Glossophobia, the  abnormal fear of public speaking or trying to speak, comes from the Greek words:

• γλῶσσα ~ glōssa, meaning tongue
• φόβος ~ phobos, fear or dread

Speech anxiety is a real apprehension for many people. People are known to fear giving a speech before any group, even if it’s only two or three people “more than they fear snakes, spiders, heights, disease, and death.” (University of Central Florida)

There are many site pages devoted to helping a presenter put his or her best foot forward, because Speech Writing 101 is a very important class to take. This is regardless of one’s major. No matter what business anyone goes into; if you become a leader, you’ll be called upon to teach and/or present in that capacity.

Get prepared, so that when you do give your speech, you’ll not only be more at easy, but you’ll also do a thorough job. Consider all of the following:

• First and foremost, what do you need to communicate?
• Next, consider your audience.
  • What does your audience want to hear?
  • Who are they, because you’ll have to tailor how in depth you can go, depending on their level of already being informed?
• Don’t memorize and don’t read.
  • Keep a short outline to stay on track, but don’t clog it with details.
  • Speak from your own personal learnings and experiences.
  • Inject humor wherever possible
  • Speak in concepts, not in memorized talking points.
• Use body language.
  • Animation works, and helps you to relax.
  • Pretend you’re talking to a group of friends.
  • Don’t think about what you look like.
• Take you time, but be aware of how much time you have.
• Don’t worry about being perfect; no one is.

Speech writing 101 gives its students the following formula:

• Tell them what you’ll be talking about
  • Hello, my name is (fill in the blank), and today I’m going to be tell you about blah, blah, and blah (the three most important take away points you need to make).
• Tell them
  • Blah, blah, and blah.
• Tell them what you’ve told them
  • So, in summarizing, I just told you about blah, blah, and blah.

To that I like to add:

• Does anyone have any questions?

… Because there always will be questions at the end of any good presentation.

You not only want questions, because you can’t cover everything in the time you’re allotted, no doubt. But, even more important tot he point, you also want to know that you’ve inspired your audience to want more from you… That you’ve been not only informative, but also a bit entertaining, because using humor is known to be the best way to have people remember important points.

Writer Herb Gardner, who is best known for his Broadway hit “A Thousand Clowns,” made this point: “Once you get people laughing, they’re listening and you can tell them almost anything.”

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Each year, since 2009, Jose and I not only watch who’s a leading innovator, but we also feel, as seasoned veterans, it behooves us to call attention to someone within the wine industry who demonstrates serious innovative leadership.

In 2009, 2010, and 2011, it was pretty easy to see innovation leaders… those who were creating new developments for others to utilize and enjoy:

• 2011 ~Rick Bakas for Back to Bakas
• 2010 ~ Evan Cover for Cruvee
• 2009 ~ Paul Mabray for VinTank

For 2012, we’ve not found that silver bullet for new creation; however, we’ve seen someone who is the current leading, in-house multimedia content creator in our industry; someone who is completely taking advantage of what those above have developed.

Jose and I are pleased to announce that Lisa Mattson of Jordan Winery is the 2012 Diaz Communications Innovator of the Year Award. With her expertise being fully utilized at Jordan Winery, Lisa joins the ranks of who we’ve watched develop into top industry innovators.

Lisa’s background created a perfect storm for having her become a one-of-a-kind; and, Jordan Winery was smart enough to know that they needed such a person. When they found each other, Jordan Winery was steeped in tradition; and, in my humble opinion as a marketer, possibly less like to take advantage of the new world of social media. However, something – whatever it was – changed all of that. Today, Lisa has become the one person that the earliest innovations were setting her up to become. Brilliant enough to use all the new tools set before her, Jordan Winery was equally astute in allowing her to bloom within their hallowed halls.

The questions and ansswers that follow will give you all you need to know about why Lisa is so deserving of recognition.

[Q]  What is your background and how did you come to work at Jordan Winery?

[LISA]  I actually grew up in rural Kansas drinking Busch beer from a can. I thought Jack Daniels was for rich people. The odds that I would have ended up dedicating my life to the wine business were probably 1 in 100,000. I always knew in high school that I wanted to be in communications–writing, public relations–something like that. After a bad winter in 1994, I left Kansas State University and moved to South Florida for some sunshine. I transferred to Florida International University, and its JMC school shared a campus with a highly regarded hospitality school. Because I’d been waiting tables since age 15, I figured minoring in the hospitality school was a good idea. They offered wine classes. I enrolled and was hooked. I’ve worked in the wine business for 15 years–since I was 23. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’m lucky to have figured out in college that being happy at work and in life requires figuring out what you are good at and then doing that job within an industry you’re passionate about. Every job I’ve had rounded my communications background and opened a door to another opportunity in the wine world. I’ve gone from wine magazine editor to wine distributor public relations manager to wine events manager to wine PR director to my current job as communications director at Jordan–where I get to use all the skills I’ve honed since my first wine job in 1997.

