Method Oregon creates a brand new commonplace for Oregon glowing

We sat down with winemaker Jeanne Feldkamp of Corollary Wines to debate Method Oregon, the nonprofit group setting a new commonplace for Oregon’s glowing wines. Jeanne co-founded Method Oregon and is captivated with elevating Oregon’s nationwide and worldwide status as a premier glowing wine area—with sustainability at its core.  

What is Method Oregon?  

The dialog about forming one thing like Method Oregon has been taking place within the glowing neighborhood for a few years. My accomplice Dan and I’ve been producing glowing at Corollary since 2017, and we have been having this dialog with varied individuals again then. I’m certain it preceded us, too. Collaboration has at all times been part of making wine in Oregon, so we’re simply formalizing issues extra for glowing particularly.  

Today, we’re a nonprofit group comprised of fifty+ glowing winemakers devoted to establishing Oregon as a world-class glowing area and setting a normal for high quality and sustainability.  

We examined the thought for Method Oregon in 2025 with a Grand Tasting to gauge whether or not there was a vital mass within the glowing neighborhood to do one thing larger. After a profitable occasion, full with tasting and academic elements, we knew the time was proper to transfer ahead and set up Method Oregon.  

What concerning the Method Oregon commonplace?  

There are 4 elements to it. First, wines should be 100% made in Oregon; the fruit have to be grown and manufacturing finished completely in Oregon. Wines should even be made within the conventional methodology and aged en tirage for at least 24 months, which is a better entry stage mark than most glowing requirements all over the world. Sparkling wines that carry the Method Oregon mark will need to have their AVA of origin and their disgorgement date on the bottle for shopper transparency. And beginning in 2029, the fruit that goes into Method Oregon wines should both be farmed utilizing natural inputs solely or farmed in Live Certified vineyards which can be farmed with out artificial herbicides.  

Why the delay till 2029 for farming requirements? 

You can’t change winery practices in a single day, so we knew we wanted to construct in a transition interval to make sure winemakers and growers have been capable of rise to the Method Oregon sustainability requirements. The commonplace should be significant to guarantee Oregon is called a spot that’s accountable and sustainable with farming, particularly for glowing wine.  

Will Method Oregon maintain one other Grand Tasting this yr? 

Yes, and we’re increasing it right into a three-day occasion this yr. There’s a variety of producers and contours this yr, and lots of methods to discover. There might be an schooling portion and a tasting portion. There might be a Bubbles Block Party at Argyle, which goes to be a ton of enjoyable with some very particular bottles. We have a la carte tickets for a lot of the occasions. There’s additionally an all-access go inclusive of the Friday and Saturday occasions. Everything on Sunday is ticketed individually as a result of they’re all at totally different wineries. You can observe your personal curiosity. 

The Grand Tasting occasion final yr included 22 wineries and now we’ve got 50+. We have a fairly massive variety of wineries throughout the state—some which can be actually massive, some which can be actually small and a few which can be releasing their first glowing this yr. But the underside line is that all of us actually care about this place that we stay in. We actually care about making high-quality glowing wine, and all of us actually care about the land.  

What is the largest benefit of coming collectively as an business to collectively inform the story and set requirements?  

We’re taking a web page from the pioneering Pinot Noir producers in Oregon. Early on, they acquired collectively and talked about the Willamette Valley because the supply for world-class pinot noir. Instead of speaking about 50 particular person wineries, they talked about the Willamette Valley as an entire being the place to come for nice pinot noir. And they have been very profitable in doing that. If you ask individuals throughout the nation, the place nice pinot noir comes from, they will say the Willamette Valley. We wish to do that very same factor—set up a regional id for Oregon glowing. If we’re all talking the identical language, shoppers will discover.  

The notion that we’re all working collectively has anecdotally been very engaging to shoppers. We hear from individuals within the tasting room that they’re sort of fascinated with how we’re all working collectively to do that. It’s essential within the commerce context as nicely. We’re centered on shoppers with our summer season occasion proper now, however we’re additionally creating plans for commerce occasions sooner or later. And getting the story out to sommeliers and influential patrons throughout the nation is essential as a result of eating places are the place the place lots of shoppers first style wines and begin exploring.  

How does wine intersect with tourism? 

No one plans a visit in a vacuum. People don’t solely come to Oregon to go to wineries. They additionally need to discover nice locations to eat and go climbing. We’re very privileged that Oregon has all of that; that can all actually sort of work collectively to make suggestions. It’s quite common when someone comes in for a tasting to ask us what else to do whereas they’re in Oregon. We make some suggestions and so they go forward and guide a few of these issues. The referral impact is powerful.  

How essential is earned media and word-of-mouth to your communications technique?  

It’s 100% essential. It’s completely vital. There’s lots of noise on the market on this planet, and we will do as a lot social media as we wish, however you positively want some exterior validation to inform people who that is for actual. The tourism business has been very supportive on this space, bringing journalists in for occasions and serving to safe media.  

What does success in 5 or 10 years appear to be? 

I need Oregon to be identified for glowing the best way the Willamette Valley is understood for pinot noir. When individuals suppose of glowing wine, they instantly consider Oregon. Having Oregon on par with the Champagne area in France is basically the long-term play. Direct to shopper gross sales are extremely essential for wineries of all sizes, truthfully, particularly throughout a time of transition for the business. Getting individuals right here and making these direct connections with guests is tremendous vital.  

You talked about the business is in transition. What do you imply by that?  

We all see the headlines about how wine gross sales are contracting as individuals are consuming rather less. And what we’re seeing is like, sure, throughout the board, individuals are consuming a little bit much less, however there are very totally different market patterns. Sales from individuals who search out greater finish wines have been rather more steady. And inside the totally different segments of the wine market, glowing stays a shiny spot. By setting the bar excessive for sustainability and telling the collective story of Oregon glowing, we will construct on that.  

Interested in studying extra concerning the glowing wine producers of Method Oregon? Explore the new Method Oregon Trail Map