This just in from Les Martin Executive Chairman for the festival..."Following are the judges which I was fortunate to arrange for this year’s competition." - Great job Les! 

Christy Canterbury, MW – Christy is one of seven female US national Masters of Wine and an author, speaker and wine judge based in Manhattan.  She also contributes articles to Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Food Arts, Sommelier Journal and Snooth.  She is the Consulting Editor of the book Rock and Vine (February 2013 release).  Previously, Christy was the National Wine Director for Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and the Global Beverage Director for Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges.

Peter Marks, MW – Peter, Vice President of Wine Education for Constellation Brands, manages the Constellation Academy of Wine team, which is responsible for Constellation Brands’ diverse wine education programs.  Peter is one of only 30 Masters of Wine residing in America and received the MW title in 1995, when he also became the first American to receive the Madame Bollinger Foundation Award, which is bestowed annually to the MW candidate with the highest blind tasting score. 

Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, MW – Jennifer is the fourth woman in the US to ever attain the international title of Master of Wine (MW).  She was also honored with an international tasting trophy for her palate and holds an additional 5 leading wine and spirits certifications.  She is the author of The One Minute Wine Master: Discover 10 Wines You’ll Like in 60 Seconds or Less and co-author of Pairing with the Masters: A Definitive Guide to Food & Wine along with Certified Master Chef Ken Arnone.  Jennifer is also the author and host of five DVD series on wine and spirits.

Over the past three months OWA has continued to represent the views of membership in a series of meetings convened to discuss commercial activity on farmland. The working group meetings include a broad range of interested parties and are chaired by Governor Kitzhaber's Natural Resources Advisor Richard Whitman. The group has been working to find consensus on sunset provisions of HB 3280 leading into the 2013 Oregon Legislative Session.  Attending on behalf of your Board have been OWA Land Use Committee Chairman and OWA Vice-President Bill Sweat, OWA President Emeritus Michael Donovan and OWA Board member Sam Tannahill. As noted in the last Land Use Bulletin on October 15, the legislative concepts unanimously adopted by the OWA Board on September 11 were presented to the working group on September 17 and have served an important role in framing the discussions. OWA's two land use surveys and statewide Listening Tour feedback have also helped OWA's Board representatives articulate membership positions. The working group is expected to meet at least one more time before the Oregon State Legislature convenes its general session on February 4 with the goal of introducing legislative language agreed to by all stakeholders. 

Concurrently OWA has also been working with the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, Southern Oregon Wineries Association, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, Winegrowers Association of Central Oregon, and the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers to find a path that will allow the Oregon wine industry to speak with a unified voice and present a common position to the Governor's land use working group and the Oregon State Legislature.  
  
As part of the effort, your OWA Board voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to further clarify OWA's position on the 18 special event days as follows. Special event days 1-6 will be subject to an administrative process, allowing the county to impose conditions as outlined in OWA's Legislative Concept 2. These first six events would not be subject to a local appeal and would not be a land use decision. This is a safe harbor for wineries that may want to hold an event from time to time. A special events license allowing 7-18 event days would be subject to the same administrative process, but would be treated as a land use decision subject to public notice and the opportunity for a local appeal. A final local decision would be appealable to the Land Use Board of Appeals. The OWA Board also agreed that all wineries on land zoned exclusively for farm-use, including wineries that secure conditional use permits, should be subject to the 25% income limitation outlined in Legislative Concept 3. OWA positions, adopted unanimously by your Board in Sept., which clarified marketing vs. non-marketing events and food service, remain unchanged.    
 
OWA hopes to receive endorsements from AVA's around the state in the coming weeks.

This is interesting news considering the recent numbers released by Silicon Valley Bank regarding statistics within our industry in 2012. A special thank you to our locals, Michael Donovan & others for representing the interests of Southern Oregon.

In 2011 the Southern Oregon wine industry partnered with the city & business leaders of Jacksonville, Oregon to facilitate growth of Southern Oregons' World of Wine grand tasting into a multi-day festival. One of the additional offerings last year for the first time ever was a duo of classes open to both the trade & the public focused on wine education. With standing room only in both classes offered last year, the Executive Committee of the event is proud to offer the following four classes this year.

