Oregon Wine Council Pt 2
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. The Oregon Wine Council is a newly-formed body aimed at keeping the industry competitive following a year filled with divisiveness in the ranks.
OWC Co-Chair Elin Miller says the move comes after legislation proposed by the Oregon Wine Association that did not serve the industry well …
MILLER … “And, it was a very unfortunate situation where we felt if our own association is not necessarily representing our interests from a policy, taxation or marketing policy basis, then we needed to form our own entity so our voice could be heard.”
Miller says the time was right …
MILLER … “We felt that the overarching focus of regulatory oversight was working pretty well in Oregon and I think there was some misunderstanding on some other issues and then it got very contentious and very aggressive.”
And, Miller says they are really pleased with the support …
MILLER … “We’re just very excited, again, about looking forward and how we can truly be representative of the industry as a whole. I think challenges we’ve got structurally and governance wise on how wine grapes are being taxed and how those tax dollars are flowing in an equitable way everywhere, making sure there’s the right representation going forward. And, I look forward to some really positive dialogues with some immediate changes that could be made.”
Miller says the OWC is calling for no new wine-specific legislation in the 2020 Legislative short session while reaching out to leaders of regional wine associations.
