Below, you will find a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding our winery selection process.
Q: Why did our winery not receive an invitation to submit?
A: Invitations are sent to wineries that have never participated as an IPNC featured winery, as well as wineries that haven't participated in the last four years. Please note that you must produce a minimum 500 cases of Pinot noir and you should have produced at least three commercial vintages in order to be considered. If you meet these requirements and did not receive an invitation, please contact the IPNC office. We do our best to identify every eligible winery in Oregon, but sheer numbers and a continually changing landscape make it challenging to keep tabs on all bonded wineries in Oregon.
Q: May we submit even if we did not receive an invitation?
A: Yes, as long as your winery meets the requirements (produces a minimum of 500 cases of Pinot noir and has produced at least three commercial vintages).
Q: How does the winery rotation work?
A: The IPNC endeavors to select a slate of wineries by focusing on quality, both of the individual wineries and the event as a whole, as the principal criterion. Quality will also be the dominant factor in the determination of the number and distribution of participating wineries. Secondarily, the theme and focus of the program will influence selection, number, and distribution of wineries. Insofar as Oregon wineries are concerned, as long as the priorities of quality, theme, and focus are satisfied, the IPNC will endeavor to select wineries that have not participated in the IPNC in two or more consecutive years.
Q: Are we required to submit wines to be considered for inclusion? (Oregon vs California vs Overseas)
A: All Oregon wineries must "taste in" in order to participate in the IPNC. While the IPNC does not solicit samples from wineries outside of Oregon, many domestic and international producers choose to submit samples as an additional way to be considered by the selection committee. Q: How does the selection process work?
A: An IPNC Board appointed panel of restaurateurs, retailers and winemakers will blind taste all wine submissions. Those wineries that "taste in" will be included in the list of wineries to be invited to participate as featured wineries. Q: Who will know that I submitted?
A: The Executive Director and Assistant Director of the IPNC are the only two individuals who will know which wines have been submitted. The Executive Director and the Assistant Director do not participate in the tasting/selection process. All wines are tasted by the Wine Selection Panel blindly. Only those wines that "taste in" are unveiled following the tasting. Q: How can we be involved if we are not a participating winery?
A: If you are not a participating winery, the best way to be involved is to attend as a guest. This would provide you with opportunities throughout the weekend to interact with consumers, journalists, chefs, and fellow winemakers and industry peers. Q: How many wineries do you select from each region? What are the criteria?
A: As a general rule, the IPNC selects up to 30 wineries from Oregon and up to 15 wineries from California. Approximately 15-20 wineries are invited from the world's Pinot growing regions such as Burgundy, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Austria, Alsace, Champagne, Canada and others from various parts of North America and around the globe. Q: How many new wineries "taste in" each year?
A: There is no pre-determined number. The wine selection panel blind tastes all samples, sometimes more than once, and then decisions are made.
Q: We submitted a sample but have not heard back from the IPNC. Why?
A: Most wineries are contacted by late February regarding participation. If you have not received information by early March, please feel free to contact the IPNC office.
Q: Our neighbor winery received an invitation/decline, but we have yet to hear anything. Why?
A: There are two possibilities: 1) Your letter was lost in the mail. 2) You may be on the alternate list. If any first round invitees are unable to participate, we then send invitations from the alternate list.
Q: If we participated in previous years (even within the last four), can we resubmit?
A: You are always welcome to resubmit samples for consideration.
Q: We haven't participated in several years. How do we get back in the loop?
A: Please submit an interest form (available and downloadable from the IPNC website: Domestic Producers and Foreign Producers). You may also wish to submit samples as an additional way to be considered by the wine selection panel.
Q: If we received a decline notification from IPNC, does that mean we are out for good?
A: Not at all. You are welcome to submit wines in future years.
Q: Can we submit wines multiple years in a row?
A: Of course.
Q: Your submission deadline has passed, may we still submit a sample?
A: There are absolutely no exceptions to the wine submission deadline as the tasting panel will meet soon after that date.
Q: The vintages you require are not available in time to meet your submission deadline. Do we have options?
A: In cases such as this, we kindly ask that you call the IPNC to explain your situation and discuss possible resolutions.
If you do not find the answer you are seeking here, feel free to contact us directly by email (info@ipnc.org) or by phone (800/775-4762).