June 2008
News
Annual Food and Wine Pairing
Wednesday, June 11th 2008 is the day of the
Wisconsin Vintners Association annual Food and Wine Pairing event which will
take place this year at the
Best Western Midway Hotel in Brookfield, WI starting
at 7:00 PM.
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.
Len Montalbano of our club, with some help from Joe Hasler, the
Food and Beverage Director of the Midway Hotel’s Maxwell’s Restaurant will be
sharing their knowledge about the wines and the various foods to be sampled.
Maxwell’s Chief Sal will be making four different entries, including
broiled salmon with a citrus lime sauce, baked chicken with butter and
seasonings, char broiled steak and BBQ chicken. Each food will be paired by a
specially chosen wine. There will also be cheese and nuts at every table.
In addition to all of this, after the final pairing, Michael Best of
Capitol Husting Co. Inc. will have additional imported wines to sample,
including a special Spanish blended wine that is incredibly “hot” in the market
right now. There will be information about the wines with food and wine pairing
suggestions to take home with you. These wines will also be available for
purchase at, we are told, “close to cost” for this event.
The cost for this event is just $15.00 per member (remember that up to two
members make up a WVA membership). Non members are also invited at $30.00 each.
You must register for this event. Please use this
Registration Form
(PDF). The due date, June 4th, is fast
approaching. Call or email Tim Larsen at 262-642-4494 or timlarsen@centurytel.net
if you think your form may just miss the due date, to let him you are coming.
Notes from the President
This is my last "president's note" after three years
and there are many people to thank.
First of all I have to thank the great people on the Board of Directors who have
worked so hard these past three years to accomplish as much as we have.
They attended long meetings and were always willing to tackle new projects.
We accomplished a lot in these past three years and I am confident that the new
president will lead the club in continued growth and development in many areas.
We set up the club web site, thanks primarily to Jeff Beutler and Don
Betlej, and it continues to evolve. The state fair judging process was
revised under the leadership of Howard Hasselkus, Don Betlej, Tom Courtney
and others culminating in a record 275 entries in the wine judging event this
year. Life memberships were awarded to Mary and Jerry Uthemann, Dolores
& Paul Opichka, and Dave and (the late) Lois Brandt.
We bid a sad farewell to several of our members and welcomed a record number of
new members, many because of the web site or information obtained from our
friends at the Purple Foot. The by-laws and constitution have been revised
under the guidance of Dave Brandt. Winemaking classes were offered
through the coordination of Tom Courtney, Howard Hasselkus, and their
committee. Thanks to Don Betlej who took over the daunting task of
newsletter editor and revising the Vintners Press along with all his
other duties and to Tom Courtney who faithfully served as treasurer for
so many years keeping impeccable records.
We've had many interesting programs thanks to the work of so many of the members
who stepped up when asked by the various program chairs and have gotten lots of
good ideas from you, the members. We have continued to offer all this and
more at the same bargain dues price of $15.
I have always been amazed and grateful at the wonderful volunteer spirit that
you as members and the board continue to exhibit. This is, after all, a
volunteer organization and a hobby, but the work always gets done. I thank all
of you who have helped in so many ways over these past years and for the advice
from my two immediate past presidents, Jerry Horzewski and Dave Brandt,
plus many of the other "experienced" members who offered guidance when I first
started in this position three years ago. I look forward to being the "immediate
past president" as I also look forward to watching the club continue to grow
under new leadership.
Joanne
Welcome to New Members
Please welcome new members: Michael Eggebrecht
of the Riverview Vineyard in Genoa, WI, David and Laurie Pieper of Fond
du Lac and Adam Keller of Milwaukee.
2008 WI State Fair Amateur Winemakers Competition
The 2008 WI State Fair Amateur Winemakers
Competition took place this year on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17.
Thanks to all of our club members who participated in setup, bottle check-in,
judging, stewarding, glass washing, data entering and all of the other tasks. A
special thank you goes out to Chuck & Mary Howell, co-chief stewards, and
Howard Hasselkus, my co-chairman, whose help was instrumental in making
this event a success.
Congratulations also to the 17 WVA members who won a total of 64 ribbons. Best
of Show - Dry Wine winner was Jeff Stanislawski for his Pinot Noir.
George Scovronski also won a Best of Category award for his Wild
Grape/Elderberry wine. Check the
WI
State Fair page
on this website for the complete listing of the judging
results. Judging sheets and award ribbons will be mailed to the participants
within the next month or so. Best of Show and Category plaques and prize
money will be sent out after the end of this year's WI State Fair (July 31 to
August 10). Results and plaques will be on display at a booth in the
Wisconsin Products Pavillion during the fair.
WVA Club Logo Apparel for Sale
It has been a few years since we last offered
clothing with the WVA logo. The club has a large assortment of club-logo
apparel, available for order by all members. Order forms will continue to be
available at our membership meetings.
Annual Pot Luck Cookout at the Lakefront Brewery
Our 5th Annual Pot-Luck Cookout will be on
Wednesday, July 9th 2008 starting at 5:30 PM, at the
Lakefront
Brewery patio along the Milwaukee River with Russ Klisch,
president, as our host. Bring a dish to pass, an appetizer or a dessert,
plus something to grill, if you wish, something to drink (wine anyone?) and your
own plates, napkins, utensils, etc.
To thank Russ for his hospitality, please bring an extra bottle of your homemade
finest as a thank you gift. Don’t be surprised if some of Lakefront’s
Brewery’s beer is available to sample as well. There is no “official” program
this evening, just an opportunity for some good fellowship in a pleasant place
on a pleasant evening. We may also have a brief tour of the brewery with
Russ if there is enough interest. This was a very popular event last year
and is a great way to spend a warm summer evening. Mark your calendars and plan
to attend.
Annual Club Picnic in August
The August 2008 Annual WVA Picnic will be held this
year on Saturday, August 16th at the
Fox River Park (MAP) in Waukesha. Attendance will get you roasted sweet corn, roast chicken and beer. You should
bring your own eating utensils, plates, a dish to pass, and of course a few
bottles of your finest to share. We’ll start the festivities at 11 AM and eat
about noon. There will be a couple of fun games. Look for more information in a
future newsletter as we get closer to the date.
Grapevines Available
The Great River Vineyard of Lake City, MN has four
varieties of grapevines available for purchase. Click
here for
more information.
Calendar of Events
June 11th 2008, Wednesday - WVA Food & Wine Pairing at the
Best Western Midway Hotel, Brookfield,
WI, 7:00 PM.
Registration Form due June 4th.
July 9th 2008, Wednesday - WVA Pot Luck Cookout at the
Lakefront
Brewery, Milwaukee, WI, 5:30 PM.
August 6th 2008, Wednesday - WVA Board
Meeting at the home of Dave Brandt, 7:00 PM.
August 16th 2008, Saturday - WVA club picnic at the
Fox River Park
in Waukesha, WI, 11:00 AM.
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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