Preliminary Call for Participation in 2019 Symposium Wine Trials

We are gauging preliminary interest in participating in tasting trials for the 2019 Oregon Wine Symposium. This year, the format for these tastings consists of three trial tastings served on the second day of the Symposium only. These trials will be examples selected by a committee for what might best fit one topic for each of the following broad themes:

1. Viticulture: trials for this category should be well-designed experiments that solely consist of treatments made in the vineyards. Ideally, trials from this category will focus on treatments in which one variable is changed as well as is practical. All wine from these vineyard treatments should be vinified under the same conditions and be ready to taste by February 2019. This trial is not limited to vintage 2018; should an appropriate trial be available to taste in the appropriate volumes from prior vintages, please don’t hesitate to submit it.
2. Winemaking: trials for this category should be well-designed experiments that solely consist of treatments made in the process of vinification, on homogeneous fruit sources. Ideally, trials from this category will focus on changes made to winemaking protocol such that the resultant vinified wine can be meaningfully compared to a control. All wine from these treatments should be ready to taste by February 2019. This trial is not limited to vintage 2018; should an appropriate trial be available to taste in the appropriate volumes from prior vintages, please don’t hesitate to submit it.
3. Product/adjunct: trials for this category should feature a control and a specific adjunct used in vinification of a wine. All wine from these treatments should be ready to taste by February 2019. This trial is not limited to vintage 2018; should an appropriate trial be available to taste in the appropriate volumes from prior vintages, please don’t hesitate to submit it.

At this point, we are looking for tentative commitment to submission for these trials. If interested, please provide Bree Stock with a very brief rough outline of the trial(s) you might submit, as well as a potential commitment of three cases of each treatment per trial for the tastings. Should your trial be selected, we’ll need supplemental information about the trial, which will likely consist of posters and/or handouts explaining the trials in detail.

We’ll follow up on all potential candidates sometime in mid to late November to begin the vetting process.

Contact Bree Stock with questions.