MISSION

The mission of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association is to promote, preserve, and advance the prestige of Oregon’s Willamette Valley AVA and its wines by engaging our members and supporting our community and environment.

VISION

The Willamette Valley AVA is universally recognized as the premier New World winegrowing region. We are Pinot noir and celebrate our vibrant diversity.

WVWA membership resources enable the following strategic priorities in support of this mission:

• Consumer & Trade Promotion: Create awareness of and preference for Willamette Valley AVA wines

• Tourism Promotion: Increase wine focused visitation, live or digital, to the Willamette Valley AVA

• Environmental Stewardship: Dedicated to the goal that our wines are crafted utilizing sustainable practices from vine to glass

• Community Support: Enhance the health and wellbeing of the winegrowing community in the Willamette Valley

• Advocacy: Monitor Federal, state and local issues, inform members, and collaborate on advocacy on behalf of WVWA

Our organization’s success factors are:

• Branding: Promote a clear and consistent brand of Willamette Valley AVA wines and the region

• Membership: Deliver member education across diverse business models and foster engagement

• Industry Collaboration: Increase efficiency and effectiveness of initiatives by working with other organizations

• Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion: Woven through all WVWA programs

WVWA Staff

Julie Dalrymple, Membership & Sponsorship Manager
Megan Markel, Trade Relations & Special Projects Manager
Morgen McLaughlin, Executive Director
Emily Nelson, Associate Director

CONTACT US

2023 Board of Directors

2023 Executive Committee

HISTORY & FORMATION OF THE WVWA

On July 30, 1982 the Oregon Winegrowers Association filed a petition with the ATFB on behalf of Oregon’s wine-grape industry to establish the Willamette Valley American Viticultural Area. The application demonstrated that Willamette Valley was a well-recognized name for the area, and that the valley had geographic features suitable for growing wine grapes, i.e. climate, soil, elevation, and physical features. The approval of the petition by the ATFB in 1983 formally established the Willamette Valley AVA as a distinguished winegrowing region.

One of the organizations established to promote wines produced in the Willamette Valley AVA was the Yamhill County Winegrowers Association (YCWA). It was established in 1983 with the following members: Adelsheim Vineyard, Amity Vineyard, Arterberry Vineyard, Hidden Springs Vineyard, Knudsen Erath Winery, Rex Hill Vineyard, Chateau Benoit Winery, Elk Cove Vineyards, Eyrie Vineyards, Sokol Blosser Winery, Veritas Vineyard, and Yamhill Valley Vineyard. The majority of those members were specifically referenced in the 1982 ATFB petition that established the Willamette Valley AVA.

The YCWA bylaws were modified in 2004 to allow any winery in the Willamette Valley to become members and become the Willamette Valley Wineries Association.