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2012 Projects Keck Summer Collaborative Research Projects

7-25-2012

Regional Identity and the Reputation of Willamette Valley Wines: A Regional Identity and the Reputation of Willamette Valley Wines: A

Multiple Stakeholder Assessment Multiple Stakeholder Assessment

Katherine Byers Linfield College

Julia Prow Linfield College

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/keck_2012

Part of the Agribusiness Commons, Marketing Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons,

Sales and Merchandising Commons, and the Viticulture and Oenology Commons

Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Byers, Katherine and Prow, Julia, "Regional Identity and the Reputation of Willamette Valley Wines: A Multiple Stakeholder Assessment" (2012). 2012 Projects. Presentation. Submission 1. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/keck_2012/1

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Regional Identity and the Reputation of Willamette Valley Wines: A Multiple Stakeholder Assessment

Kathie Byers & Julia Prow July 25th, 2012

The art & science of wine tasting

Agenda

•  Project Overview •  Some Definitions •  History of the Willamette Valley

Wine Industry •  Project Steps

Project Overview •  Purpose of the research: to assess the

reputation of Willamette Valley wines •  Emphasis is on the relationship between

the regional identity of the Willamette Valley and the reputation of its wines

•  Perceptions of a variety of individuals and groups of interest

Some Definitions •  Reputation: collective assessments of a corporation or

industry. •  Assessed by stakeholders: persons or groups with a stake,

or direct interest or involvement in the activities or outcomes of a firm or industry

•  Based on perceptions with the following components: •  Affective (feeling) •  Cognitive (thinking) •  Behavioral intention (doing)

•  May be positive or negative.

Based on Barnett, Jermier, & Lafferty, 2006; Formbrun, 1996; Oberts & Dowling, 2002; and Walker, 2010.

Some Definitions

•  Positive reputation is associated with outcomes such as •  Increased market value •  Profitability •  Investor satisfaction and loyalty •  Ability to charge premium prices

Based on Black, Carnes & Richardson, 2000; Helm, 2007; Jones, Jones, & Little, 2000; and Vergin & Qoronfleh, 1998.

IDENTITY: What internal stakeholders

perceive

IMAGE: What

companies want others to

perceive REPUTATION: A collective

assessment of stakeholders

Some Definitions •  Regional identity: character of a geographical area;

enduring, central features that distinguish the area from others

•  Willamette Valley wines: wines from Oregon’s largest American Viticultural Area (AVA) •  200 wineries with over 12,000 acres of wine

grapes •  Six sub-appellations: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee

Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton

Based on Atkin & Johnson, 2010; and www.oregonwineboard.com.

History of the Willamette Valley Wine Industry   Beginning in 1961 the first “wine pioneers” came to

Oregon ◦  Richard Sommer – Hillcrest Vineyard ◦  David Lett – Eyrie Vineyards ◦  Charles Coury – Charles Coury Winery ◦  Dick Erath – Erath Vineyards

  Believed it was possible to successfully grow wine grapes in Oregon, despite discouragement from their colleagues at University of California Davis Based on www.oregonwineboard.com

History of the Willamette Valley Wine Industry  Wine pioneers planted first Pinot Noir &

Chardonnay, Riesling in 1965; Became official AVA in 1984

  Beginnings were rough, but the families were hard workers – holding additional jobs to support their wine endeavors

  Truly believed Oregon would one day become an important wine-growing region

  Sense of collaboration and fraternity Based on www.oregonwineboard.com; and “Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place”

Clip from OPB's Oregon Experience:

“ Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place”

History of the Willamette Valley Wine Industry: Primary Varietals Pinot Noir

  Troublesome and finicky to grow •  Flavor can be fruity, or earthy/woodsy

Pinot Gris •  Believed to come from Pinot Noir grape •  Fruity aromas

Riesling •  “Noble” variety: light and crisp •  Never treated with oak

Chardonnay •  Full-bodied; fruity, sometimes earthy aromas •  Most chardonnays receive oak treatment

History of the Willamette Valley Wine Industry: Indicators of Reputation   In 1979, David Lett’s Pinot Noir placed in top ten at the Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades

 Since then, Oregon has won numerous international awards   International Pinot Noir Celebration held for 25 years in the Willamette Valley

  Willamette Valley now recognized as one of the premier wine producing areas in the world   Quality, terroir, and sustainability (e.g., LIVE, Demeter biodynamic, Oregon Certified Sustainable winery) are factors commonly associated with the WV and the reputation of WV wine

Project Steps Phase I: Literature Review and Pre-Interview Conversations   Reviewed literature and archival information in three

main areas: ◦  Corporate and industry reputation ◦  Wine business ◦  History of Willamette Valley wine industry

  Spoke with knowledgeable individuals such as Oregon Wine Board executives, vineyard and winery owners ◦  Rounded out our view of the industry ◦  Helped to define client needs for the research ◦  Identified a set of experts to interview

Project Steps Phase II: Interviews   Purpose: to gather information about regional identity

and reputation to guide construction of survey instrument

  Interviewees to include winery owners   Interview areas

1)  Regional identity associated with WV wines 2)  Process of building and maintaining reputation of WV

wine industry 3)  Key affective, cognitive, and behavioral components of

perceptions of WV wines 4)  What attracts stakeholders to WV wines 5)  Impact of winery activities to help or hinder reputation

Project Steps Phase III: Survey   Purpose: to assess key aspects of the

reputation of WV wines from multiple stakeholder perspectives

 Online questionnaire of certain stakeholders (e.g., consumers and distributors) and face-to-face questioning of others (e.g., retailers, sommeliers, restaurant owners)

  Likely to be limited to Portland-area stakeholders for this pilot project

Questions?