Willamette Valley Vineyards : Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement/2021 Annual Report - Click Here

Notice of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders

To be held: Saturday, July 16, 2022

Dear Shareholders,

You are cordially invited to the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders ("Annual Meeting") of Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. (the "Company"), which will be held via online live webcast on Saturday, July 16, 2022, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. We have chosen to hold a virtual, rather than an in-person, meeting considering public health concerns associated with the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.

The government-mandated "escheatment" process could adversely affect your shares. If the Company, or the Company's Transfer Agent, Equiniti, cannot locate you, they are required to transfer your shares to the state government as "unclaimed" property. Voting your shares or updating your contact information will assure your continued control of your shares. For registered shareholders, you can update your information by emailing us at: [e-mail]. Beneficial owners should contact their brokerage firm with updates to their contact information.

The Annual Meeting can be accessed by visiting wvv.com/annualmeeting, where you will be able to participate in the meeting live and vote online. In order to be able to vote at the Annual Meeting, you will need your control number, which is included on your proxy ballot if you are a shareholder of record on May 11, 2022 or included with the form and voting instructions you received from your broker if you hold your shares in "street name." The Annual Meeting will be held for the following purposes:

1. To consider and vote upon a proposal to elect two members to our Board of Directors with terms ending at the annual meeting in 2025;
2. To ratify the appointment by the Board of Directors of Moss Adams LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2022;
3. To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve an amendment to the Company's Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of the Company's preferred stock from 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock; and
4. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any postponements or adjournments of the meeting.

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement (the "Proxy Statement") that accompanies this Notice.

Our Board of Directors fixed May 11, 2022 as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any postponements or adjournments of the meeting, and only shareholders of record at the close of business on that date are entitled to this notice and to vote at the Annual Meeting. A list of shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available at our offices for ten days prior to the meeting.

We hope that you will use this opportunity to take an active part in our affairs by voting on the business to come before the Annual Meeting, either by executing and returning the enclosed proxy ballot or by casting your vote using the internet. An electronic version of the Proxy Statement and our Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2021 is available at this web address: wvv.com/annualmeeting. Please access your Proxy using one of the methods outlined in the Proxy Statement - internet, regular mail, or telephone. If you receive more than

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one proxy card because you own shares registered in different names or addresses, each proxy card should be voted and returned.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

/s/ Jim Bernau

Jim Bernau

President and Chairperson of the

Board of Directors

Turner, Oregon

May 31, 2022

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	CONTENTS
1.	INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................................	1
1.1	General ..................................................................................................................................................................................	6
1.2	Solicitation, Voting and Revocability of Proxies ....................................................................................................	6
1.3	Directors and Executive Officers .................................................................................................................................	8
1.4	Board and Committee Meeting Attendance..........................................................................................................	10
1.5	Annual Meeting Attendance .......................................................................................................................................	10
1.6	Independence ..................................................................................................................................................................	10
1.7	Committees of the Board of Directors ....................................................................................................................	10
1.8	Leadership Structure of Board of Directors .........................................................................................................	11
1.9	Role of Board of Directors in Risk Oversight .......................................................................................................	12
1.10 Director Compensation ..............................................................................................................................................	12
1.11 Communications to the Board of Directors ........................................................................................................	12
1.12 Code of Ethics .................................................................................................................................................................	13
2.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION ......................................................................................................................................	13
2.1	Summary Compensation Table .................................................................................................................................	13
2.2	Compensation Philosophy ..........................................................................................................................................	13
2.3	Bernau Employment Agreement ..............................................................................................................................	14
2.4	Ferry Employment Agreement ..................................................................................................................................	14
2.5	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management .........................................................	14
2.6	Transactions with Related Persons .........................................................................................................................	15
2.7	Delinquent Section 16 Reports ................................................................................................................................	15
2.8	Audit Committee Report..............................................................................................................................................	16
2.9	Fees of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm ...............................................................................	16
3. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS (PROPOSAL NO. 1).......................................................................................................	17
4.	RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS (PROPOSAL NO. 2) ...........................	17

5. APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY'S ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION (PROPOSAL NO. 3)

............................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

6.	SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS OF DIRECTORS................................................................	19
6.1	Shareholder Proposals for Inclusion in Next Year's Proxy Statement .......................................................	19
6.2	Other Shareholder Proposals ....................................................................................................................................	19
6.3	Shareholder Director Nominations .........................................................................................................................	19
7.	RESULTS OF ANNUAL MEETING .................................................................................................................................	19
8.	HOUSEHOLDING ..............................................................................................................................................................	20
9.	COST OF SOLICITATION ................................................................................................................................................	20
10.	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION......................................................................................................................................	20
ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS ...........................................................................................................................	21
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DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS ................................................................................................................................................	21
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................	21
Segments....................................................................................................................................................................................	21
Products ....................................................................................................................................................................................	21
Market Overview ....................................................................................................................................................................	22
The Oregon Wine Industry..................................................................................................................................................	22
2021 Harvest............................................................................................................................................................................	23
Company Strategy ..................................................................................................................................................................	23
Vineyards ..................................................................................................................................................................................	24
Winery ........................................................................................................................................................................................	27
Sales and Distribution ..........................................................................................................................................................	28
Dependence on Major Customers ....................................................................................................................................	30
Competition ..............................................................................................................................................................................	30
Governmental Regulation of the Wine Industry.........................................................................................................	30
Costs and Effects of Compliance with Local, State and Federal Environmental Laws...................................	31
Employees .................................................................................................................................................................................	31
Additional Information ........................................................................................................................................................	31
MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.....................................................	31
Market Information...............................................................................................................................................................	31
Holders.......................................................................................................................................................................................	31
Dividends...................................................................................................................................................................................	31
Equity Compensation Plans................................................................................................................................................	31
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities ........................................................................................................................	32
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities……. ..................................................................................................................... 32
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OR PLAN OF OPERATION ..........................................................	32
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates...................................................................................................................	32
Overview....................................................................................................................................................................................	33
Results of Operations............................................................................................................................................................	34
EBITDA .......................................................................................................................................................................................	36
Sales……...................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Wine Inventory .......................................................................................................................................................................	38
Production Capacity ..............................................................................................................................................................	38
Grape Supply ............................................................................................................................................................................	38
Wine Quality.............................................................................................................................................................................	38
Seasonality................................................................................................................................................................................	39
Liquidity and Capital Resources .......................................................................................................................................	39
Inflation......................................................................................................................................................................................	40
Risk Factors ..............................................................................................................................................................................	40
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Unresolved Staff Comments ...............................................................................................................................................	46
Properties .................................................................................................................................................................................	46
Legal Proceedings ..................................................................................................................................................................	47
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure .....................	47
Disclosure Controls and Procedures...............................................................................................................................	47
Internal Control over Financial Reporting ...................................................................................................................	47
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.............................................................................................	48
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA ........................................................................................	49

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