Savor Southern Oregon wine competition is a Sunset Travel Award winner

Savor Southern Oregon wine competition is a Sunset Travel Award winner

Published 12:00 pm Sunday, September 20, 2026

Event chosen in 2026 ‘What To Do: Food & Wine Experiences’ class; this yr’s occasion drew 1,000 folks to Jacksonville

One of the Rogue Valley’s latest wine occasions has earned the reward of a distinguished Western U.S.-focused life-style journal.

Savor Southern Oregon, Travel Medford’s signature wine occasion that simply accomplished its second yr, was chosen as a winner for the 2026 Sunset Travel Awards from Sunset Magazine within the class of “What To Do: Food & Wine Experiences.”

The yearly Sunset Travel Awards have fun the most effective journey spots within the American West, and Savor Southern Oregon was chosen amongst 19 different winners within the meals and wine class, a information launch mentioned.

Sunset Magazine has 190,000 print subscribers and greater than 450,000 distinctive month-to-month web site guests, together with 1 million-plus publication subscribers, in accordance with the publication.

“From the beginning, we wanted Savor Southern Oregon to be more than a wine festival. We wanted to create an experience that tells the story of the Rogue Valley through its wines and, most importantly, thorough the people who make them,” mentioned Carole Skeeters-Stevens, chief advertising officer for Travel Medford and occasion director for Savor Southern Oregon. “To have Sunset recognize Savor among the best food and wine experiences in the West is incredibly meaningful. It is a reflection of the quality of this wine region and the wineries, winemakers, partners and community members who have helped make Savor what it is.”

Savor Southern Oregon is held every June and brings collectively wineries, winemakers and wine lovers to have fun the Rogue Valley’s wine nation with a two-day occasion that provides the Savor Southern Oregon Wine Competition, tastings and academic alternatives to attach attendees with the folks behind Southern Oregon’s wine.

The occasion returned for its second yr on June 12-13, drawing practically 1,000 attendees to the Bigham Knoll Campus in Jacksonville and that includes 50 Rogue Valley wineries.

The occasion generated a noticeable improve in reservations at space resorts and short-term leases as wine lovers traveled to the Rogue Valley to expertise one in every of Oregon’s premier wine areas firsthand, officers mentioned in June. Attendees represented 53 distinctive ZIP codes throughout 13 states, demonstrating the rising attain and attraction of the Rogue Valley as a wine tourism vacation spot.

The Rogue Valley wine business has been rising in Southern Oregon in addition to rising within the highlight, with the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards choosing the valley because the No. 1 wine area within the United States.

Medford’s DANCIN Vineyards was additionally named as a 2026 Sunset Travel Award winner for the meals and wine experiences class.

“Having two Rogue Valley experiences recognized by Sunset in this category speaks volumes about what is happening in our region,” mentioned T.J. Holmes, senior vice chairman of Travel Medford. “Savor was created to give people a reason to discover the incredible wines being made here and then go out and experiences the wineries, tasting rooms, restaurants and communities that make Rogue Valley wine country so special. Recognition like this introduces that story to a much larger audiences and gives travelers another reason to put Medford and the Rogue Valley on their list as a must-visit destination.”

For extra data on Savor Southern Oregon and Travel Medford, go to travelmedford.org.