My biography…

[Q]  What exactly is your position at Jordan and what is the range of the activities you perform?

[LISA]  Because we are a family wine business, most employees wear a lot of hats. While all of my responsibilities involve communications and marketing, there’s still a wide range of fun things I get to do every month. I write copy for the direct-to-consumer email blasts, I shoot and direct videos, I take photographs, I write copy for the website and all marketing materials, I write press releases, I handle all media requests, I develop messaging and presentations for the sales force, I work on product packaging, I edit recipes for our chef, I write blog posts, I analyze our traffic trends to our website and blog, I post photos to Twitter and Facebook. It’s everything from traditional marketing and traditional public relations to direct digital marketing and new media. I’m a content creator. And I’m lucky to have two people on my staff–one marketing manager and one digital media coordinator–who help orchestrate the marketing projects and social media administration.

[Q]  What do you consider your professional strengths in your position?

[LISA] 

• Detail orientation
• Strategic/great critical thinking skills
• Always willing to try something new and embrace change
• Diversity of skill sets–pitching stories, prepping spokespeople for TV and print interviews but also the ability to shoot and direct videos, use a DSLR camera, master an iPad, etc.

Having the ability and drive to do all communications functions in this digital age is critical for a PR person working at a mid-sized family business.

[Q]  How do you measure success in social media?

[LISA]  Social media is just another extension of public relations–PR for the UGC/direct communication era. Determining ROI for traditional PR and ROI for social media is one in the same for us. It’s about getting impressions–getting the brand out there in the right context in ways that make people want to go purchase a bottle of Jordan — or remember a Jordan video, blog post, Facebook photo or wine column recommendation next time they are browsing a wine list or retail shelf.

Jordan only makes two wines and they cost more at the winery than in the marketplace. Our direct business is less than 5 percent, so our focus is not to generate sales off social media directly to justify it. But we do have people comment on Twitter and Facebook that they just bought a bottle of Jordan due to a tweet of a video or some photo they saw–the same way that consumers read a newsletter or magazine and then tell us they bought a bottle because of that mention.

Some tools ….

• VinTank Winery Index
• Facebook analytics (talking about this, impressions)
• YouTube analytics (number of views, retention)
• Blog (traffic, traffic per post, time per post)

[Q]  How do you handle criticism of a company online?

[LISA]  We don’t get criticized often, but I handle it just like any customer service complaint. Listen. Don’t take offense. Be friendly, honest and helpful. State the facts. Thank them for taking the time to comment. I always make the customer walk away impressed with professionalism whenever I can, whether it’s in the winery lobby or on Twitter.

[Q]   What would you consider your most creative project at Jordan Winery?

[LISA]  Creating our annual magazine, Estate Tales, from concept to delivery: The Jordan Winery Newsletter

Also, developing new video concepts and the messaging and editing process behind those videos.

[Q]  Do you have someone that has inspired you professionally?

[LISA] 

• Leslie Sbrocco (writing, branding, public speaking)
• Bret Lyman (videography)
• Damon Mattson (photography)
• Eric Asimov and Patrick Comiskey (writing)

[Q]  How do you decompress/unplug from your job?

[LISA]  I edit the manuscript to my upcoming book, “The Exes in my iPod: a Playlist of the Men who Rocked me to Wine Country.”

Glass of bubbly and a soak in the hot tub with my husband

But honestly, I don’t think I ever unplug from work. When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.

[Q]  When it’s all said and done, what lasting impression do you want to leave with the work you do at Jordan Winery?

[LISA]  That we’ve been able to take a stolid brand and breathe new life and excitement into it. We’ve brought the people behind the wines to the forefront and connected them to customers and consumers in a very vivid and unfiltered way…. That we’ve successfully integrated new media into a very traditional, conservative brand without compromising our brand image or elegance.

 Congratulations, Lisa Mattson… You’re so deserving of recognition…

This post originally appeared in Wine-Blog.org

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A good keynote speech should inspire and unify an audience with a common purpose. He or she should also provide direction for the conference purposes and goals. This sets the tone for the event; which can launch a conference with clarity or, at its worst, move it forward with non-existent or muddled ideas.

