For those who enjoy a glass of wine unplugged – that is, sipping without simultaneously tapping out tasting notes on a keyboard – don’t panic. The World of Wine Festival’s Grand Tasting event, although moved to Jacksonville, will seem familiar.

As at past WOW events, you’ll be feted on Aug. 27 to a buffet dinner and round-the-region samples of artisan cheese, chocolate, even tea. You will also be able to taste more than 150 wines made from Southern Oregon grapes, including those awarded medals by professional judges. And you’ll meet the winemakers.

Multitaskers who prefer to swirl, sniff and Tweet during the event will be happy, too. Organizers are bringing technology into the tent. The 9th Annual WOW Festival has evolved to please Baby Boom traditionalists and those Gen-Xers and Millennials who embrace digital enology.  For the first time, there will be a WOW Wine Store set up at Bigham Knoll Event Center, the setting of an expanded series of wine-centric events. But there will also be an e-commerce site, the launch of BuyRogue.com. Also being introduced is a People’s Choice Award. Votes can be cast in person and, perhaps, sent via smart phones.

Postage stamp-size Quick Response barcodes may be printed on signs and tags to direct users to websites with more information. There is talk of Foursquare check-ins, geotracking and Google map overlays of participating wineries, restaurants and lodging. Expect a YouTube video series, instantly uploaded Facebook photos and uncountable Tweets from organizers and attendees.
It’s all part of the youth wine revolution that’s setting up play dates in Jacksonville. Tech-savvy wine appreciators, age 21 to 35, are showing up more often at tasting rooms, restaurants, shops and real estate offices, says Liz Wan, a wine-marketing consultant specializing in the Applegate Valley.

“Everyone wants to be inclusive because the desires of the generations overlap,” she says, “but the generations are also super unique. Millennials go deep in their research because they can access it at their fingertips in no time flat. They have been trained since birth to be info junkies. And if they happen to be into wine, they don’t do it halfway.”

The younger generations, who admit to sleeping with their cellphones, want interactive experiences, Wan says. They don’t care about reading Robert Parker’s judgment as much as poring over peer-to-peer reviews posted on Yelp or CellarTracker, then posting their own opinion.

In addition to the quality of the wine, they want to know how the winery operates: Does it have sustainable practices? A cool label design? Unpretentious tasting room staffers who take them seriously? Says Wan, who represents Serra Vineyards: “These consumers want to affect the world based on their purchases.”

Surveys show that although younger wine drinkers don’t have the spending power of older adults, they are willing to pay more than $20 for every fourth bottle they buy, compared to one in eight for Baby Boomers. They see supporting Oregon wineries as investing in the Buy Local philosophy. Now, only 15 to 18 percent of the wine sold in Oregon is made here.

“From my experience, the older set wants to know about the accolades and hear from experts what they are supposed to like,” says Mandy Valencia, 28, a wine reporter-videographer at the Medford Mail Tribune. “For my age group, it’s not 90 points on Wine Spectator or buying a showstopper, but a nice drinkable wine that you have good feelings toward.”

Wine tasting, she continues, is “almost like a treasure hunt, the adventure of going out, discovering new wineries and learning, then Tweeting and inviting friends to join you.”

Valencia says she’ll be at WOW’s Grand Tasting. “It’s communal,” she says. “You can’t fit all your friends into a car and go to different tasting rooms. But you can invite 25 or 30 of your friends to meet you there. WOW brings all the taste to you.”
For more information, please visit http://worldofwinefestival.com.

Janet Eastman covers food, wine and travel for national publications and websites. Her work can be seen at www.janeteastman.com.