Oregon Wine Month is in full swing, and it has been awesome to see all of the ways that you are celebrating including special events, promotions and food & wine pairings. We will continue to get the message out through various media platforms all month long. There’s still plenty of time to join in and share the momentum!
Read on for information about upcoming industry events and opportunities, a reminder about the current Vinous Call for Wine, and registration details for the annual West Coast Smoke Exposure Taskforce Summit.
Sincerely,
Your OWB Team
Marketing
OWB Marketing
May is Oregon Wine Month
Show everyone how you are celebrating! Whether you’re hosting special events, pouring unique flights, or showcasing your vineyard in full bloom, share the adventure with us on social media. Tag @oregonwineboard and use #OregonWineMonth and #OregonWineAdventure to be featured. The 2025 Oregon Wine Month Toolkit is your resource to make the most of Oregon Wine Month. We encourage you to keep registering your events for Oregon Wine Month here, so OWB can help amplify your efforts as the 2025 wine country tourism season gets underway.
Advertising Opportunity: New Oregon Wine Tour Guide
The 2025-2027 edition of the Oregon Wine Touring Guide is in production. This bi-annual publication is designed to inspire travel to Oregon’s wineries and provide practical information about visiting Oregon’s wine regions. If you reserve your ad space by May 20 you’ll save 10% off rates. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 503-445.8830.
Share & Pair Sundays Continue through May
Share & Pair Sundays runs through May 25—keep celebrating Oregon’s food, wine, and community each Sunday! The Oregon Wine Board is proud to be a sponsor, and we’d love to see your posts. Tag @oregonwineboard and @shareandpairsundays to join the fun!
Wine Industry Marketing & Events
Applegate Valley Uncorked Barrel Tour on May 17
Come celebrate growing season with a self-guided tour of the Applegate Valley Wine Country on May 17. Spring is the perfect time to visit the tasting rooms. Pick your starting location, and let yourself be lured from one winery to the next. Each will offer an appetizer and wine for tasting. You’ll even get to meet some of the latest releases! Uncorked is a great opportunity to stock up on wine for upcoming gifts, or parties. Event details and tickets.
Explore Tualatin Valley Spring Sips Event on May 18
Tualatin Valley’s month-long Spring Sips celebration in honor of May being Oregon Wine Month is a celebration of wine featuring exclusive tasting experiences, limited-edition pours, and the return of the beloved Pink! Rosé Festival onMay 18. Event details and tickets.
Oregon AAPI Food & Wine Fest on May 17-18
The third annual Oregon AAPI Food & Wine Fest celebrates the AAPI communities that make the state diverse and delicious. Join and celebrate with during AAPI Heritage Month and Oregon Wine Month May 17 and 18 from 11am – 5pm in Dayton. Event details and tickets.
Umpqua Valley Winegrowers Paring Pass Weekend on May 23-26
Taste the diversity of the Umpqua Valley during a new wine tasting event over Memorial Day Weekend. Grab a Pairing Pass map at any participating winery and explore the unique wines being highlighted across the Valley. Each winery will be showcasing a different varietal, educating customers about the wine, and pairing a complimentary bite-sized appetizer with their featured wine. Event details and tickets.
PDX Urban Wine Experience on June 1
Partake in an unforgettable afternoon of exceptional wine and local flavor at the 2025 PDX Urban Wine Experience! Held at Easton Broad in the heart of Portland. This exclusive event will feature wine tastings from 15 wineries, pouring more than 40 wines representing nearly every AVA in Oregon. Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or just starting to explore the world of wine, you’ll discover a diverse range of flavors that showcase the very best of Oregon’s wine regions. Event details and tickets.
Blood of Gods Annual Merrymaking on July 18-19
The annual Blood of Gods Merrymaking roars back to life this July with a weekend-long celebration in Walla Walla that fuses heavy metal, bold wine, and provocative art into one of the most distinctive cultural gatherings in the Pacific Northwest. Presented by House of Smith, this singular event draws artists, winemakers, musicians, and misfits from all walks for a weekend of sensory revelry and unapologetic creativity. This event benefits Planned Parenthood and sells out every year – don’t sleep on it! Event details and tickets.
Inaugural Rocks District Winegrowers Basalt Bash on July 25-26
The Rocks District Winegrowers Association will launch its inaugural Basalt Bash event series on July 25-26 in Milton-Freewater. Events include a wine & tamale tasting, a fiesta block party, and an opportunity to golf with local winemakers, and concludes with a barrel tasting and auction. The Bash will benefit local students and mental-behavioral health services. Event details and tickets.
Education
2025 Oregon Wine Symposium content is now available to all
Password protection has been removed from the 2025 Oregon Wine Symposium recordings. Everyone is welcome to peruse the educational content presented across viticulture, enology, business, and the general sessions. View the recordings here.
Women in Wine Conference returns on June 3
The seventh annual Women in Wine Conference, Empowering Women in Wine, returns on June 3 at the Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg. This isn’t just another industry event – it’s a celebration of women who are reshaping the wine world — from cellar to CEO. Tickets include all-access to this one-day leadership conference, with keynotes from industry trailblazers, interactive workshops, networking, good wine, good people and a swag bag. Event details and tickets.