Here’s how we judge keynote speakers:

1. Grasp the overall purpose of the conference
   • This seems like a no brainer, but we’ve seen many keynote speakers who essentially use a speech at a conference simply to sell themselves, rather than further the theme of the event. If you’ve been hired and paid as a keynote speaker, the sale has been made and there’s no need to continue to sell who you are.  What you need to do is to sell the theme of the event.  A good keynote speech should be global in nature, inspiring, pragmatic, and memorable. If this is done, who you are (professionally and personally) will be clear.

2. A singular focus on the target audience
   • The successful keynote speaker always knows at which level to approach the audience.  If you assess an audience properly, you’ll hit that “sweet spot” where you establish rapport, credibility, and attention to the message you’re trying to impart. If you underestimate the audience, you’ll generate boredom; if you overestimate, confusion will result. A good keynote speaker will work closely with the organizer of the event, to make sure he or she knows as much as possible about the psychographics of the audience they’ll be addressing.

3. Know the value of entertainment
   • Humor can be the lubricant of good speeches. Having said that, make sure you’ve done your homework on number two.  Misplaced humor can be deadly.  Properly presented, humor and anecdotes will yield greater acceptance of your message.

4. Minimize the use of props
   • Many keynote speakers suffer from TMI (Too Much Information).  Yes, you should substantiate factual statements and images can help to drive a point home, but complex spreadsheets and crowded text pieces can dull your messages. The best keynote speakers use minimal props and let their words do the heavy lifting.

5. Understand the value of pacing in a talk
   • It’s been said that a keynote speech can be as long as 45 minutes, or as short as 20 minutes. The pacing is more important than the length.  A frenzied pace will exhaust the audience and a slow, laborious pace will put them to sleep.  Variety is the spice of life and; when it comes to keynote speeches, variety of pacing is essential.  A good keynote speaker knows
     when to ramp up the intensity, and when to soften the presentation to keep interest. If you plan to include a Q&A segment in a keynote speech, never end with it; always make sure to do a wrap up and control the message with the final words.

6. Personalize the theme of the event with real stories
   • For the duration of a keynote speech you have to build a relationship with the audience. There has to be an atmosphere of trust engendered. There’s no better way to do that than to share personal observations. This helps the audience to see that you’re a real person with life experiences, emotions, and lessons learned. When you personalize segments of a speech and show passion for your topic, you have a better chance of selling the principles you’re trying to convey. Some of the best keynote speakers will openly admit they don’t know everything, but what they know has worked.

7. Simplify the keynote message into a call to action
   • If an audience doesn’t walk away with at least one to three main actionable concepts, then the keynote speaker has failed. Establish a set of ideas early and flesh them out throughout the speech with facts, personal stories, and/or observations. There’s an age old format for public speaking:
     • Tell them what you are going to tell them
     • Tell them
     • Tell them what you told them

A good keynote speaker will leave an audience with methods by which to incorporate the messages into their personal or business lives. Quite often, the messages can be personalized simply by leaving the audience with two to three questions that they have to answer for themselves. In this case, each individual can find a personalized mode of action as they answer the questions in their own context.

After experiencing many speakers in action, these are just a few of the key points by which we judge them. You may have some additional observations about keynote speakers.  If so, we’d love to hear them.

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If you are in the wine industry, you know that the request for wine donations is a common occurrence. Perhaps it’s the social aspect of wine that makes it a higher demand item for donations versus shoes or telephones.  Not only can wine supplement the fundraising aspect of an event, but it can also create the mood that will allow the bidders to bid high. So quite often the wine requested is not only for an auction, but to also grace the table of the guests.

There is no denying the symbiotic relationships between non profits and wineries when it comes to wine donations.  In an article published in the Napa Valley Register, many non profits said wine donations are vital to their operations. In fact, in answering the question: How important are donations from wineries are to the fundraising efforts of your nonprofit organization?

• 58 percent of responding nonprofits said wine donations were “very important.”
• 36 percent said they were “somewhat important.”
• 96 percent of responding Napa County nonprofits said the wine donations were very or somewhat important.

It is so prevalent that in a Q&A on LinkedIn, the question was asked: “When contacting people for wine donations for events, should I contact the wineries themselves, or should I get in touch with their wine consultants?” Eventbrite even has a how to guide called: “How to Get Wineries to Donate to Your Event.”

