Oregon Wine Month returns this May with four ways to celebrate our beloved wine industry
Portland, OR . . . April 30, 2021 – Although fifteen Oregon counties where wine is made and tasted will return to extreme risk the first week of May, wine lovers will still find many ways to celebrate Oregon Wine Month, held for nine years in May as ushered in by the governor of Oregon in 2012. Oregon Wine Month 2021 offers bigger and brighter ways to celebrate, with four collaborative ideas winemakers and wine lovers can engage in, both virtually and in-person.
The first is a social media campaign hosted on Instagram and Facebook called Pour it Forward (#pouritfORward), which serves as a chain of appreciation between Oregon winemakers across the state. Thirty-one Oregon winemakers are featured in the campaign, which debuts on May 1. In videos posted every day of Oregon Wine Month, winemakers will talk about wine made by their peers in engaging videos lasting 60 seconds or less. To see the campaign, go to the Wine Board’s Instagram and Facebook channels during the month of May, and videos will also be housed on the Oregon Wine Month site.
Vignettes in the Pour it Forward series feature winemakers from all over the state, including Steven Thompson from Analemma in The Gorge, Nate Wall from Troon of the Applegate Valley, and winemaker and Master of Wine Billo Naravane from Rasa in The Rocks District and Walla Walla Valley. The month kicks off with a festive video from John Grochau followed by fellow Willamette Valley alums Doug Tunnell of Brick House, Grant Coulter and Renée St. Amour from Hundred Sons Wine, to name just of few of the 31 who will be showcased. OWB also encourages Oregon producers to take part in their own videos by clicking here.
Second, the Oregon Wine Month sweepstakes returns this year with even bigger prize package for those eager to visit Oregon wine country. This year the stakes are even higher with two grand prizes – one trip to the Rogue Valley in partnership with Rogue Valley Vintners and one trip to the Willamette Valley in partnership with the Willamette Valley Wineries Association.
The third Oregon Wine Month enhancement is a series of free educational seminars led by Master of Wine Bree Stock. In its first seminar, 370 people from all over the globe registered to hear Stock explain the virtues and True Character of Oregon wine. The four webinars are here and are open to anyone who wants to know more about Oregon wine and our illustrious wine regions, on May 10, May 17 and May 24. The webinars will explore the Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon, Walla Walla Valley and the Columbia Gorge.
Finally, a host of Oregon Wine Month events and stories await on OWB’s calendar and in the new story library, ranging from outdoor tastings, virtual cooking classes, trivia contests, wine and food pairings with delectables like chocolate and seafood, trip planning, and many more ways to engage with Oregon Wine Month 2021.
About Oregon Wine Board
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. Visit oregonwine.org.
