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Doug Frost MW to serve as MC for Oregon Wine Symposium dinner

By Eric Degerman on December 10, 2014

Judges for the 2014 British Columbia Wine Awards were from, left to right standing, Darren Oleksyn, David Lawrason, Sid Cross, Martin Lewis, Troy Townsin, Stephanie Yuen and Kansas City author Doug Frost MW. Seated from left to right: Kurtis Kolt, Tim Pawsey and DJ Kearney.

Kansas City author Doug Frost, MW, far right, judged for the 2014 British Columbia Wine Awards. His panel members from, left to right standing, were Darren Oleksyn, David Lawrason, Sid Cross, Martin Lewis, Troy Townsin and Stephanie Yuen. Seated from left to right: Kurtis Kolt, Tim Pawsey and DJ Kearney. (Photo by Okanagan Wine Festivals Society)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kansas City author Doug Frost, one of four people in the world to earn both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, will serve as master of ceremonies for the Industry Awards Dinner at the 2015 Oregon Wine Symposium in Portland.

The Oregon Wine Board bills the two-day conference Feb. 24-25 as the Pacific Northwest’s largest wine industry event, thanks in large part to the size of the venue — the Oregon Convention Center, a short walk from Lloyd Center.

Next year marks the fourth straight year for the symposium in Portland. Scheduled sessions for this winter’s meeting of vintners and vineyard managers include:

The annual climatology report from Southern Oregon University professor Greg Jones
A study of farm labor issues
Panels ranging from “Differentiating Your Brand through Storytelling” to “Drivers of Profitability in the Wine Business”
Viticulture and enology presentations titled “Technical Advances in Precision Viticulture” and “Fermentation Vessel Considerations”

Activities for the opening day are capped by the annual Industry Awards Dinner, which is also when the first-ever Oregon Wine A-List Awards will be announced.

Frost, who graduated from Kansas State University with a background in the theater, became just the eighth American to earn an MW when he passed in 1993. Three years later, Uncorking Wine was published. In 1998, he authored Uncorking the Pacific Northwest.

He remains an unabashed supporter of the Pacific Northwest, and he continues to be well-connected to our region. Last fall, he served as the lone American judge at the 2014 British Columbia Wine Awards.

Members of the Oregon Winegrowers Association receive discounted entry. The first day features Spanish translation for all general and viticulture sessions, and prices are reduced for Spanish-only tickets.

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About Eric Degerman

Eric Degerman is the President and CEO of Great Northwest Wine. He is a journalist with more than 30 years of daily newspaper experience and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Andy Perdue and served as its managing editor for a decade. He is a frequent wine judge at international wine competitions throughout North America and orchestrates 10 Northwest competitions each year.