When it comes to winery side of equation, wine donations are not only seen as goodwill that benefits the community, but a real marketing benefit akin to a consumer tasting.  Savvy wineries understand good public service is good marketing.

The problem comes when the requests are endless and from all directions. How do you choose which requests to fulfill and which to deny?  How can you manage expectations so that those rejected understand why?

One of our clients, Oak Knoll Winery, has addressed this challenge in a very clear and succinct manner that allows the winery to continue the donation process with fairness and direction.  They have created a charitable giving page on their website.  All requests will be funneled through this page for requests.

The key component of this page specifies their “Mission of Charitable Contributions” which is “…toward causes of promoting and supporting the needs of children, cancer research, awareness and patient support, and improving our local community.”

Additionally, they provide a Charitable Donation Request for a nonprofit to fill out with their request. The form asks a series of questions that brings the request to the winery fully qualified with key information.

Finally, if a donation is not possible, they also offer Special Pricing for 503(c) 3 Organizations.  Essentially, this fallback position doesn’t leave the nonprofit high and dry if they have a small budget for wine. They offer clearly stated lower price ranges, for which their wine can be purchased.

We thought this approach deserved recognition because it manages expectations (on both sides) and still continues the flow of donations to deserving nonprofits. Other notable formats we’ve seen lately include Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Naked Winery.

If you are winery is being bombarded by requests for wine donations on a daily and/or weekly basis, you can spend more of your time making and selling wine, as opposed to trying to manage donations indiscriminately, if you adopt a similar program.

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As more people realize that social marketing has arrived and is not going away, the realization that mobile presence and marketing is following the same path. Similar to the early days of social marketing, mobile marketing comes in many fragmented flavors that will crystallize as we see what works.

Note that that one of the big investor issues when Facebook launched its IPO was whether or not it had the capability to provide a strong return using its mobile audience.  The audience was there, but Facebook had yet to fully monetize it.  In March, 2012, Americans spent 441 minutes accessing the site on their smart phones, compared to 391 minutes on their computer according to comScore .

Facebook has started to address this challenge with the introduction of the “Sponsored Stories” feature that now appears in your timeline. There are additional mobile timeline changes scheduled for 2012.

Why does this matter? You web site needs to reflect the changing landscape that mobile brings to the table.  When was the last time you looked at your site on a smart phone? Was it easy to read? Was it easy to use? Most importantly, was it easy to generate conversions for your desired goals?

Let’s look at a few statistics regarding mobile internet usage

• Within the next year, more people will be accessing the internet via mobile devices rather than pc’s.
• According to Google in “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users”
  •  70% of mobile users have compared prices on their mobile,
  • 65% have read product reviews and 50% mobile searches lead to a purchase.
  • 95% Smart phone users have searched for local information.
  • 61% users will call the business and 59% visit the location.
  • Of these people 90% will act within 24 hours.

Far from a comprehensive list, here are some action items to consider (we can discuss more with personalized consultation):

• Your web site should be fully usable on a wide variety of smart phones. This can be done with appropriate code to determine if a smart phone is accessing your site.
• We recommend responsive design vs. a separate mobile site.  That way your brand look and feel is fully maintained.
• Prioritize the content that users need most.
• It is more important the ever to optimize your images for speedy loading of your site.
• Navigation needs to be as simple as possible with as little scrolling as possible.
• Make sure the home page is clean, clear and concise. Users can move on to pages with deeper content, but the landing page is critical for retention.
• Keep important features and structure consistent across the entire web site.
• Minimize the amount of fields in forms to keep the page streamlined.
• Be sure to include a search bar if you have a complex site.
• Make sure phone numbers are coded as “click to call”.

A mobile optimized site will not only help with conversions of the audience you get from Facebook and other web properties who have a strong presence on the mobile web, but also with direct traffic to your site from other marketing efforts.

It’s a fast moving marketing landscape on the Internet and keeping up with mobile is the latest line in the shifting sands.  Decisions you make now regarding mobile will decide, in a few years, if you are left in the dust, or if your brand will be reaping the benefits of available technologies.

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[Pictured: My daughter and son-in-law, Melanie and Heath Hoffman at Pacific Star Winery exchanging their vows.]

Occasionally I am asked for help, and this is one of the questions that comes up… especially in the spring.

Always the big questions are, “How much wine is enough, and what’s a great value wine? We’re on a tight budget, but we want to take care of our guests.”

Especially for this time of year; this is a good post for not only weddings, but also for showers.

