2026 MARKETING & PR RECAP SPECIAL UPDATE
CELEBRATING OREGON WINE MONTH IN TUALATIN VALLEY
Explore Tualatin Valley celebrated the wineries and tasting rooms of Tualatin Valley through our Spring Sips promotion, which was expanded from one month to two. The supporting advertising and PR plan was an investment totaling more than $445,000 for the two-month campaign.
Running from May through June 2026, Spring Sips highlighted the region’s wineries, tasting rooms and wine-centered experiences. Designed to inspire visitation, engagement and discovery, the campaign combined a mix of storytelling, digital tools, media outreach and strategic partnerships. It kicked off with the annual Pink! Rosé Festival, designed to showcase the vibrancy and variety of Tualatin Valley’s wine scene.
Key components included the Spring Sips Digital Passport, the return of the Pink! Rosé Festival, targeted advertising and media outreach, and an industry familiarization tour with wine buyers and media. With close to 700 festival attendees, strong winery participation and engagement across digital and social platforms, Spring Sips successfully positioned Tualatin Valley as a must-visit wine destination, all just minutes from Portland.
STRATEGIC APPROACH RESPONDING TO A DECLINING MARKET
Earlier this year, Silicon Valley Bank published its 2026 State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report, which revealed that overall, wine sales and revenue are declining, with no real relief expected in 2026. The report also addressed that walk-in traffic at tasting rooms is also down, and successful wineries need to adapt to changing wants, such as offering fun, educational and food-paired experiences.
With the state of the wine industry in flux, and decreasing traffic at Tualatin Valley wineries, this year, the Spring Sips campaign was guided by the overall mission of getting more wine curious locals and visitors to visit our wineries and tasting rooms. To do so, we focused on creating “gateway experiences” led by the Pink! Rosé Festival and other fun, accessible moments to introduce Tualatin Valley wines to our audience.
ETV’s efforts combined paid media, earned coverage, owned content and experiential activations to generate broad awareness and inspire action. This integrated marketing strategy also included pop-up events and a hospitality familiarization tour introducing industry partners and media to Tualatin Valley wineries.
Paid placements across digital, print, broadcast and social channels ensured reach to both regional and targeted wine-loving audiences, while earned media interviews added authenticity and credibility.
Owned content via Explore Tualatin Valley’s website, newsletters and social channels reinforced key messages, while encouraging participation in the Spring Sips Digital Passport and associated events.
The campaign’s creative direction was rooted in the approachable elegance and natural beauty of Tualatin Valley, brought to life through the unique Spring Sips brand. Messaging emphasized accessibility (just minutes from Portland), community (featuring local winemakers and small producers) and discovery (hidden gems, unique experiences and boutique wineries). Visual storytelling focused on lush vineyard scenes, vibrant spring colors, experiences and peopleforward moments that brought the region’s wine culture to life.
By weaving together a coordinated multi-channel promotion, Spring Sips reinforced Explore Tualatin Valley’s regional brand as Oregon’s most accessible and welcoming wine country, ideal for a day trip, weekend getaway or spontaneous spring adventure.
READ THE FULL REPORT
“THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL IS TO BE RELEVANT TO THE LIFESTYLES OF A DIFFERENT CONSUMER. YOU HAVE TO COMPETE TO EARN SHARE AND BE A PART OF THAT CONSUMERS’ OCCASIONS WHEN THEY CHOOSE TO DRINK.”
–
ROB MCMILLAN EVP & FOUNDER, SVB
WINE DIVISION
SPRING SIPS 2026 AT A GLANCE
Expanded Spring Sips from a one-month promotion to a two-month regional wine campaign, supported by more than $445,000 in marketing, advertising, public relations, and partnership investments.
Welcomed 675 guests to the 5th Annual Pink! Rosé Festival, featuring 28 Tualatin Valley wineries and positioning Pink! as the gateway to exploring local wine country.
Generated more than 31.3 million out-of-home advertising impressions and 394.7 million earned media impressions, significantly elevating awareness of Tualatin Valley as Oregon’s most accessible wine destination.
Launched an expanded Spring Sips Digital Passport, connecting visitors with 36 wineries and tasting rooms and 27 special offers, generating 655 passport sign-ups and 348 on-site check-ins.
Invested in new hospitality and media partnerships, hosting 27 wine buyers, restaurateurs, tour operators, influencers, and journalists on a curated familiarization tour of Tualatin Valley wineries.
