Shaping a Unified Vision and Action Plan for Southern Oregon Wine

Shaping a Unified Vision and Action Plan for Southern Oregon Wine was today's mission for the second Southern Oregon Wine Cluster Conference. No easy task, but a task willingly accepted by the one-hundred people that attended.


The morning started off with Nick Frey speaking on "Infrastructure and Resources Required to Create a Successful Wine Region." Mr. Frey was more than qualified to share his insights as he serves as the President of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. My main takeaways from his lesson include:

• Sonoma County is very similar to Southern Oregon. 
• Both have neighbors famous for a signature varietal. 
• Both cover a large number of acres allowing warm and cool varietals to thrive. This makes choosing a signature varietal difficult. 
• Sonoma has opted for a signature varietal in each sub-appellation.
• Choosing this signature grape is only staking your claim. Once you get the people there, you can sell them on everything else you grow.
• Sonoma County is requiring a wine produced from their region to carry Sonoma County on the label (mandatory starting 2014). 
• Their research has found that consumers are unfamiliar with stand alone AVAs, so including the larger region or county helps decipher the origin and bring recognition.
• Also including the AVA does promote quality and demonstrates that "place matters."
• Sub-appellations use to view each other as competition and once they started working together, brought in consistent messaging and a larger budget, momentum built.
• Sonoma has brought in the wine trade to discover the quality of their wines instead of relying on them to discover it. 
• Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and Sonoma in the City
• So far, people aren't willing to pay a premium for sustainability, but it might make the difference to get on the shelf at some major retailers. 

Patty Skinkis, Ph.D.,Viticulture Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor at Oregon State University, followed with her presentation on "Advanced, Region-Specific Vineyard Practices." Professor Skinkis shared many of her current research projects focusing on reducing vineyard management costs, studying the effects of cover crops, and leaf removal during each stage of the growing season. I enjoyed learning about her and her colleague's advancements in viticulture and enology research. To stay up-to-date with their efforts, read their quarterly newsletters on their website at http://wine.oregonstate.edu/.

Next, Joe Dobbes from Dobbes Family Estate and Wine by Joe, discussed "Building a Base of Fault-Free, Consumer-Friendly Wines." Joe, who has had a long history making wine and sourcing grapes from Southern Oregon, really honed in that marketing must drive production. My notes from his session included:

• Marketing value priced, higher volume is more important than lower production, higher-end wine.
• During the sluggish economy, there has been a 27.2% growth in wines in the $11-19.99 price point.
• Until Washington had large producers like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest, they weren't on the map. Having the economy of scale to get to that price point helps.
• There is opportunity in every market.
• Poor packaging hurts. Your packaging is your 24 hour salesperson.
• Being known for a signature grape is not an end-all, be-all.
• Pinot Noir could be a choice for Southern Oregon. 
• The number one wine that sells out of his Willamette Valley tasting room is his $28 Rogue Valley Syrah (reiterating the point that Nick Frey made).
• Groom your vineyard and enology practices to your price point.
• Client relations with your growers is important to achieve your desired price point.
• Value Wines: Bring the oak to the wine.
• Reserve Wines: Bring the wine to the oak.
• Staves in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay during fermentation can merry oak into the wine better.

During lunch hour Elizabeth Martin- Calder, the past Executive Director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, shared some "Walla Walla Wisdom: Years in the Making." 

• Take a holistic approach in building your region.
• Partner up with tourism, culinary, arts, recreation to bring in people.
• Create and sell your story.
• Branding- be consistent and authentic in your website and POS materials.
• Bring in and engage the press.
• If the wine trade can't come to Walla Walla, take it to them.
• Road Show-10 tastings in large wine markets per year

After the presentations, attendees had the choice to be a part of two discussion sessions on Viticulture, Enology or Business/Marketing. I sat in on both Business/Marketing sessions. The first session was packed with mainly marketing and sales focused individuals. The second was more attended by winemakers and growers. Though often being perceived as having different agendas, each group came up with very similar messaging as how to describe Southern Oregon and how to bring in tourists to build the direct-to-consumer sales. 

• They agreed Southern Oregon, like its recreational activities, has an adventurous feel. The wild and scenic wine region?
• Being the "next Napa Valley" isn't the goal. Our visitors are relieved about our differences. They are seeking the casual, approachable experience we have to offer (plus lower tasting fees don't hurt).
• We need to capitalize on the tourists that already flock to Southern Oregon for our affiliated activites like the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Britt Festival. 

As you can see the conference was packed with information and my head is still absorbing the ideas presented and spinning about the opportunity. But, being involved and seeing positive progression is such a rewarding feeling.

If you attended, what were your takeaways?

Thank you to the Southern Oregon Wine Institute for hosting, Marilyn Hawkins for all her organizing and directing tasks, and to the sponsors for their support of the conference.