~ Think One (1) Bottle per Person ~

Safe start with Champagne for 100 guests:

• There are six (5) full glasses of sparking per bottle ~ 5 pours / 1 bottle of any bubbly
• Simple number of guests ~ 100
• One glass of bubbly per person ~ 100 people divided by 5 pours/bottle = 20 bottles of any sparkling wine
• Buy two (2) cases of bubbly
  • You’ll be all set for not only the Toast
  • You’ll also have some left over for your guests who love bubbly

One bottle per person = 100 bottles of wine. Take away your two cases of bubbly above (24 bottles), and you still have 76 bottles to go, or six more cases to buy.

Summer weather for a four hour reception.

• There are five (5) full glasses of wine per bottle ~ 5 pours / 1 bottle of either white or red
  • Four (4) cases of White wine
    • Two Chardonnays (the most popular white wine in the world)
    • Two Sauvignon Blanc (another safe bet)
  • Two (2) case of red
    • One of Cabernet (most popular red in the world)
    • One of Merlot (another safe bet)

If you believe that this wedding reception has the potential to go longer than planned, you might want one more case of wine, split 50/50 between white and red.

And… if you want it to break up the party early, don’t buy more wine after your initial purchase; because once the wine is gone, the guests soon follow.

If you have a reception location with limited time on it, this takes the nervousness away from guests not wanting to leave on time. Just don’t provide unlimited wine and/or spirits.

~ The wine I would recommend to anyone ~

Criteria: A great value wine

Yes, this wine belongs to one of my clients. This is why I know so much about it and love the wine on a personal level. I don’t represent brands that I don’t believe in… And, sometimes it has nothing to do with the wine. Sometimes it has to do with the company’s principles that don’t mesh with mine. This wine, I’m happy to tell you has passed every test of time, and was the wine chosen for my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding, along with Pacific Star’s.

Most young couples need to stretch their budgets, and so do their parents, when the house is filled with girls…

Price being very important, this is the primary reason for this recommendation. I’m also very happy to enjoy this wine everyday as my “house” wine ~ many restaurants know this to be true, too.

Oak Grove wines are always a safe bet. While this wine is one of my clients’ wines, I wasn’t trying to make a sale, as much as recommend a wine that I knew to have several very important factors:

• Retails for $8.00/bottle
  • That’s $96.00/case of wine times 6 cases
    • $576.00 ~ for wedding wine for 100 people
    • $5.76/head ~ without taking bubbly into account, don’t forget
  • Ask your retailer for a quantity discount
    • 10 percent will save you $58.00
    • $518.00, or $5.18/head
    • $5.18 for five glasses of wine per person ~ this is a bargain

• Oak Grove is available nationally
• The quality is in the bottle, every single vintage.
  • I’ve been working with this wine for almost five years, and know it really well
  • Every single vintage has had GOLD medals, and BEST BUY or BEST VALUE from Wine Enthusiast and/or Wine Spectator
• The wine is in perfect balance
  • It has a trusted source for beautiful fruit
  • Value to quality ratio makes it a great bargain
• The packaging is really classy and speaks well for the purchaser

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Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium, presented by and at Oak Knoll Winery, Willamette Valley

June 9, 2011

The Symposium sold-out by mid-May, as the industry was ripe for this one.

Paul Gregutt and I came together, realizing that we had a PG on PG going on…Paul Gregutt on Pinot Gris. I love great concepts, with a bit of kismet mixed in for good measure.

It couldn’t have happened without this most credible source (PG) and refreshing grape variety (PG), given the nature of both. Paul’s been writing about Northwest wines since the 80s. It’s his time to shine, and so he did.

When I asked Paul for his thoughts as the Keynote Speaker for the Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium, which was going to be presented by Oak Knoll, I knew that we’d be hearing some interesting thoughts… Little did I know, though, that his thoughts would be so well formulated. I’m not completely surprised, given Paul’s talent. I just didn’t know that Paul obviously had formed some really well thought-out opinions over time on this subject. The symposium gave him the diving board he needed from which to spring. Meanwhile, we had filled the pool; so when he dove, he performed an excellent and exceptional dive, receiving a perfect score of 10 in my book.

The following are Paul Gregutt’s thoughts.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Oregon wine industry would do well to pay attention. It’s important to note, the winemakers who were present were talking differently about Pinot Gris, before they had left the round table discussions. This proves that Paul’s points were well taken, even before the sessions were finished.

Paul Gregutt’s Remarks

With the other speakers, and especially each attendee’s input and comments, Paul mentioned that “we’d all be exploring the terroir, techniques, and marketing challenges around the making of Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio (now legal!) in Oregon.”

