The Willamette Valley Wineries Association (WVWA) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) industry association dedicated to ensuring that the Willamette Valley is universally recognized as the premier New World winegrowing region. Our mission 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.
WillametteWines.com is a top referral source for many members and a prime source of information for consumers, media, and trade.
TOTAL USERS: 270,000
PAGE VIEWS: 1.2 million
CLICK THROUGHS TO MEMBER WEBSITES: 112,000
TOP 5 STATES OF USER ORIGIN: OR, CA, WA, TX, IL
NUMBER OF MEMBER EVENTS POSTED IN 2023: 793 (↑ 20%)
TOURING GUIDE
Willamette Valley Touring Guide reprinted in Fall 2023 with a distribution of 35,000 through various outlets and travel partners.
DIGITAL TOURING GUIDE DOWNLOADS: 3,034
BROCHURE REQUESTS FROM CONSUMERS: 12,811
20,000 distributed through member locations, events Travel Portland, and the PDX Airport.
52 email campaigns sent to consumers in 2023 with a reach of 1.6 million.
CONSUMER EMAIL CONTACTS: 37K+
AVERAGE DELIVERY RATE: 96.2%
AVERAGE OPEN RATE: 60.02%
AVERAGE ENGAGEMENT RATE: 81%
MEDIA OUTREACH
TOP MEDIA QUOTES OF 2023
“The resulting wines are brilliant. They offer great concentration, wonderful lift and freshness and such fine tannins… the top producers have made wonderfully collectable wines that will age 15 to 20 years. A five-star vintage for the Willamette Valley.”
– Clive Pursehouse, US Editor, Decanter on the 2021 Vintage
“The short one-liner on 2021 is that this is a stellar vintage, with the wines displaying an outstanding balance of ripeness, depth, and tension, with the top wines offering broad drinking windows.”
– Audrey Frick, Oregon Reviewer, JebDunnuck.com
“World’s Greatest Places 2023: Willamette Valley”
– Nick DeRenzo, Time Magazine
EKP MEDIA, WVWA's media consultant:
- Contributed to the publication of nearly 300 articles, reaching an extensive audience of 1.03 billion impressions.
- Conducted 62 Member PR one-on-one meetings.
- Guided educational curriculum for four professional PR trainings for members.
- Delivered presentations at six Lunch & Learns.
- Provided educational talking points and guidance on critical topics.
- Developed documents for member support, including PR Best Practices, Protocol for Hosting Wine Media at Dinners, updated 2020 Fire Talking Points, and Harvest 2023 Talking Points.
MEMBER TRAINING, RESOURCES, & CONNECTION
- Complimentary member education events were held throughout the year, including weekly member meetings, media trainings, and industry seminars.
- In-person and virtual networking events encouraged connection and collaboration.
- The Annual Meeting and industry showcase brought together more than 200 members.
MEMBER ENGAGEMENT
- Highest level of member engagement ever.
- For the first time, WVWA membership grew to more than 400 members.
- 25% increase in number of members over 2023.
- 50% increase in membership growth over 2023.
- Number of industry partners more than doubled.
Registered trade bidders from across the world vied for the top wines from the Willamette Valley on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at the seventh annual Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction held in-person and via live stream online from WillaKenzie Estate. The Auction celebrated the 2021 vintage with 75 lots of one-of-a-kind Pinot noir and Chardonnay with special first-time winery collaborations.
Bidders raised an impressive $543,500 on wine lots, with additional sponsorship funds and ticket sales bringing the Auction total to $680,900. Funds raised helps fund current and future marketing and education initiatives of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association.
Oregon Pinot Camp elevates the brand value of Oregon Pinot Noir by bringing diverse and influential restaurant and retail wine buyers to Oregon for a series of collaborative educational and social events designed to create an emotional link to our vineyards, wines and terroir, promoting lifelong advocacy.
OPC 2023 BY THE NUMBERS
264 campers from 41 states and 9 countries
52 OPC host wineries
750 Oregon wines uncorked for tasting
- Changed from a task force to a council.
- Continued training series with Diamond Strategies.
- Engaged pledge signatories in online forums.
- Finalized the DEBI strategic plan.
- Launched DEBI website.
The strategic outcome of the WVWA’s environmental stewardship is to ensure our wines are crafted utilizing sustainable practices from vine to glass.
The Sustainability Task Force identified packaging initiatives as a strategic priority and assisted the Trade Auction Committee on work to debut a new lighter-weight bottle at the 2023 auction.
We provided educational support to our members with webinars on LIVE, Salmon Safe, and Oregon Tilth Organic. The WVWA updated its sustainability certifications guide and its searchable list of all sustainably certified wineries on its website.
International Advocacy
The WVWA continued its membership in the Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) and service on its Executive Committee alongside Napa Valley, Bordeaux, and Champagne.
State/Regional and National Advocacy
The WVWA continued to monitor Federal, state and local issues, inform members, and collaborate on advocacy on behalf of WVWA. The WVWA is a member of WineAmerica and involved in the SRAAC (State and Regional Advocacy Association Council) that meets monthly to share information and coordinate on advocacy issues and messaging. The WVWA monitored and updated its membership on state-wide industry issues through its lobbyist, CFM, and through its association membership with the Oregon Winegrowers Association and working relationship with the Oregon Wine Council.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Kate Norris, President
Division Wine Company
Ben Casteel, Vice President
Bethel Heights
Rob Alstrin, Secretary/Treasurer
Adelsheim Vineyard
Jessica Mozeico, Emeritus
Et Fille Wines
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Page Knudsen Cowles
Knudsen Vineyards
Jessica Endsworth
Hyland Estates
Matt Farver
Jackson Family Wines
Michelle Kaufmann
Stoller Wine Group
Bryan Laing
Hazelfern Cellars
Jeff Lewis
Alexana Winery
Aaron Lieberman
Iris Vineyard
Anna Matzinger
Matzinger Davies Wine Company
Jessica Mozeico
Et Fille Wines
Rebecca Oliver
Lemelson Vineyards
Sarah Pearson
Dobbes Family Estate
Jean Baptiste Rivail
Ponzi Vineyards
Scott Shull
Raptor Ridge Winery
Sofia Torres
Cramoisi Vineyard
WVWA TEAM
STAFF
Morgen McLaughlin
Executive Director
Emily Nelson
Associate Director
Julie Dalrymple
Director of Membership & Partnerships
