OWP’s New Annual

By Hilary Berg, OWP Editor

Oregon Wine Press is proud to present the 2013 Oregon Wine Almanac. It’s our newest publication set to be an annual occurrence and one to keep year-round.

I believe this is the first time a wine pub has attempted to list all bonded and licensed wineries in Oregon, including pertinent neighboring wineries to the north in Washington.

In the directory portion, OWP has also included restaurants that support Oregon wine —most honored with a 2013 Superior Cellar Award — as well as industry listings, lodging listings, wine retail listings and a calendar of Oregon’s most treasured wine festivals and events.

In addition to the directory, you will find what used to be printed in OWP’s January issue: top production numbers, a harvest review, most important stories of 2012 and the OWP Wine Person of the Year. For 2012, we were unanimous in choosing the dynamic duo of Ken and Karen Wright. A long overdue recipient, this couple is truly impressive.

Their successful winery with its impassioned following around the world is enough to grant them oodles of accolades. The Wrights’ support of and involvement in their community — in both Carlton and the wine industry — merits serious recognition. Their charity, vision, dedication and drive also deserve a standing ovation, but it’s always such a thrill to award those who are also genuinely nice.

After sitting down to lunch with them recently, I became captivated with the Wrights. To be honest, I was always a bit intimidated; but after breaking bread with them, I realized how down-to-earth, approachable and truly passionate they are — not to mention lots of fun, too. 

After revealing their award status to co-workers, people nodded in agreement and some offered heart-warming stories of their interactions with Ken and Karen. 

One such story involved my friend, Nathalie, and her son. They were playing at Wennerberg Park in Carlton when a bee stung Sam. Ken, who happened to be in the park at that moment, rushed over to help. He offered to run to a nearby restaurant to grab an onion, a homeopathic remedy for stings. When he returned with the onion and showed her how to apply the natural salve, she was humbled by his genuine generosity. The onion worked its magic, and so did Ken...

OWP is honored to give the 2012 Wine Persons of the Year Award to Ken and Karen Wright. We thank them for ALL they do in and out of the wine industry.