Brought wine directly to consumers through new community activations, including Wine Wednesday at Deadstock Coffee and the Tualatin Valley Wine Garden at Hillsboro Pride.
Generated strong digital engagement, with more than 30,900 website visitors, 1.1 million social media impressions, 760,000+ video plays, and 22,000+ website clicks during the campaign.
Created measurable economic value for winery partners, with 45% of participating wineries reporting sales of 2–3 cases of wine during the Pink! Rosé Festival.
HOSPITALITY FAM
BUILDING
AWARENESS
THROUGH INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS
Prior to the start of Spring Sips, ETV invited 27 wine tour operators, wine buyers, restaurants, influencers and media on a wine and hospitality familiarization tour. The curated FAM tour showcased nine Tualatin Valley wineries at three estate vineyards. Keeping with this year’s theme of bringing the wine to the people, the goal was to build connections and partnerships between those who write, buy and sell wine with our winery partners and to foster awareness and shape discovery.
Invited media included:
• Rachel Dennis, The Manual, Tasting Table
• Mary Cressler, Palate Press, @vindulge
• Annelise Kelly, Oregon Wine Press
• Patty Mamula, Oregon Wine Press
“I HAD A GREAT TIME ON THE SPRING SIPS MEDIA TRIP AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT TUALATIN VALLEY’S WINE SCENE! IT BEING THE CLOSEST AVA TO PORTLAND MAKES IT AN EASY DAY-TRIP AND I’M EXCITED TO SHARE MORE WITH MY READERS.”
–
RACHEL DENNIS, THE MANUAL
WATCH SPRING SIPS WINE COUNTRY TOUR VIDEO
PINK! ROSÉ FESTIVAL
CONNECTING WINE LOVERS WITH LOCAL MAKERS
The 5th annual Pink! Rosé Festival welcomed 675 guests for an afternoon of wine tasting, music, and local food at Hillsboro Ballpark. Featuring 28 Tualatin Valley wineries, the event offered a vibrant, community-forward experience celebrating the region’s distinctive rosés and the people who make them. Guests had the opportunity to meet winemakers, discover new favorites, and experience the spirit of spring in Oregon wine country.
As the flagship event of Explore Tualatin Valley’s Spring Sips campaign, Pink! serves as a key gateway to Tualatin Valley wine, connecting local winery partners with both loyal followers and first-time visitors. While attendance reflected broader statewide trends of softer festival ticket sales and participation, consistent with the findings of Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report, the event generated meaningful business for participating wineries and successfully introduced new audiences to the region’s wine experiences.
Each participating winery poured a featured rosé alongside a wine of their choice, while VIP guests enjoyed exclusive tastings from Bluto’s. Comida Kin served fresh, on-site dishes throughout the afternoon, and Stache Chocolate offered handcrafted artisan chocolates for purchase.
Pink! is more than a wine tasting, it’s a celebration of the creativity, community and approachable spirit that define Tualatin Valley wine country.
WATCH THE VIDEO
45% OF PARTICIPATING WINERIES SOLD 2-3 CASES OF WINE DURING THE EVENT.
SPRING SIPS MOBILE PASSPORT
PERFORMANCE REFLECTS
INDUSTRY TRENDS
The Spring Sips Mobile Passport drove visitors to participating wineries, tasting rooms, restaurants and wine bars. The passport encouraged check-ins to earn entries towards a Spring Sips Grand Prize Giveaway, an exclusive Tualatin Valley wine tour.
Integrating the digital mobile passport added an interactive and engaging element to Spring Sips, making it easy for participants to discover new spots while tracking their visits in one convenient place. By leveraging special offers, the passport helped boost foot traffic, extend visitor stay, and increase customer spending at participating locations. Plus, the data insights from checkins provided valuable metrics to measure the campaign’s success and inform future promotions.
Pink! also served as a springboard to actively promote the mobile passport, advertise featured partner offers and showcase how close the wineries are to the event. This increased effort allowed us to introduce wine lovers to participating wineries and drive awareness of the passport.
36 Wineries & Tasting Rooms Participating 9% Increase, Year-Over-Year
27 Special Offers 0% Change, Year-Over-Year
655 Passport Sign-ups 9.4% Decrease, Year-Over-Year
348 Locations Checked-In 64% Increase, Year-Over-Year
51 Offers Redeemed 0% Change, Year-Over-Year
WITH WINERY VISITATION DECLINING NATIONWIDE, SPRING SIPS SAW A 9% INCREASE IN PARTICIPATING WINERIES WHILE CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT
REMAINED CONSISTENT WITH BROADER INDUSTRY TRENDS IDENTIFIED IN SILICON VALLEY BANK’S STATE OF THE U.S. WINE INDUSTRY REPORT.
PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA RESULTS
Explore Tualatin Valley’s public relations and media outreach efforts included pitching stories to local news and media outlets about Spring Sips and how to experience it in the Tualatin Valley.
As a result, Spring Sips earned more than 38 earned media placements with a total circulation of more than 394.7 million, including articles and mentions in the following outlets:
• wineindustryadvisor.com
• bridgetownbites.com
• themanual.com
• kgw.com
• koin.com
• nwtravelmag.com
PAID ADVERTISING
DRIVING AWARENESS & ACTION THROUGH STRATEGIC MEDIA PLACEMENTS
Explore Tualatin Valley supported Spring Sips with a robust advertising campaign that included digital, broadcast, social media and out-of-home advertising.
DIGITAL ADVERTISING
Eye-catching visuals and strategic placements helped generate awareness, drive traffic to Pink!, the Spring Sips Passport and ultimately increase winery and tasting room visits. By leveraging digital ads and sponsored eBlasts, Spring Sips maximized exposure across multiple platforms, ensuring a wider audience discovered and engaged with the campaign.
Key placements for the digital ads included:
• Here is Oregon / OregonLive (social promotion)
• Portland Mercury (eNewsletter takeovers)
• Willamette Week (eNewsletter takeover)
• Oregon Wine Board (eNewsletter and social media post)
• Sip (eNewsletter)
• PDX Pipeline (eNewsletter)
• NW Travel + Life (eNewsletter)
• Wine Spectator (eNewsletter)
PORTLAND
PAID ADVERTISING
OUT OF HOME (OOH) & PRINT
OUT-OF-HOME
ADVERTISING
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising was a key component of the Spring Sips campaign, providing high-visibility placements that reached both locals and visitors in real-world settings.
Billboards, transit ads and other signage helped build brand awareness and reinforced the campaign’s presence beyond digital channels. By strategically placing ads in high-traffic areas, OOH advertising kept Spring Sips top of mind, encouraging participation and winery visits.
• Twelve Digital billboards in Portland Metro Region - 13,439,450 impressions
• Two Digital billboards in Seattle / Tacoma area (I-5 Corridor) - 8,329,160 impressions
• Washington Square Digital Spectacular580,186 impressions
• Train Wrap, Bus Tails and Station Panelsover 9 million impressions
PRINT ADVERTISING
Print advertising played a key role in amplifying the Spring Sips and overall Tualatin Valley wine message across the Pacific Northwest. By placing targeted ads in high-quality regional and national lifestyle publications, we reached wine enthusiasts and curious travelers inviting them to discover the flavors, experiences and scenic beauty of Tualatin Valley.
• 425 (Seattle)
• 1889
• 1859
• AAA Via
• Condè Nast Travel
• Imbibe
• Northwest Travel + Life
• Portland Monthly
• Seattle Met
• Wine Enthusiast
• Wine Spectator
OVER THE TWO-MONTH CAMPAIGN PERIOD, THE SPRING SIPS MESSAGE REACHED 31.3 MILLION IMPRESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE PORTLAND METRO AND I-5 CORRIDOR!
PAID ADVERTISING BROADCAST
For Spring Sips, we also leveraged our partnership with KOIN 6 and CW Portland to bring Tualatin Valley’s winemakers to a wider audience through a dynamic broadcast and digital campaign.
WATCH THE SEGMENTS
Throughout May and June, a different Tualatin Valley winemaker was featured in a live onair segment during “Wine Wednesday” on EverydayNW, highlighting their unique offerings and encouraging viewers to explore the Spring Sips mobile passport and other offerings. This partnership provided invaluable exposure, driving awareness, engagement and visits to participating locations from the wider Portland market, as well as southwest Washington.
TOM MELILLO, OLEA VINEYARD
SHANE KELLY, THE GOOD VIBES TOURS
BERTONY FAUSTIN, ABBEY CREEK
WATCH THE SPRING SIPS PASSPORT LAUNCH
PAID ADVERTISING BROADCAST
(CONT.)
iHEART MEDIA & K103
In partnership with iHeart Media and Portland’s K103, “Voices from the Vineyards” launched as a multi-channel program featuring Stacey Lynn, DJ and Portland local, as the ambassador in residence. Throughout the Spring Sips campaign, Stacey Lynn interviewed eight winemakers and Shane Kelly of The Good Vibes Tour, while also sharing stories about the best wine destinations, events and happenings in the Tualatin Valley. Additionally, IHeart Radio conducted an on-air giveaway for VIP tickets to Pink.
