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Quote of the Month |
"(I)t is the wine that leads me on, the wild wine that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs, laugh like a fool-- it drives the man to dancing...it even tempts him to blurt out stories better never told."
--Homer, The Odyssey |
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Final days to see Tibbits comedy
Funny Money |
Satek Winery is a big fan of the historic Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan, so much so that we sponsor a production every summer. This year we are sponsoring the hilarious comedy Funny Money, which is garnering rave reviews. You still have a chance to catch a performance, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 1 and evening performances at 8 p.m. on August 2-4. Click the link below to get more information or order tickets:
Tibbits Funny Money |
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New Releases |
Riesling, 2011
DeChaunac, 2011
Kreibaum Bay Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, 2011
Sangiovese, 2011
Larry's Luscious Dry Red Wine, 2010
Pam's Perfect Little Red Wine
Marechal Foch, 2011
Dry Ros�, 2011
Almost Gone
Kreibaum Bay Dry Traminette, 2011
Sold Out
Autumn Classic
Corot Noir, 2010 |
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The Blueberry Wait is Almost Over | After a year hiatus (due to an extreme agricultural shortfall of blueberries in 2011), we will again have Blueberry Wine this fall! In fact, the blueberries came very early (mid-July), have finished fermenting, and were pressed last week. This means we will release our semi-sweet Blueberry Wine around November 1st. Keep an eye on this newsletter for updates on the exact release date. |
| "Chilled Wine Sundays" | You may already know that Satek Winery is open for tasting and purchases on Sundays (farm wineries are exempt from Indiana's Blue Laws banning carry-out alcohol sales on Sundays), but do you know we have chilled wine available every day at no extra charge? Keep that in mind when you need chilled wine for your picnic, to take to the lake, or for your dinner that evening. |
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| Satek Wins at Fort Wayne Chamber Golf Classic | Out to prove that you don't have to be good at golf to win a trophy with a golfer on it, three of our staffers (self-proclaimed Ambassadors of Fun) participated in the Fort Wayne Chamber's Golf Classic fundraiser by sponsoring the 13th hole. In addition to sampling 7 spectacular Satek wines at the tee marker for the golf teams participating, we also led them in a game of skill: a cork toss whereby players had to land corks into wine glasses. Sound easy? Not so much, but these skilled teams managed to win prizes ranging from corkscrews to wine glasses to gift certificates. We were on a mission of good wine, good fun, and were rewarded by the golfers voting us Favorite Hole Sponsor! |
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Greetings!
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Satek has won more than 170 medals at the INDY wine competition since 2002 |
The month of August has the feel of Christmas-like anticipation for those of us here at Satek Winery. We have so many reasons to be giddily eager to come to work each day. For starters, this week marks the 20th annual INDY International Wine Competition, the largest independent and scientifically-organized wine championship in America. We've entered many of our wines, and will wait with bated breath for the announcement of medals this Friday.
This month we will be sampling the fruits of past years' harvests-- working on test blends and putting the finishing touches on many new wines including a Chianti-style Sangiovese, a unique blend of Dry Ros�, a very rich Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, a brand new Tempranillo, and an Indiana Chambourcin, which will be released for sale over the next few months.
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DeChaunac grapes growing at the Lake James vineyard |
Our vineyard crew, led by the meticulous efforts of Tim Wolfe and Fred Barnes, have been netting the vineyards and securing scare balloons and reflective streamers to deter the birds and deer as the grapes approach maturity. They will also continue removing leaves around the grape clusters to improve airflow and increase sunlight exposure to the fruit.
The winemaking staff is ramping up our bottling efforts in order to liberate tank space to prepare for Crush. Shane Christ, head winemaker, is scheduling twice-weekly bottling runs, so peek into our production room if you visit on a Tuesday or Thursday to get a first-hand look of our staff busily bottling and labeling lots of wine!
