Merger to Create one of the Most Dynamic Wine Trade Organizations in the Country
Portland, Oregon – September 1, 2017 – Today, two of Oregon’s most influential wine trade organizations will formally join. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association (WVWA) will merge with Oregon Pinot Camp (OPC), creating a single trade entity tasked with supporting the region’s world-renowned wine industry.
The merger comes as no surprise given the pronounced growth of the Willamette Valley wine industry over the years. The WVWA started with a membership of 11 in 1986. It now represents 230 wineries and tasting rooms in the state’s largest, best regarded American Viticultural Area. While known for its small producers, the Willamette Valley’s overall production is a big contributor to Oregon’s wine economy, now a multibillion dollar annual force.
“This merger is something that both staff and those involved with both organizations have been wanting for a long time,” said Anthony King, General Manager of The Carlton Winemaker’s Studio and Board President of the WVWA. “Not only does it simplify staffing, but it more closely links these two organizations so that our industry can speak with one cohesive voice.”
Whereas the WVWA focuses on promoting, enhancing and protecting the prestige of Willamette Valley wines and supporting its members and community, Oregon Pinot Camp works directly with trade. The former is famous for annual events like Memorial Day and Thanksgiving Weekends in Wine Country, drawing thousands of consumers to tasting rooms throughout the Valley. The association’s lauded Pinot in the City events have sold-out venues from San Francisco to New York City, bringing dozens of Willamette Valley producers in roadshow fashion to new markets for expansive trade and public tastings.
Oregon Pinot Camp is the most highly sought after trade event of its kind in the US. The invitation-only annual gathering brings 270 of the world’s most influential wine buyers to Oregon for a long weekend of education and collaboration with 50 Oregon wineries. Select retailers, sommeliers and sales representatives enjoy an intimate, rigorous and firsthand account of Oregon wine, heightening brand awareness and extending the reach of local wines onto bottle shop shelves and restaurant lists throughout the globe. With a similar cause in mind, there has already been much collaboration between the WVWA and OPC.
A unified voice singing the praises of Willamette Valley wine will shed even more light on the region. Events like Willamette: Te Pinot Noir Auction, a two-day mix of special tastings and a live auction for trade, will only grow under the merger, backed by broader resources and a new, sharper shared vision.
“The ease with which the merger passed is just another reflection of the trust and collaborative spirit of our industry,” said Alison Sokol Blosser, Co-President and CEO at her eponymous winery and OPC 2017 Board President. “This is an organic move that will only help our ever-growing industry continue its march ahead.”
About the Willamette Valley Wineries Association
The WVWA is a non-profit industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for Oregon’s acclaimed Willamette Valley as a premier Pinot noir-producing region. Currently, the WVWA has more than 230 members representing wineries and tasting rooms throughout the Willamette Valley region from Portland to Eugene. The organization hosts Oregon Pinot Camp, the country’s foremost wine trade education event, and Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction, a trade-only auction showcasing the region’s Pinot noir to benefit marketing endeavors of the WVWA. Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country and Wine Country Thanksgiving are the association’s two largest wine touring events in Oregon. The WVWA is known for its published annual guide to wineries with a touring map. For more information, please visit willamettewines.com, call 503-646- 2985, or follow on Twitter and Instagram @wvwines and on Facebook.
