COVID-19 Oregon Wine Industry Toolkit

March 24

• Oregon wineries, bottle shops are ready to stand and deliver during coronavirus outbreak (Oregonian / oregonlive.com)
• Producer Updates: Wine (Sip Northwest)

March 23

• The Willamette Valley Wineries Association Launches Site to Help Navigate COVID-19 Crisis (Wine & Spirits Magazine)
• #KeepWineAlive: Deals From Wineries in Trying Times (Vinography)

March 18

• Tasting rooms closed, some Willamette Valley wineries shift to curbside pickup, local delivery (Statesman Journal)

• Global: World Health Organization
• National: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Oregon: Oregon Health Authority – sign up for OHA email updates here
• Legal & Regulatory: Oregon Winegrowers Association (includes resources on employment, small business loans, OLCC licenses and TTB updates)
• Tourism Guidance: Travel Oregon COVID-19 Toolkit (includes media talking points, travel recommendations and visitor communication recommendations)
• Agricultural: Oregon Department of Agriculture

• Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Assistance (now available to businesses in all Oregon counties)
• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers (CDC)
• COVID-19 Related Business Layoffs, Closures, and Unemployment Insurance Benefits (alt: PDF, March 16) (Oregon Employment Department)
• SBA to Provide Disaster Assistance Loans for Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus (Small Business Association, March 12)
• Coronavirus Financial Resources for Businesses (Business Oregon)
• Added 3/26: Work Share Oregon (“Work Share provides Oregon businesses an alternative to layoffs,” oregon.gov)

• Same-day delivery permit application (OLCC)
• Approved for-hire carriers list (OLCC)
• Added 3/19: COVID-19 Legal Update: Beer and Wine Deliveries and To-Go Orders for Oregon Businesses (Stoel Reeves, March 17)
• Added 3/20: COVID-19 Temporary Changes: Off-Premises Sales & Delivery (OLCC)

• OWB COVID Bulletins – See archive of industry emails related to COVID-19
• OWB Newsletter – See previous editions and sign up if you are not already receiving the Grapevine or other official notices from the OWB
• Oregon Wine Industry Collaboration Space (Facebook group) – managed by OWB, open to all members of Oregon wine industry

• OR Wine Industry Production Board (Facebook group)
• W.V. Wineries Industry Tasting Collective (Facebook group)

• Oregon Wine Industry Discussion Forum
  • March 19 Meeting Notes
  • March 24 Meeting Notes
• Oregon Wine Industry Marketing Response Group
  • March 20 Meeting Notes

While front-of-house staff at tasting rooms, bars and restaurants across the state are being heavily impacted by mandated closures, many wineries are in a busy season for bottling.

If you have temporary positions to fill, post them to the OWB’s Marketplace and we’ll help get the word out to industry members looking for work.

The Oregonian has compiled a list (see bottom of article) of facilities around the state that are collecting donations of personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks. For a location closer to you, contact your local fire department.

While this difficult time presents unexpected strain and hardship on many within our community, it’s also in times like these that Oregonians shine.

Seen or heard of people / businesses in our community going out of their way to help others? We’re looking for anecdotes, so please let us know what positive examples you know of so that in turn we can help spotlight the good being done.

Divine Distillers of Salem is seeking fermented product to create hand sanitizer to help fulfill local need. If you are interested in donating product to help, please contact Jason Greenwood. The higher the ABV the better, but any level will be gratefully accepted.

Many wineries are implementing creative techniques in light of social distancing, including:

• Shipping included with 6-bottle purchase
• Offering tasting room exclusive wines for sale
• Including branded swag with purchase
• Complimentary delivery within a certain radius
• Curb-side pick-up at the tasting room

What are you doing, or seeing others do, to help keep sales going at this time? Let us know.

Consider if online events – such as tastings, education, taking people behind the scenes in the cellar, or winemaker conversations – make sense for your businesses. Social platforms allow easy live-streaming to bring viewers inside your winery walls from anywhere in the world. A “Virtual Events” category has been added to the oregonwine.org consumer calendar. Click here to add your event and select “Virtual Events” so we can help promote.

• Wine Club Management webinars from VingDirect – Three previously recorded 2-part webinars on building and sustaining your wine club from June 2019
• Updated 3/24: Outbound Phone Sales Mastery live online course from WISE Academy (March 30, April 1, April 6, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m) – Register for only $200 (normally $700) or contact WISE Academy if you are unable to pay at this time and would still like to attend

• Oregon Wine Symposium recordings – We’ve removed the password protection to make Symposium 2020 content available to all immediately
• Napa Valley Wine Academy online courses – Use code OREGON20 to receive 20% off on select courses including Oregon Wine Expert and American Wine Expert
• Study Oregon Wine through the in-depth materials in the Oregon Wine Resource Studio, including the 4-part Learn Oregon trade curriculum

Registered wineries will be contacted directly regarding updates, refunds and other logistics.

• Oregon Wine Trail Seattle scheduled for May 11 has been postponed. New date to be confirmed.
• OWB international events slated for spring / summer impacted to varying degrees – see updates

Portland

• Crush on Oregon | Oregon Winegrowers Association | Postponed, date TBD
• Pour Oregon | Cellar 503 | Rescheduled to June 28

Willamette Valley

• Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction | WVWA | Moving online, April 3-4
• Oregon Pinot Camp | WVWA | Cancelled for 2020

Umpqua Valley

• Greatest of the Grape | UVWA | Rescheduled to Sept. 12
• Umpqua Valley Barrel Tour | UVWA | Postponed, date TBD