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W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 17 P ortland, Ore.—Oregon wines have made headway with consumers dur- ing the past five years, but there is still room for improvement, accord- ing to experts speaking at the Oregon Wine Symposium held Feb. 25-26 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. "One of Oregon's barriers has been dis- tribution in the marketplace," said Chris- tian Miller, proprietor of Full Glass Research and research director of Wine Opinions. Luckily, consumer perception of this problem is on the upswing. According to Wine Opinions' survey of perceived marketing conditions, 52% of respondents said retailers carry many wines from Oregon and can recommend them, a 19% increase since 2009. Addi- tionally, the number of respondents who said Oregon wines were difficult to find on the shelves fell to 24% from 32% in 2009. Of regular wine drinkers whom Wine Opinions surveyed in January 2014, 31% report that they're buying more wine from the Willamette Valley, while just 7% say they're buying less. Eleven percent of respondents say they're buying more wine from non-specified Oregon locations, while just 6% say they're buying less. Looking at Pinot Noir specifically, 44% of respondents reported buying more Wil- lamette Valley Pinot Noir, while 6% reported buying less. Sixteen percent of those surveyed are buying more Pinot Noir from the Oregon appellation (compared to 7% buying less). Among self-identified Pinot Noir fans, 55% said they drink Oregon Pinot fre- quently; 41% of high-end wine consumers report the same. In spite of these glowing numbers from Wine Opinions, the statistics lag behind California Pinot Noir figures, for which 86% of Pinot Noir fans reported drinking the variety from that state and 51% of high-end consumers reported the same. In the retail segment, during the 52 weeks ending Jan. 5, 2013, Oregon wine sales grew 6.5% by value and 5.2% by volume, comprising nearly 1% of all table wine sold in outlets tracked by Nielsen Co. With an average bottle price of $15.39 during the same time period, Oregon wines net prices higher than California, Washington or imported wines. —Kate Lavin Oregon Pulls Ahead With DtC Sales Willamette Valley Pinot Noir gains in popularity as distribution improves Learn more: Search keywords "Oregon DtC Sales." winesandvines.com direct to conSuMer wine Shipping report Oregon DtC Shipments Cases Value Change in Value Pinot Noir 67,957 $38.2 million 18.9% Chardonnay 8,485 $3.2 million -6.6% Red blend 6,957 $2.1 million 24.2% Pinot Gris/Grigio 6,737 $1.5 million 14.9% A P R I L N E W S