Appreciating Oregon: The State’s Month Devoted to Wine Begins May 1st
From Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the north stretching down the coast through the Umpqua Valley and finally reaching the Rogue Valley in the south, the terrain has become home to more than 450 wineries. With this many fruitful wineries, it would require quite the adventure to fully appreciate all of them — an adventure that might take, say, a month.
To honor the state’s $3 billion industry and the winemakers behind it, returning for its second year is Oregon Wine Month. Throughout May, many of Oregon’s wineries will have special promotions, activities and tastings to celebrate their state’s established craft.
To get you prepared to embark on your adventure, the Oregon Wine Board has prepped 100 backpacks with all your wine exploring needs. Inside each backpack will be two wine glasses specially made for your adventure, a growler, an Oregon Wine t-shirt and a gift certificate good for a dinner at one of the participating restaurants. To find your backpack, visit one of the participating wineries and say, “I love Oregon wine!” For the complete list of wineries carrying backpacks and restaurants you can to redeem that gift certificate at, go here.
Looking for an excuse to begin your expedition of Oregon? May 11 marks the first annual Wine Tourism Day in North America. Taken from the European idea of traveling to the wine country for a vacation, Portland and wineries in the Willamette Valley will hold festivities for wine lovers to get some R&R.
To further honor Oregon wines, Northwest Wine Time’s Brian Bushlach will be turning his radio show’s attention to focus on the state. In a five-part series, Bushlach will interview a variety of winemakers and other industry members who’ve made Oregon their home.
For Memorial Day Weekend, virtually every Oregon winery will open their doors to host tastings. To finish up your travels, test your knowledge of what you learned in your month-long trek at Pairings Portland’s 5 at 5 blind Oregon wine tasting on May 29. For a special evening, engage your palate and remember the best moments of your travels.
With this many events taking place throughout Oregon, it’d be impossible to not have one near you. For a complete list of events taking place throughout Oregon, visit the Oregon Wine Month website.