From a media and marketing standpoint, Paul noted that his task was to begin to define the image, potential, awareness of Oregon PG:

I had to jump in and state that I had just been with a Sommelier in Sonoma County; when I told him that Jose and I were headed to the Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium, he asked, “Do they even grow Pinot Gris in Oregon?” There were a few audible gasps, so I continued… “While you’re all in Oregon and know what you’re doing and what you have, when you step outside of the state, the awareness just isn’t there nationally.”

So, onto Style ~ According to Paul, “You cannot, and should not, define a single style for Oregon PG. On the other hand, I strongly urge you all to stop marketing your wines as ‘Alsatian,’ or ‘Friulian,’ or ‘Vegan,’ or whatever else you come up with. We are here to find out what Oregon PG is all about. Step one is having the confidence to say ‘We make Oregon PG. And here is what we can tell you about our take on this unique, stylish, versatile, etc. etc. wine!’”

It was also mentioned that when you compare yourself to others, you’re giving the “Others” the credibility that you need. Essentially, this is giving away your power. You’re the underdog. Bottom line, get over that and take your place center stage, if you’re to be a star you have to act like one. [Paraphrasing, but you get the point.]

Assets of Oregon PG in general

• Higher acidity, lower alcohol than CA or WA versions
• Bracing minerality
• Purity of fruit
• Minimal, often no, new oak flavors
• Genuine vintage expression (as a subset of terroir)

How do you differentiate 1) the category and 2) your wine(s)? You need to do the following:

• Some sort of over-reaching organization to consolidate efforts. It can be ad hoc, informal, whatever.
• Agree on such basics as always calling it Oregon Pinot Gris.
• Tie it into the concept of Oregon flavors, Oregon style, build the brand that way.
• As a category you need more high end examples.
  • Push the envelope.
  • It’s a chicken and egg situation.
  • If all you make is a $15 wine, all you will sell is a $15 wine.
• Stop with the Alsace and Italy comparisons. It’s time to talk Oregon!
• If you want to establish OR PG as a viable category, you need a broad campaign such as PS – I Love You and the Riesling Renaissance campaigns.
  • That takes just two things.
  • Time and money.
• Tie it into Oregon Pinot Noir with a snappy tagline:
  • Oregon Pinot Gris: the flavors Chardonnay can only dream of!
  • Oregon Pinot Gris: Not all Pinot is Noir!
  • Pinot Gris: The other Oregon Pinot
• Don’t ever call your PG simple.
  • It’s not simple.
  • That is not a good idea.
• Chefs love this wine.
  • Portland (and Oregon) has a terrific food culture.
  • Use it as part of your wine marketing.
• Look for your own individual selling point of difference – your story:
  • Single vineyard/grower bottlings
  • “Tree-free” or unoaked
  • Barrel fermented
  • Old vines
• Go with the trends – a little r.s.
  • But keep it tasting dry
  • And, moderate to low alcohol (13.5 and under is desirable)

Questions to ask yourself:

• Do you emphasize the grape, or the AVA, or the vineyard?
• Do you make comparisons to Italy (Pinot Grigio – confusing) and/or Alsace (really confusing!)?
• Do you sell the simple concept that you make Oregon Pinot Gris – with these attributes?
• Dry or off-dry?
• Which of these selling points can I use effectively?
  • Low alcohol.
  • Versatile food wine.
  • Unoaked.
  • Non-interventionist winemaking.
  • Able to reflect the vineyard and AVA.
  • Ages nicely for four (4) to six (6) years.
  • Old vines.
  • Single vineyard wines.
  • Special clones.

Most of the sold-out group of winemakers and grape growers left the symposium all asking the question, “Where do we go from here?”

The answer, for the time being, is, “Take this information that was shared and begin to implement it at your own wineries, in your own marketing departments.”

There may be a need for a unified group, and the attendees will have a chance to weigh in on that shortly. Meanwhile, Paul’s keynote was certainly their immediate walking orders. Hopefully, a few of them are already off and running, because it’s theirs to lose, at this point in time.

For more thoughts on the Pinot Gris Symposium, you can visit OregonLive.com, written by Mark Hinton, (also of Enobytes.)

The members of this group, that have come from the Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium, are the following:

Welcome the group as it now stands:

• Airlie Winery
• Christoper Bridge Cellars & Satori Springs Estate
• David Hill Winery
• Oak Knoll Winery
• Pudding River Wine Cellars
• Terrapin Cellars
• Yamhill Valley Vineyards

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