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16 WINES&VINES April 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS P ortland, Ore.—Preliminary figures presented to the Oregon Wine Symposium indicate the industry had a $5.76 billion economic impact in 2016, a 72% increase over 2013, the year examined in the previous re- port published in 2015. The data is from a new eco- nomic impact report Christian Miller of Berkeley, Calif.-based Full Glass Research has been preparing for the Oregon Wine Board. The economic impact figure reflects not only the growth of the Oregon wine industry but also the overall health of the economy in Oregon. Miller told the symposium that the multiplier factor—the figure used to extrapolate the broader im- pact the industry is having across the economy—was greater than in previous reports because of the more robust nature of the economy. The impact of spending, for in- stance, was multiplied 1.8 times in the new report, up from 1.2 times in the previous iteration. This translated into a 72% in- crease in the industry's economic impact between 2013 and 2016, almost triple the 24% increase logged between 2010 and 2013, as the industry fought its way back from the Great Recession. "Economically, Oregon has made a tremendous increase in its impact," Miller reported, noting that wineries rang up $529 million in sales in 2016. Accumulated value To protect its accumulated equity, the Oregon wine industry is under- taking several initiatives. To give the industry a better understand- ing of what constitutes a competi- tive salary for workers, Jeff Peterson, an associate professor affiliated with the wine studies program at Linfield College in Mc- Minnville, Ore., and director of the Linfield Center for the Northwest, is conducting a study to benchmark salaries in the industry. Based on approximately 170 initial responses, the study has determined average base salaries for head winemakers, vineyard managers and tasting room man- agers of $73,633, $52,460 and $42,015, respectively. With the proliferation of sub- appellations within the Willa- mette Valley AVA, including the proposed Van Duzer Corridor, Tualatin Hills, Mount Pisgah and Laurelwood AVAs, veteran wine- makers David Adelsheim and Ken Wright are leading efforts to pro- tect the accumulated value in the Willamette Valley name. Many wineries in the AVAs nested within the Willamette Val- ley have not been using the Wil- lamette Valley designation on their labels. "In the process of becoming so specific with these AVAs, we've forgotten the value of the Willa- mette Valley," Wright said. —Peter Mitham Wine's Economic Impact in Oregon Up 72% OREGON WINE INDUSTRY'S IMPACT GROWS 2010 2013 2016 Total Economic Impact $2.7 billion $3.35 billion $5.76 billion Winery Revenues $252 million $363 million $529 million Wine Tourism $158.5 million $207.5 million $787 million Winery employment 2,048 2,437 2,993 Vineyard employment 571 749 1,053 Source: Full Glass Research