The results from the
WI State Fair Amateur
Winemakers Competition are in!
Click HERE for
the details.
July
News
July Membership Meeting
The July 2007 membership meeting of the Wisconsin Vintners
Association will be July 11th at the
Lakefront Brewery
patio on the Milwaukee River. Russ Klisch, president of Lakefront
Brewery, will be our host. This will be the fourth annual cookout / pot-luck
picnic at the Lakefront Brewery. The doors open at 5:30 PM. Bring a dish to
pass, an appetizer, or a dessert plus something to grill, if you wish, and (of
course) something to drink. The club will supply plates, napkins, cups, and
plastic ware and will again purchase some of Lakefront’s finest for our
enjoyment.
There will be plenty of tables
and chairs and we will have a charcoal grill (thanks to Henry Maksimowicz) and a
gas grill (thanks to Jim Remus) for group use. If someone else can bring a
grill please call Joanne at 262-821-2064.
There is no “official” program
that evening, just an opportunity for some good fellowshipin a peaceful setting
on a pleasant evening. We may also have a brief tour of the brewery with Russ if
there is enough interest. We have also invited Russ’ family to be our guests
(thanks to Chuck and Mary Howell for volunteering to bring extra food for
them). To thank Russ for his hospitality, please bring an extra bottle of
wine to donate to him. Please bring some of your best and have it labeled; this
is a chance to show off your winemaking skills. Yes we know he makes great
beer but he enjoys an occasional glass of wine also.
This evening at Lakefront
Brewery has been a very popular event in recent years and is a very pleasant way
to spend a hot summer evening. In past years, it has been “cooler by the river”,
so dress accordingly. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. Lakefront
Brewery’s address is 1872 N. Commerce St, Milwaukee. Commerce Street is south
of North Avenue, and a few blocks east of the stoplight at E. Pleasant and
Commerce. The Brewery is almost directly under the Holton Street bridge.
(That’s the one with the marsupial pedestrian bridge that you’ve heard about.)
You’ll find plenty of parking under the bridge.
Notes from the President
As I enter my third year as president I
want to thank all of the members of the board as well as the many club members
who volunteer their time to make our club better and who help out wherever and
whenever needed. Thanks to Don Betlej for taking over responsibility for
the newsletter and for future issues of the Vintners Press. Don and Jeff
Beutler will be upgrading our web site this summer and fall.
Over the past five years we've had 51 members
who joined and 39 of them are current members with 22 of them who just joined in
the last two years. The board is working on a plan to have the four board
members at-large, Mike Bell, Erv Herman, Rick Markham, and Jim Remus act
as liaisons to our newer members from the past several years to encourage and
welcome their participation.
If you have ideas for programs for the next
year and/or would like to be on the program committee you can contact the new
vice president/program chair Tim Larsen. It's a great opportunity to get
involved and get to know people better.
For our June 9 car pool trip to the
Wollersheim Winery
32 members spent an enjoyable day starting with a special guided tour of the
winery by Philippe Coquard, CEO and chief wine maker, plus a visit by
JoAnn Wollersheim. Philippe's "insider" tour and the expertise that he
shared were interesting, entertaining, and helpful as he answered many
winemaking questions. We are very fortunate to have this special relationship
with him and the winery and are pleased that it will continue after the passing
of both Bob Wollersheim and John Rauenbuehler. The weather was beautiful and
the food, wine, and company were good making it a very pleasant summer day.
Since we have a couple of new faces on the
board we will introduce them using our "Meet a Board Member" feature. We will
also continue to feature newer members as we get to know one another. Our next
two events are also excellent opportunities to get to know each other so I hope
you will be able to attend the July 11 pot luck at Lakefront Brewery and our
annual picnic on August 18 at the Fox River Park in Waukesha.
Have a great summer! Joanne
Club Annual
Picnic
The WVA’s annual club picnic will be
Saturday, August 18th at the Fox River Park in
Waukesha. PLEASE NOTE THIS CHANGE OF LOCATION FOR THE PICNIC.
Due to New Berlin's rules and
regulations on no glass in the parks (including bottles and wine
glasses) and parking restrictions, the Picnic Committee thought it best
to change the picnic location. They were very fortunate at this late
date to locate the brand new Fox River Park in the southwest part of
Waukesha. This facility has a large log cabin-type pavilion with
attached bathrooms, fireplace and large grill. Paved parking is only a
few steps from the pavilion and there is a large flat surface for our
games. It is further to travel, but CARPOOL if you feel environmentally
friendly. There will be a $5.00 per car charge to enter the park. If
this is a hardship, the club will reimburse you.
We are looking forward to starting
a new chapter in the club's annual picnic festivities. The club will
furnish roasted sweet corn, roast chicken and beer from Lakefront
Brewery. You should bring your own eating utensils, plates, and a dish
to pass. We’ll start the festivities at 11 AM and eat about noon. There
will be a couple of fun games.
So that we can buy the appropriate
amount of chicken and corn, we need you to fill out the registration
form,
CLICK HERE, and send it with your payment to Bill Schneider, S81 W19452
Highland Park Drive, Muskego, WI 53150. The check should be made
payable to the Wisconsin Vintners Association for $5 per member (which
includes your spouse or 1 guest) by Tuesday, August 14th.
Complete directions are included on the attached flyer or click on this,
Fox River Park, to view a map.
Mark your calendars
and plan to attend.
WineMaker Magazine Deal
If you are interested in a new subscription or renewing a
current subscription to
WineMaker Magazine, send a check for $12
to Tom Courtney, 10709 N. De La Warr Circle, Mequon, WI 53092. Please
tell me whether it is for a “new” subscription or a “renewal”. The check should
be made payable to the Wisconsin Vintners Association. This group rate is
almost 50% off their normal subscription price. In my opinion, an excellent
magazine, and a real bargain. The deadline is Tuesday, July 31st.
We have been notified that Howard Hasselkus will be
featured in the Winemaker Profile article in the July/August issue of
WineMaker magazine, so be sure not to miss that. Both Armin Engelmann
and Bob Wilson will also be featured in future articles.
Congratulations to all.
Club
Winemaking Equipment for Members' Use
WVA owns some equipment for winemaking, tasting and judging,
among other items. Click
here for a list of these items. They
are available to all members. Just contact a board member for
availability. Also, please consider contributing equipment that may be of
value to others, but no longer useful to you.
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
July 11, 2007
- Wednesday, WVA membership meeting at
Lakefront Brewery, Annual Potluck Dinner,
5:00 PM
August 1, 2007 - Wednesday, WVA
Board Meeting at George and Mary Scovronski’s home. 7:00 PM
August 18, 2007
- Saturday, Annual WVA Club Picnic at
Fox River Park,
Waukesha, WI. 11:00 AM
September 5, 2007
- Wednesday, WVA Board Meeting at Tim Larsen’s home. 7:00 PM
September 12, 2007
- Wednesday, WVA Membership Meeting at
Clifford’s,
7:30 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!
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