September News

Click Page 1 & Page 2 for a copy of the

September Newsletter

September 13  "Berry Wine Making"

The September 2006 membership meeting of the Wisconsin Vintners Association will begin at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, September 13th at Clifford’s Restaurant, 10418 Forest Home Ave.

A question asked on our most recent club survey was to “pick which wines that you would make or improve on the most.”  By far, the berries (Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry and Elderberry) dominated the responses.  25% of all entries to the Wisconsin State Fair competition this year were in the berry classes while 42% of the awards of the 1st Place ribbons went to berry wines; 89% of the Raspberry wines received an award.  At our September membership meeting we will highlight the Making of Berry Wines.

Please bring along a couple of bottles of your best berry wine and be prepared to brag about any awards that they may have received.  But also plan on sharing with the club the winemaking process that you used, including:  how much fruit did you start with, what yeast variety was used, did you freeze the fruit prior to starting, did you use a straining bag, did you measure and modify the acid, what fining, if any, did you use, did you sweeten your wine, if yes how did you do it, did you blend the berries with another fruit, etc, etc, etc. It should be a fun and informative night.

It takes at least two bottles of wine to give each one of the usual 50 members a one ounce sample. If you can bear to part with another bottle, you’ll get to show off just a bit more.
 

Wine of the Month

It has been an increasingly popular occasion for some 20 or so of us to gather at Clifford’s about 6 PM for dinner and camaraderie. The members who attend the dinner are eligible for a drawing for a nice wine.

September’s award wine will be a Carpineto wine called Dogajolo.  It is described as “Made from Sangiovese grapes blended with a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon grown on dry-farmed hillside vineyards in Tuscany.  Fruity and intense flavors, with hints of berry, coffee, vanilla and spice are matched with a supple tannin structure with a long finish. This “Super Tuscan” shows at its best with full-flavored dishes such as roasts, grilled meats, cold cuts and tomato-based Italian specialties such as pizza and Pasta.
 

A Note from the President

It About 60 people spent an enjoyable day in Calhoun park at our annual WVA Picnic August 19.  A big thank you to Bill and Karen Schneider for organizing everything, and to everyone else who helped including George Scovronski with all the games, Tim Larsen and Dave Brandt for getting the corn and chicken. The weather and socializing were great!

Mark your calendars for our annual Harvest Dinner on Sunday, November 5th at Clifford’s Restaurant.  This is a great member benefit because the club subsidizes half the cost of the dinner.  Watch for a separate flyer in future newsletters. Our October potpourri wine will be made by Ken Skotzke this year so think about what you can contribute in terms of fruit or juice at the October meeting.

Joanne

(President Joanne Ziarek sent a letter to Board members recently.  We'll call it the “State of the Association” report.  Click here to read it.)


 

Meet a Board Member: Erv Herman

Erv is a Member-at-Large on the WVA Board of Directors. He’s been a member of the WVA for seven years.  Erv owned a Lawn and Garden store in the 60’s and 70’s. He’s been in sales of Electrolux appliances for 35 years. He is on tap as a field service tech for various handicapped equipment companies.

Erv and his wife, Bobbie have six grandchildren.  He likes to fish, hunt, garden, vacation and make wine. Or as he says it “Trying to make wine.”  I think his picture illustrates how successful he’s been at that. He makes wine from anything that will stay in his primary fermenter and carboys. Erv says he appreciates learning about winemaking from the “Big Guy” winemakers.

Advanced Winemaking Project

It's the time of year to start thinking about the upcoming fruit harvest and your fall winemaking projects.  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).
 

Components of Wine

On Tuesday, November 14, 2006, we will begin a four-week course on the Components of Wine. The course will provide instruction on how to identify the primary components of wine and when they are in balance, and how to identify the aromas of wine and wine faults.  See the flyer and registration form below that provides details of the course, dates, times, location, cost, etc. 

Click here:  Components of Wine Registration Form

Please note the registration deadline is September 30th. If any member would like to contribute a wine that is exhibiting a wine fault, please contact Len Montalbano at 262-639-7718.

WVA Picnic

The results of the games at our August picnic in Calhoun Park:

Washer Toss:  There were 10 teams pitching 2 1/2 ounce washers into a 4 inch diameter can from a distance of 30 feet. The team of Joanne Ziarek and Dave Hermann edged Howard Hasselkus and Don Dussault for the championship. The winners have challenged Brett Favre to attend next year’s picnic to try to unseat them.

Bean Bag Toss:  Fourteen teams competed for the coveted prize; Premium Wine with Chiller. Once again President Ziarek, this time with teammate Helmut Wittbecker, appeared in the finals. However, in a stunning move, Theresa Montalbano, captain of Team Montalbano, inserted Mary Scovronski to “pinch toss” for her.  It was devastating to Ziarek’s quest for another World cup as Scovronski and Len Montalbano edged out a 2 point victory. This year’s Bean Bag Toss was quite spirited in that the venue was directly in front of the grandstand.  Fans witnessed exciting performances including many slam dunks worthy of ESPN replay.

Click here for a slide show of pictures from the picnic:  Picnic Photos
 

It's Dues Time Again

As long as you are making out checks, dues are due in September.  For the $15.00 you could get a majority of it “back” with your subscription to Winemaker. In addition to that the club picks up half the cost of the Harvest Dinner and there are wine tastings at membership  meetings and most of the time we don’t charge for them.  The beer at the picnic is paid for by the club.  Please send your check for $15 to treasurer Tom Courtney, 10709 De La Warr Circle, Mequon, WI  53092 or bring it to the next meeting.
 

New Member Welcome

We welcome this month, new members Rick and Jo Markham from Elkhorn, WI.  We hope you enjoy your membership in the WVA as much as we do.
 

Calendar of Events

September 13 - WVA membership meeting at Clifford's Supper Club. 7:30 PM.

October 4 - WVA Board meeting at the home of Bill & Karen Schneider, 7:00 PM.

October 11 - WVA membership meeting at Clifford's Supper Club. 7:30 PM.  In addition to the topic of the evening, it will be our opportunity to collect fruits, vegetables and grapes for the 2008 Dinner-Dance Potpourri wine. Ken Skotzke, winner of Best-of-Show at our Club judging will make the potpourri wine for the 2008 Dinner-dance.

November 1 - WVA Board meeting at the home of George & Mary Scovronski, 7:00

November 5  - WVA Harvest Dinner

February 2, 2007 - WVA Annual Dinner Dance

Special Thanks To Clifford's For The Use Of Their Hall!

CLIFFORDS

10418 W. FOREST HOME AVE

HALES CORNERS, WI

(414) 425-6226

Map

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