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EVENTS New wine festival planned for Ashland in October Comment By MJ Daspit for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By MJ Daspit for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2016 at 4:17 PM By MJ Daspit for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2016 at 4:17 PM » Social News Ashland residents Tom Berich and Trevor Sellman believe Ashland needs a wine festival — and they’re doing something about it. Their nonprofit organization, Oregon Cultural Outreach and Events, recently announced the first Southern Oregon Wine Festival will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15 and 16, at the Historic Ashland Armory, 208 Oak St. The event aims to bring together more than 25 Southern Oregon wineries with food and craft vendors and live music. Proceeds from ticket sales, donations and raffles will be used to support arts organizations in Southern Oregon. Southern Oregon was touted as one of the world’s top-10 wine-tourism destinations in the February 2016 edition of Wine Enthusiast magazine, and Berich and Sellman agree the recognition underscores the timing and the choice of Ashland as the site of the festival — but point out they had formed their idea for the event several weeks before the Wine Enthusiast ist was published. Driving from Portland to Ashland, Berich and Sellman were struck by the number of wineries between Eugene and Ashland. Berich recalls, “I said to Trevor, look up Southern Oregon Wine Festival and see where that is. And he said, 'There is no Southern Oregon Wine Festival.' I said, 'What do you mean?' That was literally where the idea was born.” Berich and Sellman, who both are musicians, met through a steel drum group Berich formed at Southern Oregon University under the auspices of Music Department percussionist and professor Terry Longshore. Berich’s background includes experience in event management and production, conventions and trade shows and five years as a producer at Nickelodeon. Sellman is a recent graduate of the SOU Business School and the Oregon Center for the Arts, with experience working at the Britt Festival. In planning the Southern Oregon Wine Festival, Berich and Sellman are reaching out to both potential attendees and wineries for ideas on how to broaden the event’s appeal. Berich’s contacts at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival expressed a strong feeling that the event days should include a Sunday, because many theater staffers would be able to attend that day. The choice of dates, Oct. 15-16, was also made with the OSF schedule in mind, as it is the weekend of the last performances at the outdoor venue, the Elizabethan Stage. “There are going to be a lot of people in town looking for things to do during the day,” Berich says. Wine professionals have expressed concern that in mid-October, with harvest in full swing, winery personnel will be fully occupied processing fruit and unable to attend the festival. Berich and Sellman acknowledge this but expect larger wineries will be able to spare tasting room staff to pour at the festival. “Chances are the smaller ones aren’t going to be able to make it and, while I feel bad about that, we have sort of limited space anyway, so it’s kind of on a first-come, first-served basis," Berich adds. "So we’re kind of expecting it to be the larger wineries for now. Since this is our first shot at this, when we do it again next year we’ll alter the date a little bit to get more people involved. As with any first event of this sort, there may be a hiccup.” Michael Donovan, president of the Southern Oregon Winery Association, commented, “With all the positive press coming out about our wines in Southern Oregon, it is not surprising that enterprising nonprofits see the benefits of working with our local wine community.” A schedule, ticket information and vendor and musician applications will be posted on the event website at www.sowinefest.com . Call Oregon Cultural Outreach and Events at 541-227-8109 or email [email protected]. Ashland freelance writer MJ Daspit is co-author of "Rogue Valley Wine." By MJ Daspit for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By MJ Daspit for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2016 at 4:17 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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