In May of 2020, the Oregon Wine Board was set to host the 4th and last Oregon Wine Trail event in Seattle but was forced to postpone the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a few months, it became clear that in-person events were not going to be possible before the grant funding was set to expire in the winter of 2021. As a result, the 4th of the OWB’s Oregon Wine Trail events was moved to a virtual trade master class with great success!
On Feb. 2 from 1 – 2:30 pm, the OWB offered an innovative virtual trade master class that accommodated social distancing as well as a tasting opportunity for wine trade around the country. Hosted by Bree Stock MW, the master class featured a panel of 6 winemakers from across Oregon. What’s new, wines were delivered in sample-sized bottles so participants could taste along with Bree.
Unexplored Oregon Master Class at a glance:
- 233 live participants
- Attendee affiliation: 45% restaurant, 34% media, 16% retail, 6% other
- 6 wines represented Willamette Valley Pinot noir, Willamette Valley Chardonnay, Columbia Gorge Grenache, Umpqua Valley Malbec and Syrah from The Rocks District and Rogue Valley
- Attendees from 25 different states across the US, as well as 5 from Canada and 3 from the United Kingdom
Unexplored Oregon was attended by 233 members of the trade from prominent accounts such as Levy Restaurant Group, Cost Plus World Market, Total Wine & More, Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and publications such as Wine Enthusiast and Sevenfifty.
In a follow-up survey, 78.1% of attendees indicated they would recommend Unexplored Oregon to a colleague. A striking 93.7% of attendees claimed, “I am more likely to teach others about Oregon wine after attending this virtual event” and 74.6% are more likely to add Oregon wine to their business’ wine selection.
Attendee feedback examples include:
“The class was really great. With all the virtual tastings we’ve all been doing this past year, it stood out above the rest.”
“I loved this seminar so much – TONS of info and amazing wines – THANK YOU!”
“It was terrific and very informative. Really enjoyed it and love the blind tasting format option.”
“Always a pleasure to participate in stuff like this and this was a very good one. The wines were quite surprising and instructive, you guys did a great job selecting.”
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