It must be something in the water … the sunshine … the soil … and the diversity of incredible terroir that attracts superbly talented people to Southern Oregon. You could have gone anywhere else in the world to start your wineries; yet, you came, willing to take risks to unearth unique entrepreneurial rewards,” said Tom Danowski, executive director of the Oregon Wine Board, while attending SoWine3, Southern Oregon Wine Institute’s third marketing and sales conference.
Hosted at Umpqua Community College’s Danny Lang Center in Roseburg on June 12, the annual summit featured more than a dozen professional speakers from the Pacific Northwest — including marketing and media gurus, winery owners and OWB’s marketing director. They extolled Southern Oregon’s defining attributes, but all had an important message to relay: Know your customer.
“Reach out to them regularly — whether with special events, social media, regular informative and inviting e-messages, direct mail brochures or just picking up the phone to converse,” said Andrew Kamphuis, president of Vin65 (a division of Wines Direct) of Vancouver, B.C. “It is all about the Oregon wine experience that keeps them coming back again and again.
Several speakers encouraged reaching out to increasingly mobile consumers. Jeff Lorton, co-founder of LynkSnap Mobile Marketing Solutions in Portland, says that less than 20 percent of Oregon wineries have a site tailored for mobile users. He believes a reasonable start to a basic mobile presence is to piggyback another site that does mobile well — like Facebook.
Hatcher’s talk was strategically followed by a panel of Southern Oregon winery owners, including Earl Jones of Abacela in Roseburg, Kim Kinderman of Agate Ridge Vineyard in Eagle Point, and Herb Quady of Quady North in Jacksonville and Troon Vineyards in Grants Pass.
The gloves came off and comments fired back in a stimulating dialogue of creative ideas. Kinderman stated clearly, “I would build a Southern Oregon wine category. It is what we have been working to do, and I personally hope to continue.” Kinderman, as well as Jones, are part of the Southern Oregon Wine Association’s board of directors.
A hearty “Amen,” and “Hey, I think we’ve got it!” bounced around the room. A new possible marketing phrase for Oregon wines was possibly underway.
Jones, one of Southern Oregon’s most celebrated and successful winemakers, said he has been committed from the outset to growing different varietals of grapes that suit the terroir of the Umpqua region.
As a former medical professional on the East Coast, Jones could have started his winery anywhere in the U.S. that fit his desire to grow Tempranillo. Roseburg had the perfect terroir for his vision.
Although variety is a selling point, Southern Oregon wineries face a difficult and uphill battle distinguishing themselves from all other wines produced domestically and abroad.
Hoping to spread the word and continue the marketing march, several attendees walked away from the eight-hour conference with a bounce in their step and a reinvigorated mission to sell wine and Southern Oregon as a whole.
M. Kim Lewis is a Northwest writer/photographer who co-owns a wine tour adventure company, www.ashland-tours.com, with his wife, Ginny, in Southern Oregon.