Oregon Wine Council

08/05/2024

“Has the huge increase in grocery prices over the last few years made anyone eat less?”

As someone supposedly asked Hank Williams Jr.: Hank, why do you drink? (To get drunk.) Why do you roll smoke? (To get high.) But why would he come to the WW comments section? Odds are, it would be to complain all night long about the evils of vice taxes. Few prospects send our readers to the barrica...

02/01/2024

“As the Oregon state legislature is locked in a contentious debate over raising excise taxes on wine and beer to curb excessive alcohol consumption, an Oregon health agency may have withheld a 2021 study that found higher taxes have little impact on getting abusive drinkers to cut back on consumption.”

The state government is debating massive tax increases but its health agency didn't release a report showing higher taxes wouldn't deter alcohol abuse.

01/26/2024

“The fact that the OHA intentionally withheld the findings of this report, while continuing to advocate for increased taxes on local wine producers, is both alarming and disheartening. With the Task Force on Alcohol Pricing and Addiction Services scheduled to hear from the OHA at the upcoming Feb. 1 meeting, the OHA should be held accountable for essentially covering up this critical finding,” said Fawn Barrie, Executive Director of the Oregon Wine Council.

The study found that increasing taxes on beer and wine would have minimal impact on curbing excessive drinking

01/25/2024

“The research tends to show, time after time, that changes in price – and that’s what a tax increase does – it does not appear to affect risky drinking behaviors,” like binge drinking or drinking while pregnant, report author Andrew D**e said in a 2021 video presentation about the research.

A 2021 ECONorthwest study had clear findings about how helpful raising alcohol taxes would be to curbing heavy drinking and its terrible impacts: Not very.

12/01/2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us today for our OWC Annual Member Meeting and Wine Industry Issues Panels! And a special thank you to Rep. Lucetta Elmer and Rep. Anna Scharf for joining us to talk about some of the biggest legislative issues facing Oregon’s wine industry!

11/09/2023

Thank you to the nearly two dozen legislators who joined us in Salem yesterday for the latest meeting of the Oregon Wine Caucus and thank you for supporting Oregon’s wine industry!

08/25/2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us in wine country yesterday to kick off the new Oregon Wine Caucus!

A special thank you to State Senator Michael Dembrow, Senator Aaron Woods, Rep. Lucetta Elmer, Rep. David Gomberg, Our State Representative, Representative Jules Walters, Oregon House District 37 , Rep. Anna Scharf, Rep. Boomer Wright, Rep. Tom Anderson, Rep. Kevin Mannix, Rep. Rob Nosse, and Rep. Travis Nelson - State Representative House District 44 who attended the kick-off event to talk with winegrowers and winemakers from a cross the state about issues impacting our industry.

A special shoutout to Sam Tannahill from A to Z Wineworks and OWC Board Chair, and Alex Sokol Blosser from Sokol Blosser Winery and Oregon Winegrowers Association Board Member, for welcoming the group to wine country!

07/01/2022

Congratulations to OWC President Elin Miller who was highlighted in an article by the Capital Press for her work and advocacy for the agriculture industry

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Elin Miller is an advocate for agriculture.

05/13/2022

Just Announced: The Biden Administration has nominated Alexis Taylor, current Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, to serve as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs for the USDA

03/08/2022

Congrats to OWC member A to Z Wineworks who was recently highlighted in an article by OBI and the Manufacturing Council celebrating manufacturers in Oregon!

You may not think of wine makers as manufacturing operations. But Oregon's successful A to Z Wineworks shows why you should.