December newsletter

	Perennial Vintners	In this issue:
		▪ Schedule (open [almost] daily 'til Xmas)
		▪ Specials (library wines, & Magelica)
		▪ Bainbridge Vineyard opens this wknd!
Newsletter -- Dec-2013		▪ Vineyard: pruning, wreathmaking canes
(Click here to view in HTML on website)		▪ Helper opportunities
http://www.PerennialVintners.com/		▪ FSH Friends auction

(Click on any image below to go to website with more information/larger image/etc.)

▪ Schedule (open [almost] daily 'til Xmas)
PV is open whenever I'm there, and I'll be there most weekday afternoons until Christmas for your last minute holiday wines! I will definitely be open at the winery both the remaining two weekends before Christmas. Any day, weekend or weekday,=20 call or send me a txt 206-200-5902 and I can probably be there for you.

We will also be at the Bainbridge Indoor Winter Farmers Market for the remaining two weeks.

▪ Specials (library wines & Magelica)

Our Magelica is on special 'til Christmas for $25 (regular $31). We're also pouring this in the tasting room this month - if you've never tasted it before, this is a rare, rare opportunity, don't miss out!

For the wine aficionado, we're selling several "verticals". This is where you have several different vintages of the same wine; we have the Mueller Thurgau 2005-2010, Madeliene Angevine 2007-2010, Frambelle 2007-2011, and we may even be able to come up with an Ichigo (strawberry port-style wine). These are available only at the winery, so come on out...

We also have our special mixed case of one of each of our wines (plus a few dups) to make it a full case -- at 20% off!

▪ Bainbridge Vineyard opens this wknd!

Many of you are aware of the close relationship PV has with our neighbors Bainbridge Vineyard and Winery. You're probably also aware that they've been closed for the last few years due to health issues of the owners, Gerard and JoAnne Bentryn. There's really good news -- their one employee of 20+ years, Betsey Wittick, has taken over the reins and will be opening the tasting room to the public for the first time tomorrow, Sat 14-Dec! Betsey has been the chief viticulturist and winemaker for years, and is now the creative force behind the new winery (along with all the business duties)! Over the years that I've been growing grapes on Bainbridge, I've gotten so much wonderful advice from them, in the last few months it's been an honor to be able to return some of the favor helping Betsey get up to speed on the business side. They'll also be at the BI Farmers Market, pouring samples, for the rest of the season. More info at their website: http://bainbridgevineyards.com/ (for the moment click through to their facebook page).

▪ Vineyard: pruning, wreathmaking canes

Pruning season has arrived! This means there's plenty of grapevine canes available for holiday wreathmaking. These canes are wonderful to use as the main support for your wreath as they're flexible yet strong, and you can toss the entire wreath into your compost heap after the season, it's all biodegradable!

For anyone interested in learning about grape growing, pruning is the most important task you need to learn. The way you prune the vines will dictate it's production for not only this year, but the following as well. Come out to the vineyard for an hour or so, some time between now and late March, and spend some time with me to learn about it - we'll prune some vines together. I go out and work on this pretty much whenever the weather isn't too awful, until March when I may find I have some catching up to do and will have to go out when the weather is lousy too! If you see a day you'd like to be outdoors and learning, call or send me a txt.

▪ Helper opportunities

In the next week or two when the weather's not so nice, instead of working in the vineyard I'll be working in the winery. If you're interested in learning=20 about winemaking, I'll be racking all the wines, not a super exciting job but very important in the winemaking process. Reply to this email and let me know you're interested in coming out to see or help out with this work. If you'd like to be notified of events like this, you may want to join our helpers email list.

▪ FSH Friends auction

If you've been following PV for a few years, you may recall seeing my annual mention of this event. FSH is a form of Muscular Dystrophy where the muscles (especially in the upper body) degenerate with age, eventually leading to the individual being wheelchair bound. Each year PV donates several items for auction, including wine and private vineyard/winery tours/tastings. The auction event is wonderfully fun, with hundreds of items, from local artists to international cruise line vacations, some very exclusive WA wines, private vacation cabins, catered dinner parties, all sorts of creative and wonderful items and experiences! There's lots of good wine served while you wend your way through the silent auction, with jazz in the lobby provided by a trio featuring Micheal Brockman of UW and SRJO. (Last year Anne & Nancy of Heart made a private video appearance and donated items!) A wonderful dinner is served during the main auction with extra special desserts as auction items. For more info and to get your auction tickets (25-Jan-2014): http://www.fshfriends.org/