The Oregon Wine Board will develop three pre-conference excursions and three post-conference excursions for the 2020 Wine Media Conference, taking place August 20 – 22 in Eugene. This will allow the expected 220 – 250 conference attendees to visit wine regions throughout Oregon on their visit to the state.
Pre-conference and post-conference excursions have been a staple of the Wine Media Conference for years and are some of the most popular, highly-rated events attached to the conference. The excursions allow media to visit a region outside the conference location, experiencing wineries, meeting industry leaders, and tasting wines. In 2020 these excursions can be one, two, or three days long and might take place in any of the 19 AVAs across five winegrowing regions of Oregon, which are Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon, the Columbia Gorge, Columbia Valley, and the Snake River Valley.
Having the Oregon Wine Board participate is a boon for conference attendees as well as wine regions as the Oregon Wine Board represents all wineries and growers across the state. They will help ensure the quality of excursions is high and the breadth of excursion choice is diverse. Excursion locations and details will be announced in February.
Plus, the Oregon Wine Board has great experience organizing press tours for wine writers. Here are quotes from three recent writers:
“The trip to Oregon may have been one of the best I have ever been on because of the outdoor activities…”
“Thank you for a fantastic experience. My head is swimming with all the information given to us. And with wonderful memories of food and wine. You did so much to keep us informed and comfortable… It was a huge project to set up, and you did it so thoroughly and tirelessly.”
“That was the most amazing—personal, professional, useful, fun—road trip ever! Thank you for connecting us to your regions’ great talents. And for being our support and companions on the road.”
According to the Oregon Vineyard & Winery Report, released by the Oregon Wine Board, the state now has 793 wineries across its 19 winegrowing regions. The Willamette Valley is the premier wine region in the state, with 592 wineries, most of them in the north. However, the South Willamette Valley added more wineries in 2018 than any other region of the state (16) and now has 89 wineries. There are 201 wineries in Oregon located outside the Willamette Valley: in Central Oregon, the Columbia Gorge, urban Portland, the Walla Walla Valley, and in Southern Oregon’s Rogue, Applegate, and Umpqua valleys.
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The Oregon Wine Board is a semi-independent Oregon state agency managing marketing, research and education initiatives that support and advance the Oregon wine and wine grape industry. The Board works on behalf of all Oregon wineries and independent growers throughout the state’s diverse winegrowing regions.