January 23 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm PST
Join the Washington State Wine Commission for this board meeting, one of several throughout the year. The Washington Wine board and staff will discuss current issues relevant to the state’s wine industry, ongoing events and campaigns, and the organization’s broader strategies.
Per the Open Public Meetings Act, anyone is welcome to join this meeting. Washington wineries and vineyards are encouraged to join, and board meetings are a great way to stay abreast of current programs and ways that they can benefit from Washington Wine’s marketing, communication, and research & efforts. The agenda will be posted here one week prior to the meeting.
Location: DeLille Cellars, Grand Ciel Hall, Woodinville, WA
Date: January 23, 2026
Time: 9:00am – 2:00pm
If you would like to attend virtually, please reach out to info@washingtonwine.org for the meeting link. For the full list of board meeting dates, check out this page on our website.
Washington State Wine Commission Board Meeting Agenda
Opening- Todd Newhouse (15 minutes)
o Welcome Guests and Introductions
o Public Comments
o Approval of the minutes of the November 14th meeting
• Guest Presentations
o Michelle Erland, V.P and Courtney Conte, Account Supervisor, Colangelo PR (15
mins. Presentation and 5 mins. for Q&A.)
• Key Wine & PR Trends to Watch – 2026
o David Blandford, CEO State of WA Tourism (15 mins.)
• Update on State of WA Tourism Program
• Next Steps
o Craig Pacheco, Vinstar Consulting (15 mins.)
• BC Wine grape and bulk wine trends
• Factors influencing next steps
o Nathanial Helligso, WA Winegrowers (10 mins.)
• 2025 Sustainable WA outcomes
• Committee Reports
o Finance Committee – Tom Dugan, Kristina Kelley, Chris Stone, Renee Meadors,
Paul Capelle (20 minutes)
• Grape Assessment Update
• Finance Balance Sheet and KPIs
• FY’26 Reforecast
o Marketing Committee – Devyani Gupta, David Flaherty and Mac Pedersen, (30
mins.)
• Update on key initiatives
• Taste WA Event
• Taste WA Month Programming
• Reforecast for FY’26 and impact on programming
• Committee Reports
o Export Committee-Becca DeKleine, Kate Salisbury and Chris Stone (10 mins.)
• Update and Calendar
o Communications Committee– Lynda Eller, Heather Bradshaw, Averyl Mooney
(30 mins)
• Update on key initiatives
• Reforecast for FY’26 and impact on key initiatives
• LUNCH BREAK (Noon) 30 minutes
o Research Committee – Dick Boushey and Julie Tarara (20 minutes)
• Outside Grant pursuits
• Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) activity
• WCIPM
• WAVE/WAVEx updates
• Budget Update
• All Other Business – Todd Newhouse (10 minutes)
o Open Distributor Board Position
o Toast Go Forward Plan
o Next Board Meetings
• Friday, April 17, 2026, SMWE Woodinville
• Friday, June 12, 2026, Prosser