May
News
May Membership Meeting
Our May 16, 2007 meeting will be the annual Food & Wine
Paring event. Please note that this meeting will occur one week later than our
normal, second Wednesday of the month, meeting date and takes place at
Clifford's
Restaurant.
Every year the Food & Wine Pairing program is attended by more members than any
other. And why not? It’s always a lot of fun, informative and a real bargain
compared to similar events produced elsewhere. This year will be no exception.
Tim Harty, who has been a WVA member for over a year now, and currently
in the process of writing a book on wine targeting the novice wine consumer,
will present the program this year. Tim and two friends who have chef
backgrounds have created food & wine paring programs for other groups in the
past.
Expect the usual variety of wines to taste along with a combination of
individual food and specially prepared food samples. Tim will give his unique
perspective and observations about the good and not as good wine and food sample
combinations. He asks that each member bring four wine glasses for the tasting.
Pre-registration is required for this special event no later
than May 9. The cost of the
program will be the same as last year, which is the same for members and their
guests. Please send a check for $10 per person made out to the WVA by May 9 to:
Joanne Ziarek, 15413 W. Mayflower Ct., New Berlin, WI 53151, and indicate the
names of all attendees. Use this form to register:
Food & Wine Pairing
Registration
Every month we award a bottle of wine to one of our members who had dinner at
Clifford’s prior to our meeting. The award wine this month is a 2001 Cabernet
Sauvignon from Bouchon Winery of California. This winemaker selects Cabernet
Sauvignon grapes from the finest growing regions in California and personally
supervises the vinification and careful aging of the wine until it is perfected
and bottled. This wine has a distinctive, hearty flavor and is rich and
full-bodied with a smooth finish. Such wine will honor your guests when you
serve it with your favorite full-flavored dishes. Congratulations to Mary
Howell who was last month’s winner.
Also at this meeting there will be election of officers. The candidates are:
President – Joanne Ziarek
Vice President – Tim Larsen
Recording Secretary – Mary Howell
Corresponding Secretary – Don Betlej
Treasurer – Tom Courtney
Sergeant-At-Arms – Mary Scovronski
Trustee (2007-09) – Howard Hasselkus
Members At Large (2007-09) – Mike Bell, Rick Markham, Jim Remus
Notes from the President
Congratulations to all of the winners in our recent club judging
and the wine club
challenge, especially to Don Betlej for "Best of Show" for his Vidal Blanc.
Thanks to Paul Opichka for making all the club prize ribbons and to Don
and Howard Hasselkus for their dedication and hard work on our judging
events and the upcoming State Fair judging May 18 & 19. Volunteer to help this
year as a steward or judge, or in some other capacity. Come and share the
experience and learn as well. (It's also fun and a good way to get to know your
fellow vintners).
Note the change of date and time for our May 16 meeting starting at 7:00 PM
so we
can have our meeting with election of officers and a brief survey on the dinner
dance before the 7:30 program. If you plan to attend this event please send your
reservation and check to me by May 9 (see attached form or web site).
Bring four glasses for the tasting, but if you forget or would like some new
wine glasses, there will be club glasses for sale with the WVA logo that
evening.
Plan to come early to dine at
Clifford's at 5:30 or 6:00 since the
program will only feature samples of food for tasting and not a meal. It's also
important that we patronize
Clifford's and thank them for their support of our organization. They are
expecting a large number of people to dine that evening before this special
program and are adding additional wait staff, so come and join us. It's a nice
social time and you will also have a chance to win a bottle of good wine if you
dine. See you there.
Joanne
WI State
Fair Amateur Winemakers Competition
The
WI State Fair Amateur Winemaking
Competition will be held this year on Friday, May 18 at 6:00 PM. and
Saturday, May 19 at 9:00 PM. Our club provides most of the personnel
for this event. We need all kinds of help, including judges and people to be
wine stewards. What does a wine steward do? Click on this:
Wine Stewarding,
which explains the stewarding process. Never did it before? It’s easy. Mary &
Chuck Howell, this year’s co-chairpersons, would love to show you how.
The judging takes place at the
Tommy G. Thompson Youth Center which is
located at the northwest corner of the fairgrounds with the entrance on 84th
street, one block south of I-94. There will again be a signup sheet at the May
meeting where we will also have free parking passes to be used at the event. If
you can’t make it to the meeting, give Don Betlej a call (262-679-3872) and the
pass will be mailed to you.
As in the past, on Saturday we will be having a Pot Luck Lunch.
We ask all to bring a dish to pass, just as you would to church!
Also all people who have sent in their competition entry and W-9
form, the bottles, properly labeled, are due at any of the eight drop off
locations by Monday, May 14, or at the State Fair Tommy G. Thompson
Youth Center on Thursday, May 17, between the hours of 4:30 PM and 7:00
PM.
2007
Inter-Club Wine Challenge
Last month we reported on the results of the 2007 Inter-Club
Challenge which was held in March. While the WVA came in second place, first
place ribbons went to eight WVA members. Tom Courtney’s 1st Place 2005
Riesling was mistakenly not listed with the others in the club newsletter.
A belated congratulations to Tom! See a complete listing of the award
winners, on the Awards Page.
June Meeting
at Wollersheim Winery
In June we have been invited to conduct our membership meeting at the
Wollersheim Winery. This will take place on
Saturday, June 9th. We originally considered hiring a bus to take
our group to the winery but this has proven a little difficult to
organize. The current plan is for all to meet at an agreed upon location
just west of Milwaukee prior to driving to Wollersheim via I-94W, convoy
style. Some may choose to drive separately and meet our group there.
Besides our normal meeting agenda, we will receive extra special
treatment by Philippe Coquard and his staff, including a tour, tasting
and a luncheon picnic on the winery grounds.
Advanced Winemaking Project
Please go to the web site's
Wine Making Info page to learn about a
new club program developed to advance winemaking in our club. Propose a
project and if approved your costs will be picked up by the club (up to $30.00).
Calendar of Events
May 12, 2007
- Saturday, WVA Board Meeting at the
Lakefront Brewery, 10:00 AM.
May 16, 2007
- Wednesday, WVA membership meeting at
Clifford's Supper Club.
7:00 PM. Annual Food & Wine Pairing Event.
May 18 & 19, 2007,
WI State Fair Amateur Winemakers Competition.
June
6, 2007 - Wednesday, WVA Board Meeting at the home of Chuck & Mary Howell, 7:00 PM.
June 9, 2007
- Saturday, WVA membership meeting at
Wollersheim Winery.
July 11, 2007
- Wednesday, WVA membership meeting at
Lakefront Brewery, Annual Potluck Dinner,
5:00 PM.
Special Thanks To Clifford's
For The Use Of Their Hall!
10418 W. FOREST
HOME AVE
HALES CORNERS, WI
(414) 425-6226
www.cliffordsfinefood.com
Map
Please Support Our
Sponsor!
|