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Shane, operating the destemmer-crusher during Harvest 2011 |
The most exciting part of the month, however, is the beginning of Harvest and Crush, which all signs indicate will be early this year. The growing season has been most unusual-- with an early hot spring, a late spring frost, and an intensely hot and dry summer-- but our vines are actually looking healthy in spite of it all. We love to have our visitors experience the harvest and winemaking process along with us, so please excuse us if we, with juice stains on our clothes and grapes stems in our hair, pull you back to show you grapes being crushed and pressed with the enthusiasm of a six-year old waiting to see Santa. Can you blame us? Maybe Harvest & Crush should be made into a national holiday. :) -Sl�inte! Christina |
Wine & Beer Festival, New Orleans style
First-time event in Fort Wayne to benefit Junior Achievement
Our Satek Winery staffers are enthusiastically gearing up to road-trip to Fort Wayne's beautiful Headwaters Park on Saturday, August 11th to sample and sell your favorite wines, as part of this first-ever Wine & Beer Festival, orgainzed by Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana. Numerous Indiana wineries and several microbreweries (including cosponsor Mad Anthony's Brewing Company) as well as Cap n' Cork liquor stores will also be sampling their wares, and will be joined by three food vendors and New Orleans-style live music. The event is from 2 to 6 p.m., and tickets are $30 per person ($15 for designated drivers). To score a $5 per-ticket savings, log on to their website and order yours in advance:
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August Art Show to showcase regional artists
Satek Winery's most popular event scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer are winding down, but there's still one big event you don't want to miss: our second bi-Summer Art Show, featuring more than 30 regional artists exhibiting and selling their work on the lower lawn promenade of Satek Winery. The Show is family-friendly, and is a great way to peruse the wealth of talent our artists possess, nosh on a gourmet lunch available from Ambrosia Bella, and enjoy free wine sampling inside the winery. Admission is free, and the show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (the winery will stay open until 6 p.m.). |
WINOS Girls Nights Out popular with Foodies, Shopaholics, and Social Butterflies
Fun "Women In Need of Shopping" events set for August 10 and 24
Our W.I.N.O.S. Girls Night Out series finishes up this month with two final dates: Friday, August 10 and Friday, August 24. Gather your friends for some "Group Therapy" and celebrate your love of shopping, food, wine, and socializing! Tickets are $15, and include gourmet savories and sweets catered by Apron's Inn, wine tasting at both inside and outside tasting bars, shopping in our Merchant Marketplace, and time to hang out with your besties in our beautiful winery setting. You can even commemorate the evening with fun portraits by professional photographer Corey Verdin of Starlite Photography. Tickets sell out fast, so go to our W.I.N.O.S. website by clicking the link below to order yours today. Our website also lists the menus for each date, as well as what vendors will be in the Merchant Marketplace each time.
Information and Tickets for Satek Winery W.I.N.O.S. |
Growers Spotlight
Tim Wolfe and Pine Hill Vineyards
Local growers help supply Satek's increasing need for grapes. Starting this month, we will dedicate a column to spotlight one of our grape growers and their vineyard.
Grower: Tim Wolfe
Vineyard: Pine Hill Yineyard, Hamilton, IN
Varietals grown: Steuben, Noiret, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Marquette, Traminette, Golden Muscat, Cayuga White (2500 vines altogether, with more plantings planned for upcoming years)
Years growing grapes: 7
Family: married to Cherie, 2 grown sons, 4 grandchildren
Occupation: Building Trades instructor at DeKalb Central High School, teaching juniors and seniors. He teaches his students hands-on, and they complete the construction of a house each year
Summer occupation: maintaining his own vineyard of nearly 5 acres, as well as tending to Satek Winery's two vineyards
Attributable quote: "Netting the vineyard is like putting pantyhose on a porcupine"
Tim began growing grapes because he said he's "always been fascinated with vineyards." He did a lot of planning first, though, consulting Larry Satek's advice and researching for a year and a half before planting his first 600 vines. His existing career was ideal to allow him the time to dedicate to starting a vineyard, with summers off from his teaching job. He most enjoys the time he gets to be outside, and the freedom of working at his own pace. This year his vines should produce about 12 tons, and next year, as more vines finally become mature, they could yield 18 to 20 tons. His efforts have inspired one of his sons, who plans to plant vines on his property (which is next to Tim's) in the next few years.
In addition to vineyard management, you may see Tim serving occasionally in Satek's tasting room. He is eager to pick up some winemaking knowledge on the job, too, although he says he's only experimented a bit with home winemaking.
What advice would Tim have for others considering starting their own vineyard? He cited having a knowledge of potential diseases and sprays, and know how many vines you can plant and manage successfully. "You have to have a passion for it," he says, "and you have to make sure you really check into what it takes."
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