World of Wine Festival August 21-24 at Bigham Knoll
This August, Southern Oregon takes center stage of the Oregon wine industry when the World of Wine Festival returns to Jacksonville’s Bigham Knoll. If your favorite vino is a Viognier, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet, Zinfandel or another locally-produced varietal, the place to taste them all is the WOW festival. WOW is pleased to be hosting new events including an Awards Dinner and a Riedel Wine Glass Seminar in addition to returning sensory classes, a Welcome Reception and the Grand Tasting finale. Also new this year, the Southern Oregon Wine Conference will hold its annual meeting at the Bigham Knoll Campus in the events auditorium. Although open to the public, the day-long conference is geared to industry professionals with lectures, presentations and panel discussions.
WOW kicks-off earlier than usual this year on August 8 & 9 for the judging portion of the event, held at Bigham Knoll. More than 50 
Southern Oregon wineries will be entering roughly 200 reds and whites, all vying for medals and making this year’s competition bigger and tastier than ever. Of the participating wineries, nearly 28% are located in the Applegate Valley, 5% are from the Illinois Valley, 50% are in the Rogue Valley and 19% are from the Umpqua Valley.
WOW is very proud that its 2013 judging panel is comprised of three MW’s—Masters of Wine, THE HIGHEST standard awarded to judges in the world. Today, there are only 30 such MW’s in the world, making this year’s competition even more exciting. The 2013 MW judges are: Peter Marks, Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan and Christy Canterbury. All have received multiple national and international awards in recognition of their tasting abilities, raising the level of this year’s wine tasting competition. The blind tasting competition on August 8 & 9 will be followed by an awards dinner on August 9 from 6:00-9:00pm at Historic Hanley Farm, just outside the Jacksonville city limits. During a multi-course dinner served-up by the Jacksonville Inn, guests will be the first to hear the results of the wine competition before anyone else, including the media. Over dinner, attendees will be treated to the judges’ comments about the wines and our region while socializing with winery representatives, members of the industry and event sponsors. Tickets for this special event are available for $125 and are very limited, so order now.
During the week of August 21-24, to-be-announced off-site winery tours will be offered while all other WOW activities will be held under the giant white tent on the Bigham Knoll lawn.
On Wednesday, August 21 from 5:30pm-8:30pm, an informal, low-key Welcome Reception ($25) provides guests, winery owners, industry representatives and sponsors a first chance to meet, mingle and taste Southern Oregon wines under the tent. During this casual affair, guests will enjoy samples of wine that received medals in last year’s competition along with light appetizers and music.
On Thursday and Friday, August 22 & 23, highly-popular beginner and advanced Wine Sensory Classes ($30) offer wine novices and experts alike an opportunity to learn about wine from a panel of experts. Well-known wine experts will delve into a variety of topics from climate, terroir, to varietal characteristics and so much more.
On Thursday, August 22, from 6:30pm-8:00 pm, a NEW Riedel Wine Glass Seminar ($75) is a must-attend event. (Riedel rhymes with needle). Attendees will taste wines from 4 different Riedel Vinum glasses while learning about the world-famous stemware and the effect glassware has on a wine’s flavor, bouquet, balance, taste and finish. The best part…attendees get to keep all 4 glasses, with a retail value of $100+. The European glassmaker Riedel, established in 1756, has been producing glassware for 11 generations—come and learn why size, shape and wine-specific glassware matters and makes a difference.
The 2013 Grand Tasting caps-off the World of Wine Festival on Saturday, August 24 from 6:00pm-9:00pm under the tent at Bigham Knoll. Parking will be abundant with volunteers guiding guests to specially-designated parking areas. The casual affair, attended by 600+ guests last year, offers wine lovers a fun-filled evening to taste every 2013 award-winning wine along with plenty of tasty food from the Jacksonville Inn and other caterers. Limited Grand Tasting tickets are only $75. The Grand Tasting also features a chance to bid on incredible silent auction items with auction proceeds benefiting two deserving Rogue Valley non-profits – The Medford Food Project and 4-H.
For more information and to order tickets, visit WorldofWineFestival.com.
Posted July 18, 2013