Wine From The Edge Event Recap | New York City | May 7, 2019

At a glance:

51 attendees
76% were restaurant or retail buyers/managers/sommeliers
Prominent press included Ray Isle of Food & Wine and Christina Pickard of Wine Enthusiast
28 Oregon wines representing 16 varieties and 11 AVAs (6 from the Willamette Valley, 3 from Southern Oregon, The Rocks District and Columbia Gorge) were featured

The Oregon Wine Board was approached by New Zealand Winegrowers about collaborating on an event focused on premium, new world wines farmed near the climatic edges of our respective hemispheres. This interested us as an opportunity to refresh and revitalize the standard-issue trade walk-around tasting that is becoming especially difficult for any region, working alone, to execute effectively in New York.

The OWB confirmed that a collaborative event designed specifically for our key retail and restaurant audiences would fit well into our strategy of engaging members of the trade to increase the accessibility of Oregon wine. By partnering, OWB and NZW were able to share the cost of a one-of-a-kind event to turn-out top tier trade professionals that might not otherwise show up to an event produced by an individual region. We were also able to leverage NZW’s full-time staff on the ground in NYC to help us tailor the invitation list and identify a distinctive, affordable event venue. Our portion of the event costs were drawn from the MARIS funding allocated by the OWB Board of Directors to marketing programs.

The inaugural Wine From the Edge event took place in New York City on Tuesday, May 7. The day was comprised of three master classes taught by Bree Stock MW and Cameron Douglas MS:

10am – 12pm | Distinctive Styles of the Burgundian Theme
12:15pm – 1:45pm | White, Rosé and Sparkling Wine from the 45th Parallels (lunch included)
2pm – 4pm | The Futurists: Regions, Varieties and Trends

Bree and Cameron presented a deep dive into classic and unexpected wines from around the 45^th parallels. Each session featured 9-10 Oregon wines, resulting in 28 Oregon wines representing 16 varieties and 11 AVAs (6 from the Willamette Valley, 3 from Southern Oregon, The Rocks District and Columbia Gorge) being shown. Two of the three sessions were video recorded and will be shared with the industry in the coming weeks.

Wine From the Edge was attended by 51 people, 76% were buyers/managers/sommeliers of restaurants or retailers for prominent accounts including Momofuku, Whole Foods Market, Eleven Madison Park, Bourbon Steak/Four Seasons Hotel, Union Square Café and Babbo.

Of the attendees that took the follow-up survey, 100% were satisfied with the seminar and 100% indicated their knowledge of Oregon wine increased as a result of attendance. What’s more, 78% stated that they are more likely to add Oregon wine to their business’ wine selection.

What’s next for Wine from The Edge?

The Oregon Wine Board and New Zealand Winegrowers will meet to debrief on the event and explore opportunities for future collaboration.[

Watch the Presentations

View the recordings of sessions 1 and 3 below. The second session was a lunch and was not conducive to recording.