We Are Called Umpqua Valley AVA

Last week I read with interest a wine article in one of our local newspapers. The gist of the article was that while the sluggish economy was affecting the wine industry world wide, sales and interest in our wine region remained steady and healthy due to the value pricing of our wines. While my experience touring with hundreds of wine-loving visitors and locals this year supports this general claim, much of the unique Umpqua Valley wine story was left out. I just couldn’t resist filling in the best parts of our story…

Referring to the Umpqua Valley as Southern Oregon while technically accurate, is in my opinion misleading. Although we are part of the Southern Oregon AVA - American Viticultural area- this only came about in 2004. The Umpqua Valley AVA was established in 1984. Most wine locals will agree the reason for creating this new “Southern Oregon AVA” which includes the Umpqua Valley AVA and the Rogue Valley AVA as well as the Applegate area, was to expand our regions marketing appeal. These three wine areas have very different climates as well as different soils and terrain. Each one is quite unique from the other. And while I am all for great marketing strategies (I was in sales and marketing most of my adult life) diluting the magic of the Umpqua Valley by lumping us in with a larger wine producing area does not speak to our individuality nor to our rich history. Grape growing and wine making in the state of Oregon started right here in the Umpqua Valley. Here in Douglas County. Not in the Willamette Valley and certainly not in Southern Oregon! We have a very unique climate and amazing soil and we produce wines vastly different from our southern neighbors. Staying focused on that differentiation is in itself a very powerful marketing angle. And while we will always have wine writers who do not live among us and who do not understand our uniqueness, lump us into the “Southern Oregon” pile, there will always be those of us who push to keep us very clearly defined. I think our local news sources should know and celebrate what makes us special.

I have never heard of wine referred to as a comfort drink before and when I heard of this way of describing wine I couldn’t help but chuckle. When I hear the term “comfort drink” I think of hot chocolate or herbal tea or of a hot toddy or maybe even a shot of something like whiskey or brandy. Wine for me and for so many others is much more than a drink. It is a way of life. A lifestyle. It involves food and friends and travel. An appreciation for the land and the natural beauty that surrounds the vines. For me it includes existing memories and the creation of new ones. It is sunshine and discovery and brings the past into the present. It is a part of life and a part of a more gentile way of living. I know I am not the only one who feels this passionate about wine. The millions of wine tourists who travel thousands of miles to their favorite wine regions each year would hardly be, if they all thought of wine as a mere comfort drink.

I guess the moral to my part of the story is there is so much more to the Umpqua Valley and our wine then most know. Our wines are more than just a great value, they are top notch and can stand among some of the best wines form the most prestigious wine regions. Our area is much more then just a part of a bigger Southern Oregon area and our rich history can not be denied. And wine is so much more then a just a comfort drink. Anyone reading this knows that!