Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 13:31:56 -0700
Subject: May newsletter

Perennial Vintners Newsletter -- Apr-2007       
http://www.PerennialVintners.com/

In this issue:
  In the vineyard -- Shoot thinning
  New picnic area
  Our first retailer
  Our label art at Hotel Vintage Park
  First public event -- Bastille Day

*In the vineyard -- Shoot thinning*
  Spring is a busy time of year in the vineyard.  The current task is 
called "Shoot Thinning".  During Winter we prune the grapevines back 
severely so as to prevent it from putting all it's effort into new 
growth (we want fruit, not growth).  Now in Spring, the plant will try 
to compensate by pushing out new little buds that would become new 
branches, which we must again go out and cull.  More info and photos on 
the website, click on the "Vineyard" link.

*New picnic area*
  If you've visited our humble winery, you know the area is something of 
a slope.  This has always been a problem for us -- it is steep enough 
that when we would go outside for a nice summer dinner at the picnic 
table on the lawn, the table and benches had to be balanced on bricks or 
the wineglasses would tip over!  I've terraced a small section of the 
lawn by building a low retaining wall, and backfilling with dirt and 
planted new grass, so hopefully by the time the weather gets really nice 
we'll have a nice level picnic table ready for use.

*Our first retailer*
  We now have our first retail outlet -- Olympic Wine Merchant in 
Olympia WA.  We had always hoped to get Puget Sound-wide coverage for 
our wines and are very pleased to be present in Olympia, as Beth and I 
met while attending The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

*Our label art at Hotel Vintage Park*
  As you may recall from previous newsletters, the Hotel Vintage Park in 
downtown Seattle now has a room designated as the Perennial Vintners 
room -- it's room 209, whoo hoo!  When I was there for our first tasting 
a few weeks ago I got to see the room, and took a cellphone photo of our 
sign on the door, but unfortunately they did not get to installing the 
artwork that day as I had just brought it with me, so I have not gotten 
a photo of the room with the art set up yet.  The door photo is now on 
our website, and will be updated when I get better pictures next time 
there.  (This can be found off the "Winery News" page on the website.)

*First public event -- Bastille Day*
  We've started planning our first public event in celebration of the 
French Bastille Day.  Humorously, this year we'll only have a German 
(well, technically speaking, Swiss) wine, but in future years we'll 
feature our Melon de Bourgogne which is a uniquely French wine.  This 
will be an annual event on the Sunday /following/ Bastille Day (14-July) 
-- this year Sunday 15-Jul-2007.  We're preparing for some special 
happenings that day, including having our label artist Dianne Gardner 
present to sign posters of the label and bottles.