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) made a public recommendation that the translation should be abandoned. Translations add confusion as on wine labels the non-translated rendition is the norm.
Tom Danowski
President
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