Auction to put Oregon Pinot centre stage

Some of Oregon’s top wineries are seeking to raise the international profile of the state’s Pinot Noir via a major new auction, which will feature exclusive, small parcels from the 2014 vintage.

“Willamette: The Pinot Noir Barrel Auction” will take place on 2 April 2016 at the Allison Inn & Spa in Newburg as the centrepiece of a three-day programme designed to highlight the region’s wines, personalities and cuisine.

The invitation-only, trade event will see more than 60 wineries open their cellars for special tastings, while many of these estate will also offer small, unique lots at an auction that will feature five, 10 and 20-case lots of Pinot Noir from the 2014 vintage. All proceeds will support the marketing work of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association.

Among those involved are Adelsheim Vineyard, Anne Amie Vineyards, Antica Terra, Beaux Frères, Bergström Wines, Chehalem, Cristom Vineyards, Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Elk Cove Vineyards, Erath, King Estate Winery, La Crema, Lemelson Vineyards, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, Siduri Wines, Sokol Blosser and Trisaetum Winery.

“The time has come for an event of this caliber in the Willamette Valley,” said winemaker Josh Bergström, chairman of the Auction Committee. “The Oregon wine community sits in a unique moment of time where pioneers and young visionaries are standing together at the same table raising the quality of Pinot Noir for the world.”

He highlighted the auction as “an amazing opportunity for retailers, restaurateurs and distributors alike to not only obtain rare bottlings from our best cellars but to further delve into the complex and world class story of Oregon’s Wine community.”

The event comes at a time when Oregon’s wine industry is enjoying a boom in investment and sales, which rose by 49% between 2010 and 2013. While Burgundy’s Joseph Drouhin has long had an Oregon outpost, recent years have seen a flurry of other big names acquire a presence here.

These include Jackson Family Wines, Louis Jadot, Méo-Camuzet, Foley Family Wines and Anthony Beck, owner of Graham Beck Wines in South Africa. This interest has seen established producers such as Adelsheim Vineyard, Elk Cove and Domaine Drouhin move to buy up land for themselves in order to secure future supplies of the best grapes.

Oregon already plays host each year to the International Pinot Noir Celebration, a major consumer event that attracts high end producers of this grape variety from around the world, and Oregon Pinot Camp, which features a series of in-depth workshops and tastings for members of the wine trade.