August 23rd, 2012

Morning Session - 930am
The History of the Rogue Valley
Presented by MJ Daspit
Come learn the history of our wine growing region & the varietals that have thrived within it. Discover little known facts about the families and the wines that have brought our industry to where it is in the state of Oregon. While we fill our heads with knowledge, we will be pouring two medal winners from festivals past to sip on.
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Afternoon Session - 1pm
A Sensory Exploration
Presented by Dwayne Bershaw
Dwayne Bershaw, Associate Director of the Southern Oregon Wine Institute at Umpqua Community College, will lead the class on how to evaluate & identify wines. He will teach us helpful systems & tools to both identify varietals & flaws in addition to pairing wines with food. Palates attending should be prepared to explore two flights of four to five wines.
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August 24th, 2012

Morning Session - 930am
“Unraveling the Mystique of Terroir in Southern Oregon & Beyond”
Presented by Dr. Greg Jones
The term 'terroir' is a French notion that encompasses the climate, landscape, soil, and people that contribute to the growing of great grapes and the making of fine wine. Unlike most other beverages, wine has a special quality of invoking positive images of a specific place - it is the expression of the distinctiveness and individuality of a particular site. While many of the effects of terroir on wine production are reasonably well known, other aspects and their interrelationships are more mystical. This talk will provide some insight into what we know about terroir and its role on wine typicity and style and provide examples of different terroirs around the world and Southern Oregon, where unlike centuries-old wine regions, grape growers are still understanding the region’s terroir and the varietals that do well here.
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Afternoon Session - 1pm
Southern Oregon vs. The Old World
Presented by Dr. Peter Adesman
Physician by day and wine educator by night, Dr. Adesman has long been revered by Southern Oregon wine nuts for his palate. In addition to commanding a cult "cork dork" following Dr. Adesman tends to be extraordinarily generous with his extremely deep cellar. As such we have coerced him into leading a side by side tasting of some of the best wines produced in the Old World next to some of the brightest stars produced in Southern Oregon. Which wines will your palate prefer? You'll have to join us to find out....seats are limited for this class and it is sure to sell out early, so get your tickets today!
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Tickets for each class is $30 per person and seats are limited at 30 people per class to ensure an intimate learning environment. The goal of the committee is to continue to expand the number of classes each year and to do so, we need your support & attendance! For more information & to check out all of the events happening at this years festival, please visit www.worldofwinefestival.com

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the Magnolia Inn as I proudly pour fine wines from Serra Vineyards! Here are the details for those interested...

Saturday June 9 • 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Downtown Jacksonville
No admission fee; prices apply for specific activities 

Spend the day in Jacksonville celebrating the beginning of another Britt summer in Jacksonville. The afternoon will include live music, food from local restaurants, demonstrations by the artists of Art Presence, a wine walk featuring several local wineries, children’s activities on the courthouse grounds, street performers and more!

Live Music Location: SOUTH 3rd STREET
Blue Lightning: 12-2 p.m.
Left: 2-4 p.m.

Location: CALIFORNIA STREET (next to Pico's Worldwide)
Phoenix Sigalove: 12-2 p.m.
Kites & Crows: 2-4 p.m

Location: NORTH 3rd STREET (next to Blue Door Garden Store)
Djamenco: 12-2 p.m.
The Fret Drifters: 2-4 p.m

Location: COURTHOUSE STEPS
The Blank Notes: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Wine Walk The following wineries and tasting rooms are participating in the wine walk. Tickets will be available, beginning at noon, at the Britt/Chamber booth at the corner of S. 3rd Street and California

Wine tastings ticket: $14
Wine glass: $8
Tastings are open from 12-4 p.m.

Belle Fiore, Caprice Vineyards, Cliff Creek Cellars, Corks Wine Bar, Daisy Creek, Devitt WInery, Edenvale Winery, Fiasco, Grizzly Peak, LaBrasseur, Merrill Cellars, Pebblestone Cellars, Quady North, Serra Vineyards, Soloro Vineyards, South Stage Cellars, Umpqua Wineries, Valley View Vineyards, Weisinger's Vineyard

Beer Garden Beer garden sponsored by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, located at the northeast corner of California and 5th Stret.

Food Booths on 3rd Street by: Frau Kemmling, Bella Union, Gary West, Back Porch BBQ

Also, local restaurants will be open!

Free Puppet Show Performance Britt and The Storytelling Guild present the Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre performance "When Animals Were People"

Show time: 3:30 p.m., Britt Pavilion
Free admission, with donation of new or gently used book for local outreach programs 

Art Presence  The following artists will be demonstrating downtown:
Anne Brooke
Alx Fox
Cheryl Garcia
Katharine Gracey
Ron and Dee Moore

Also, the Art Presence Art Center on N. 5th Street (former children's museum/courthouse area) will be open, with artists present. 

Children's Activities Doc Griffin Park will be a hub for young children's activities, including activities by local churches, World Arts Outreach and more

Activities on the Courthouse lawn: Farmers' market
Demonstration by Wildlife Images
Paragliding demonstration

Classic Cars Street Performers Thanks to Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
Jacksonville Oregon Business Association
Airport Chevrolet
Wineries and Tasting Rooms
Art Presence artists
City of Jacksonville

For more information, visit the Britt Festivals website!