Press and Media
Media Highlights
VinePair named the Willamette Valley as its Top Wine Destination in the World for 2025. Read more.
Oregon Wine Press promoted the 2025 Women in Wine Conference, happening on June 3. Read more.
The Grapevine Magazine highlighted the growth of Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Read more.
Media Opportunities & Calls for Wine
Reminder: Vinous Call for Wine is open until May 28
OWB looks forward to welcoming Eric Guido back to Oregon wine country next month for his critical review of Oregon wines.
For this tasting, please send samples to arrive by Wednesday, May 28. This call is for 2023 wines, along with late-release 2022s that Eric has not yet tasted. There is no restriction on the number of wines you can submit, however, we encourage you to choose the best representations of your wines, your region and our state. Rather than sending tech sheets, please fill out a submission form. This form will allow us to confirm your samples arrive safely, while also ensuring that Eric has the correct technical details for your wines.
Please send two bottles of each wine if under cork, one bottle otherwise. Samples may be shipped or brought to:
Northwest Distribution & Storage
c/o Oregon Wine Board/Vinous/Eric Guido
1745 Oxford St. SE #150, Salem, OR 97302
503-399-0514
New: Please print, fill out and attach this form to each box. Please submit your wines here.Full details for this Call for Wine can be found here.
OWP Cellar Selects – Due on May 20
Oregon Wine Press Cellar Selects | August 2025
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner (+SPK)
Up to FOUR submissions per brand. Varietal-specific sparkling wine accepted. Click here for full details regarding the submission guidelines.
Send TWO bottles of each submission, include retail price, and wine must be received by 5 p.m. on May 20. Please drop off or ship your submission(s) (by UPS or FedEx only) to:
Oregon Lithoprint, Attn: Cellar Selects OWP, 1315 N.E. Miller St., McMinnville, OR 97128
Drop off hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Questions? Contact Michele Francisco.
Research
Viticulture & Enology
May 2025 Weather and Climate Forecast
Dr. Greg Jones recently published an updated weather and climate summary and forecast. This report looks back at April conditions and forecasts conditions for May, June and July.
Register for 2025 Smoke Summit (virtual): July 15
The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force, in which the Oregon Wine Board participates, has opened registration for the 2025 Smoke Summit on Tuesday, July 15 from 11am-1pm. Register here for this free virtual event that brings together researchers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to share the latest science and strategies surrounding wildfire smoke exposure in winegrapes and wine production.
Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research Spring Newsletter
Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research (NSCFR) has published the Spring edition of its quarterly newsletter, with updates on Pacific Northwest research, news, USDA funding, and personnel. Interested in subscribing? Get future editions sent directly to your inbox by signing up here.
Opportunities
Post to the Oregon Wine Industry Marketplace
The Oregon Wine Industry Marketplace is a resource that Oregon wine industry members are encouraged to use to make connections. List or browse items for sale, such as grapes, bulk wine, real estate, and equipment, and post or browse job opportunities or business services. It’s free and easy to list using this short form.
Reminder: Portland Business Journal – Survey
On May 23, the Portland Business Journal (PBJ) will publish its annual List of the Largest Wineries in Oregon & S.W. Washington, ranked by cases produced during 2024. PBJ’s weekly edition and annual Book of Lists reach over 30,000 readers around the region, and there is no cost to be listed. They would be honored to include your winery in The List. To receive the survey for it, contact Brandon Sawyer, PBJ’s Data Editor, at [email protected] or 503-219-3411 (text or voice) or sign up here.
Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates Q1 Webinar with Jon Moramarco
Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates (GFA) is hosting its Q1 2025 Webinar with Jon Moramarco, Partner and Editor, on May 28 at 9am PST. Topics include final numbers from 2024, preliminary data from Q1 2025, demographics and alcohol consumption, and evolving cuisine and the compatability of wine. Register here.
Wine Club Pick-up Event Venue Opportunity
Elephants Delicatessen in South Portland has event space available for wineries that are looking to host pick-up events for their wine club members. Standard capacity is approximately 100 to 150 people. Full details about the event space and contact information can be found here.
Call for Winemaker Interviews
Carl Giavanti is a winery publicist and publisher of Wine Characters, an international winemaker interviews series that profiles the stories of winemakers and their wines, and is targeted and distributed to his database of U.S. Wine Media. Carl is seeking interviews with Oregon winemakers. Full details and FAQs about Wine Characters can be found here. If you’d like to participate, email [email protected] to request the interview document and instructions.
Budget Planning
OWB FY25-26 Budget Process and Timeline
OWB’s budget development for FY25-26 is underway. The Annual Business Plan Toolkit includes timelines, dates, budgets, industry input form, meeting registration links, and recordings of public presentations. We greatly value the input of all OWB stakeholders. You can share your ideas via this form: FY25-26 Budget Planning Ideas. If you would like to have a more in-depth discussion, please reach out to OWB’s Chief Financial Officer, Sally Crawford. The submission deadline to be considered for the FY25-26 budget plan is June 1, 2025.
