Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I hope this note finds you enjoying the beautiful spring flowers and blooming trees! At OWB, the team and I have started our own spring sprucing with a series of strategy sessions for which we are setting priorities for finishing out the 2023-24 fiscal year as well as beginning to focus on planning for next year, which begins July 1.
We have three exciting national activations planned for Oregon Wine Month (OWM). Additionally, Bree Stock is creating a set of new short-form Master Classes to promote Oregon wine and growing regions; and a new sweepstakes will showcase four Oregon wine regions. Visit the OWM tool kit to access resources and watch for more information in the next Grapevine Newsletter.
The newly organized Marketing Committee will be kicking off in May. The Committee will be focusing on addressing some of the challenges that are facing the industry, especially those related to the anti-alcohol sentiment and declining tourism.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force is in the formation phase and will begin working on the upcoming labor salary survey with additional survey development over the coming year that dives deeper into the needs of vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms.
Operationally, we’re focusing on efficiencies across the team and looking for opportunities to collaborate with other organizations to leverage resources and promote Oregon wine more effectively locally, nationally, and internationally.
Finally, if you haven’t already done so, please take the time to complete the 2023 Vineyard and Winery Census. The census is critical to the work we do to promote Oregon wine and to serve you better. It plays an important role in tying together other research that OWB funds and is essential to the policy development and lobbying work that Oregon Winegrowers Association (OWA) and Oregon Wine Council (OWC) do for our industry. See more information below in the Opportunities section.
Best Regards,
Gina Bianco
OWB Executive Director
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
IWSR Shares Analysis of U.S. Beverage Alcohol E-commerce
From necessity to novelty, U.S. beverage alcohol e-commerce is evolving. IWSR analysis shows that although the e-commerce channel has slowed, there is still headroom for growth with consumer demand transitioning from pandemic necessity to novelty and convenience. The channel also lends itself to higher-value alcohol purchases. Learn more.
Participate in SVB’s Annual Direct-to-Consumer Survey
Every year, the SVB Wine Division’s DtC Survey helps benchmark the industry’s tasting rooms, wine clubs, and other direct-to-consumer sales activities. All respondents who fully complete the survey will receive gratis survey results, including anonymized detailed responses, and summary analysis which can be used to benchmark performance. Take the survey.
Washington Post Low Intervention Winemaking in Oregon
“Low intervention” — sometimes referred to as “minimalist” — may become the next big buzzword for wine. It reflects a stylistic shift away from highly extracted wines, toward wines meant to refresh, echoing the “less is more” philosophy of natural wines. Learn more.
James Suckling.com Releases Oregon Report
Three of the JamesSuckling.com tasting team members performed a deep dive into Oregon’s latest 2021 and 2022 vintage releases rating 624 wines. The week-long critical tasting turned up dozens of strongly recommended top-quality (90+ points) Oregon Pinot noir and Chardonnay wines from the Willamette Valley. Learn more.
Oregon Wine Press seeks Rhône and Loire style whites
For their June Cellar Selects, the Oregon Wine Press seeks Rhône- and Loire-style whites including Melon de Bourgogne, Viognier, Chenin Blanc Marsanne, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc. Learn more.
The Virginian Pilot Seeks Rosés for its Annual Issue | April 30
While this call for wines is ideal for wineries with distribution in Virginia, the columns are syndicated across dozens of news outlets, including the Boston Herald, Marin Journal, Orlando Sentinel, Twin Cities Pioneer Press, and more. The 2023 rose round up included wines from Oregon. Learn more.
Burghound Seeking Pinot noir Samples from Oregon
Erica Meadows of Burghound.com is requesting samples of current release Pinot noir to review for an upcoming issue. Learn more.
Vinous Seeks Wines for its Annual Oregon Report | Deadline May 13
Vinous Pacific Northwest critic, Eric Guido will be traveling to Oregon in mid-May. OWB will coordinate a comprehensive tasting with wines from all over the state. Learn more.
TEXSOM Awards Results Published
The 2024 TEXSOM Awards results were recently published. Fifty-six medals were awarded to Oregon with solid representation from all regions and across many varieties. More than 2,000 wines were entered from around the world. Oregon Pinot Noir took home 35 medals including the top scoring “Judges Selection” and was heralded by the judging panel. Pinot Noir was the leading varietal medalist followed by Chardonnay; ten gold medals were awarded to Oregon wine. The Oregon Wine Board congratulates all the medalists and plans to support free shipping for participation in the 2025 Awards through our partnership with FedEx. We look forward to featuring medalists from across the State in the upcoming TEXSOM Conference this August. Our annual sponsorship of this premier trade event provides a significant opportunity to educate and showcase Oregon’s diversity to some of the country’s top Somms and wine buyers. For questions regarding the awards or conference please reach out to David DeWitt Trade Relations Manager at [email protected].
National Research Team Seeks Input to Address Wine Industry Needs | Deadline March 29
Dr. Patty Skinkis, Professor & Viticulture Extension Specialist, and Dr. James Osborne, Professor and Enology Extension Specialist & OWRI Director, are part of a national team of research and extension faculty members in viticulture, enology, and marketing. This team is seeking input from wine industry professionals to identify needs for further outreach and research. Oregon viticulture, enology, and wine business professionals are invited to complete a survey on the most pressing challenges faced today. Learn more about this effort and how you can participate. Fill the Survey.
Register for 2024 Grape Day | April 2, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Members of the OWRI will share the latest research at LaSells Stewart Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Michelle Moyer, a Professor and Viticulture Extension Specialist based in Prosser, WA. Her research bridges foundational understanding of pest biology and plant physiology, with practical application in commercial grape production systems. Learn more and register here.
Register for the Free Seminar on Malolactic Fermentation Management | April 12
Prof. Thomas Henick-Kling has organized a seminar on Malolactic Fermentation. Though it will be held in the tri-cities (Richland), hosted by the Washington Wine Technical Group, it is open (and free) to all Oregon winemakers. Read more and register here.
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.
Opportunities
Participate in the Oregon Vineyard and Winery Census for 2023 Vintage
All Oregon vineyard and winery owners are invited to complete the annual census for the 2023 crop year and vintage. 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. In addition, census participants will receive the preliminary price report in May in advance of the full report. Past reports are available on the Oregon Wine Board website. Contact Robert Parker ([email protected]) with any questions. Be sure to have your company counted for the most up-to-date wine industry production information. Participate in the census.
Claim Your Community Benchmark Account
OWB has extended its partnership with Community Benchmark for another two years, in collaboration with Willamette Valley Wineries Association and Rogue Valley Vintners who are sharing in the cost to support the program in their regions. Any Oregon winery not yet registered can still claim their account for just $199 for the two-year program. Claim an account.
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
Travel Salem Seeks Input from Stakeholders in Salem & the Mid-Willamette Valley | Deadline March 26
Travel Salem is developing the next 5-year Strategic Plan for Salem & the Mid-Willamette Valley. They are inviting industry stakeholders, including wineries, to complete an Industry Insights & Priorities Survey. Feedback and perspective are critical for developing priorities that will be supported by Travel Salem’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan.
Gina Bianco
OWB Executive Director
