New Oregon Winery Legislation- Land Use and Nonwine Sales

A popular topic in Oregon wine news for the past few months has been Senate Bill 1055. The Oregon Legislature passed the bill last week allowing them to decide what private events will be allowed at Oregon vineyards and how much nonwine sales are permitted (25 percent). State senators adopted the House amendment that would sunset the bill in 2012, what's left unexplained is who will be responsible for making sure wineries abide by the new rules.

Yesterdays Medford Mail Tribune article titled, "Winery legislation levels the playing field,"states that Southern Oregon winery owners are in support of the new bill. Chris Martin of Troon Vineyard and president of the Southern Oregon Winery Association said, "It provides clarification, regardless of where you stand on the issue." He continues with "It levels the playing field and we can all move forward."

In drafting the bill, wine growers said they wanted to preserve the nature of rural vineyards and wineries and prevent them from becoming event centers, yet also provide opportunities for creating a sustainable bottom line. Some counties felt weddings didn't have much to do with the wine. I can see their point as wineries usually mandate a dollar or case amount of wine to be purchased for the wedding and the party often buys the cheapest of the winery's wine to serve their guests, leaving poor representation of the winery. However, wineries are beautiful settings for events such as weddings and reunions and it enhances the romantic feel around wineries, which does connect customers with the winery's brand and products.

The bill compromises the two sides by allowing the nonwine events sales to 25 percent, which is a safeguard to keep the majority of the wineries business activities focused on wine production and sales. Even if the bill went in the opposite direction allowing all wineries wide open use, I doubt many wineries would shift their focus away from the wine for events. Having equal permissions between counties and state is necessary. But, one thing to be determined is who will enforce the bill? The bill should have little effect on Southern Oregon wineries as winery owners state that their nonwine sales do not even come close to the new cap.