January 2014 newsletter

	Perennial Vintners	In this issue:
		▪ Schedule - open this weekend!
		▪ New wines, old wines, special values
		▪ Unused empty wine bottles for hobbyists
Newsletter -- Jan-2014		▪ Wine snobbery, knowledge, internships
(Click here to view in HTML on website)		▪ Helper & Intern opportunities
http://www.PerennialVintners.com/		▪ The other BI Wineries

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

▪ Schedule - open this weekend!
The WABI member wineries (all BI wineries) are open this weekend, Sat-Sun (18,19-Jan) - PV WILL ALSO BE OPEN MONDAY for the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The weather is looking reasonable, so come on out and visit the vineyards as it's a really interesting time to visit the vineyard and to see before and after pruned grapevines. It'll help give you an idea of what really goes into that bottle you're buying!

Just a quick side note on scheduling. PV IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MOST EVERY WEEKEND. Each month there is a special event where all the wineries are open, including PV - this coming weekend is one of those. Most any other day Mike can open the winery on just a few minutes notice by phone/txt 206-200-5902. And again, most every weekend we're open to the public.

▪ New wines, old wines, special values

This is a heads-up for next month, we have 3 new releases coming up soon, a dry PS AVA white blend, our Melon de Bourgogne, and the new Frambelle -- all from 2012.

We are now completely out of the very popular 2011 Lemberger. We do have a 2013 Lem in the tank, look for it late Spring-early Summer. We are down to our last few bottles of (currently our only) PS AVA Mueller Thurgau from 2011. This weekend we're certain to sell out, so you'd best come in now if you would like this!

Our Magelica sales over the holidays were brisk, so we'll continue to pour it in the tasting room and keep it's price at the reduced $25. This is almost certainly the most unusual wine you will ever taste, being Madeliene Angevine, Botrytized, in a port style -- this is the epitome of unique. There was very little of this made, so it's a good idea to come on in and try this one sooner rather than later - when it's gone, it's gone, we'll never have the conditions to make this again.

▪ Unused empty wine bottles for hobbyists

We still have dozens of cases of unused wine bottles that we're paying to have stored, so we're selling them at about half bulk price. These are all different shapes and colors, a few cases to a couple dozen cases of each. If you could use new wine bottles for your winemaking hobby, please reply to this email and let me know roughly what you'd like. If you have a friend who makes wine in their basement, they'll be very grateful!

▪ Wine snobbery, knowledge, internships

Wine aficionados are often thought of as snobs, but this need not be. The basis for wine snobbery is simply that there's so much to know, that even knowing a little can make one seem "above" those who don't know. America has not traditionally been a wine culture, so most of us are not up on the details about wine. There's a movie out last year called "Somm" about what a professional sommelier goes through, it's unbelievable.

At PV, we want you to not be intimidated by wine and wine jargon. Mike is all about plain talk about how grapes are grown and how wine is made. Feel free to ask about the wine trade secrets, we won't hide anything. One step further, Mike loves to have interns. Drop in on the tasting room most any weekend, talk wine and expand your knowledge, or talk with Mike about learning the wine industry through immersion - as an intern.

▪ Helper & Intern opportunities

In the next month in the winery we'll mostly just be racking, and doing some labeling. If you'd like to learn about this part of winemaking, reply to this email and let me know, perhaps we can work you into the schedule.

The next big vineyard job has begun -- pruning. If you want to understand grape growing, this is the most critical task. It's just as important in your backyard as in a giant vineyard. Please consider spending an afternoon with me some time in Jan, Feb, Mar; it takes me most of 3 months to do this job, so there's plenty of opportunities. Do note however, that the December weather was so nice that we got a good head start and are already about 20% done (normally I'd just be starting), so don't wait too long or we may have finished!

If you'd like to be notified of events like these, please join our helpers email list.

PV has offered an informal intern program since 2008. There is no charge, and no formal coursework. All you need to do is to commit to spending roughly one afternoon per month with me at the vineyard and winery. There is something that needs to be done every month from March through November. I've had several students from the South Seattle Comm. Coll. viticulture and oenology programs, and they all expressed how they had learned a great deal from me. If interested, please reply to this email.

▪ The other BI Wineries

I'd like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about the other wineries on Bainbridge Island. There are a total of 7 wineries operating here. As mentioned in last month's newsletter, Betsey Wittick, long-time employee at Bainbridge Island Vineyard and Winery, has taken over management and now operates it as Bainbridge Vineyards. Their tasting room just around the corner from me is now open every weekend, by sure to stop by and see the vineyards. Rolling Bay Winery is also very near to Perennial, but they're only open to the public once a month, so if you're on-island any of the WABI open weekends, be sure to stop there. Eleven Winery and Eagle Harbor Winery each have a tasting room in downtown Winslow, open daily, afternoon/evening. The remaining wineries (Fletcher Bay and Amelia Wynn) share a tasting room on Winslow Way named Island Vintners - they're also open daily, afternoon/evening. I'd also like to give ongoing mention to Jeff at Harbor Square Wine Shop near the BI ferry dock, who carries PV wines.