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS:
• 3,305,119 Spring Sips Streaming Audio Impressions Served
• 574 Broadcast Radio Commercials promoting Pink! and Spring Sips
• 63 Pink! Promotion spots delivering 352,312 Impressions
• 137 “Meet The Makers” Broadcast Radio spots delivering 973,369 Impressions
• Included 8 different maker interviews with DJ Stacey Lynn
5,256,749 TOTAL IMPRESSIONS VIA 774 SPOTS!
OWNED MEDIA & WEBSITE CONNECTING WITH AUDIENCES THROUGH ENGAGING DIGITAL EXPERIENCES
WEBSITE PERFORMANCE
“Owned” media, which included Facebook, Instagram, spring-sips.com and tualatinvalley.org, were used to supplement and enhance ETV’s paid and earned media efforts to promote Spring Sips.
TOP WEBSITE VISITOR REGIONS
• Oregon: 28,366
• Washington: 12,927
• California: 1,062
SOCIAL MEDIA PERFORMANCE
Due to new restrictions on alcohol content on Meta platforms, paid social ads focused on the Pink! event, digital passport and deals, with winemaker and destination storytelling woven in throughout. The content performed well across the Spring Sips and Explore Tualatin Valley’s social channels, with campaign paid and organic posts generating:
• Over 1.1 million impressions
• 760,397 video plays
• 22,159 clicks
• Over 5,200 engagements (likes, comments, shares, saves)
Overall Visitors: 30,925
Page Performance:
• Home: 15,907
• Pink! Rosé Festival: 24,379
• Digital Passport: 3,931
• Guided Wine Tours: 3,522
• Events: 135
SPRING SIPS POP-UP ACTIVATIONS
BRINGING WINE TO THE PEOPLE
In-person engagement played a key role in the success of Spring Sips, helping to build local awareness and create authentic connections with wine lovers. By bringing the campaign directly to the people, we introduced Tualatin Valley’s wineries in an approachable, memorable way.
WINE WEDNESDAY AT DEADSTOCK COFFEE
ETV partnered with the Beaverton location of Deadstock Coffee for a “Wine Wednesday” event, May 7, showcasing local wines and wineries, including:
• Abundancia Vineyards
• Alloro Vineyard
• Abbey Creek Winery
• La Randonnée Wines
• Oak Knoll Winery
HILLSBORO PRIDE
The Hillsboro Pride event on June 6 featured more than 64 vendors and community organizations. As the exclusive alcohol sponsor, Explore Tualatin Valley hosted a wine and beer garden highlighting pours from a few of Tualatin Valley’s wineries and breweries, including:
• Cooper Mountain Vineyards
• Apolloni Vineyards
• Maloof Wines
• Proteus Wines
• Breakside Brewing
Event organizers promoted the event via its own channels, resulting in 2.8K page impressions on the Pride events page and 116K impressions about the event.
WINE WEDNESDAY WITH DEADSTOCK COFFEE
WATCH THE VIDEO
TUALATIN VALLEY WINE GARDEN AT HILLSBORO PRIDE
“BRINGING THIS EVENT TO LIFE IS INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL; WE ARE THRILLED TO HOST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CELEBRATION OF BELONGING AND COMMUNITY.”
– FESTIVAL ATTENDEE
LOOKING AHEAD
CONTINUING
TO GROW AWARENESS, PARTNERSHIPS & VISITATION
Spring Sips 2026 maintained a steady presence for Tualatin Valley by utilizing targeted marketing and leveraging partnerships to keep Tualatin Valley visible as an approachable wine destination. Despite a more conservative economic climate and shifting consumer habits surrounding alcohol, the campaign provided steady touchpoints, including the return of the Pink! Rosé Festival, connecting local restaurants, wine bars and media with winemakers, offering guided wine tours and encouraging ongoing engagement with the wineries via the digital passport.
As we look ahead, ETV will continue to tell the destination’s wine story by leaning into focused cross-platform storytelling and selective advertising efforts to continue to build awareness, engagement and support of Tualatin Valley’s wine industry.
Cheers!
