Historical Note
Created by a group of Oregon winemakers and Tuality Healthcare professionals in 1991, ¡Salud! aims to address the health care needs of the Oregon wine industry’s seasonal workers. The winemakers of Oregon recognized that a vast majority of workers – who made the wine business possible – were unable to obtain health care for themselves or their families. In response, members of the industry paired with members of Tuality to create a program which would provide basic healthcare to seasonal agricultural workers in Oregon.
¡Salud! accomplishes its mission by setting up clinics for the workers; many times these clinics are mobile in order to bring the medical staff to the vineyards. Though providing basic dental and medical health care is a vital part of what these clinics do, they also put a heavy emphasis on education. The clinics provide basic personal health information as well as information about navigating the health care system. This process is entirely funded by the organization, made possible primarily by their yearly auction.
The Oregon Pinot Noir Auction, held by ¡Salud!, is one of the highlights of the Oregon wine industry’s social calendar as well as being a massive philanthropic effort. Winemakers from around Oregon donate unique Pinot Noir vintages to be auctioned off. The auction consists of both an informal tasting and silent auction that culminates in an evening gala and live auction. For more information, please see the ¡Salud! website.
Collection Description
This collection contains magazine clippings as well as several issues of wine periodicals. The bulk of the content is auction material, which includes photographs, auction items, and guides. The photographs contain images of both the silent and live auctions, mainly from the mid- to late-1990s. There are many photos of the auction baskets as well as the guides, which contain information about each wine that was auctioned that specific year. The auction items include wine glasses, guest gifts, and other similar items. The rest of the material is primarily publicity items that have either been published by ¡Salud! or articles that have been written about the organization.
