Slaughterville Grape Festival Sept. 24

Grape Festival in Slaughterville, Oklahoma

Date: Sat. September 24, 2005 from 9 - 5 PM
Place: Slaughterville Town Hall (US Highway 77 and Slaughterville Road)

Contact: Slaughterville Town Hall 872-3000

Enjoy: Wine, Grape Juice, Live Music, Children’s Entertainment, Crafts, Food and Open House at Redland Juice Company, Willow Pond Vineyard and Canadian River Winery.

Fun Oklahoma Wine Event!

Jazz Vocalist at Cabin Creek April 23

Jazz Vocalist Susan Herndon will be appearing April 23, 2005 at
Cabin Creek Winery from 3 - 7PM.

For more info or reservation contact the winery at: info@cabincreekwine.com or call 918-783-5218

Cabin Creek Winery

Two More Oklahoma Winery Events Scheduled in Drumright

In addition to their Rock-n-Roll event this weekend, Tidal School Vineyards in Drumright is hosting two more fun Spring events for music lovers:

• Wine tasting and shrimp boil with classic rock band Jumbo Shrimp March 12


• Tulsa Opera Leiderabende arias, hors d'oeuvres and wine tasting March 19

For reservations use their Online Wine Event Reservations form, call toll free at: 866-258-1903 or email: deb@tidalschool.com

Tidal School Vineyards - Redbud Award Winner for Outstanding New Attraction in 2004

Preventing Deer Damage in Oklahoma Vineyards

I've added a new page to the Nuyaka Creek Winery website that I think all Oklahoma grape growers should find interesting. The new page explores: The Most Popular Deer Damage Prevention Methods for your Vineyard. Here's one of my favorite parts:

The Most Popular Deer Damage Prevention Methods Include:
The Electrified Peanut Butter Fence (ya gotta love the name!)

Baited and electrified fencing can be purchased pre-made or cobbled together at home. The basic idea is that deer are attracted to bait stations around an electrified fence. When any deer licks the bait they receive a shock that trains the deer to stay clear of that area. Electric fence is much cheaper than other styles of fencing and is much easier to setup. If power is an issue, you can even go solar!

There are lots more techniques in the article like using Deer Off Repellent, and Deer Stop Netting so check it out:
How To Prevent Deer Damage in Your Vineyards

Technorati Wine Tag

New Grapevines for Oklahoma Vineyards

According to OGGWMA, in January 2004 there were more than 107,000 producing grape vines in the state. That's great news for Oklahoma wineries!

Rinda Skaggs, education coordinator for the Oklahoma Grape Growers and Wine Makers Association, says in a recent article that the current vines in the state are approaching, if not already surpassing, $1 million of product each year.

...and more are on the way:

Oklahoma vineyard operators are eagerly anticipating the delivery of 21,000 baby grapevines in the next several weeks, which will be distributed statewide through the 50-member co-op, industry spokeswoman Rinda Skaggs said.

Read the full article here: Oklahoma vineyard operators await infusion of new grapevines

Two Upcoming Events Featuring Oklahoma Wines

April Fool's Day Mystery Theatre and Dinner

The Tres Sueños Winery Valentine's Day Mystery Theatre and Dinner sold out! Because of the many requests they will be having another Mystery Theatre and Dinner on April Fool's Day, Friday, April 1, 2005. Make your reservations early by calling 277-7089.


Thyme Bistro Wine Dinner in Tulsa

Monday, March 7th, 2005, the Thyme Bistro in Tulsa, Oklahoma will be hosting a Wine Dinner featuring Cabin Creek wines. For more information email: info@cabincreekwine.com or call Thyme Bistro at 918-742-7013. A great way to support Oklahoma restaurants that serve Oklahoma wines!

Oklahoma Wine News - Winery Event Listings from all over the Sooner State

OALP Posts Some Windmill Winery Details

For quite awhile now, I have been searching the web for some details on a new Oklahoma winery called Windmill Winery. Today, I found a little bit of info on the winery from the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program website.

The windmill winery is owned and operated by Rusty & Dawnita Allard. They have been growing grapes for 4 years and opened the commercial winery in March. Rusty has a degree in Wine Production and grows 5 acres of grapes, while serving as a Credit Officer for Farm Credit.

...Last year, Rusty made 6 tons per acre. Since there are now over 20 wineries operating in Oklahoma, Rusty feels he has an opportunity to sell his excess production to other area wineries.

There is more info in the full article near the bottom of the page:
Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program - Seminar II from October 2004

OGGWMA List of 2005 Viticulture Education Classes

If you are thinking about planting commercial wine grapes or just starting a backyard vineyard the Oklahoma Grape Growers and Wine Makers Association (OGGWMA) is here to help!

To that end, they have posted their entire 2005 viticulture education schedule on their website. Don't miss this excellent chance to learn the latest vineyard management secrets!

Wine Grape Grower Educational Classes and Events Sponsored by OGGWMA

Food and Wine Paring with Pecans

What Wine Goes With Pecan Pie?

Nuyaka Creek Winery offers sales of both Oklahoma pecans and wine and it turns out they weren't the first to pair them. Our neighbors in Arizona have been putting them together for some time now.

The Pecan, Wine & Antique Festival was voted by the Arizona Parks & Recreation Association as the Best Special Event in 2004 and was nominated for the 2004 Governor's Tourism Award in Special Events. Last year approximately 3,500 people attended this Camp Verde festival and its popularity continues to grow with 5,000 expected to attend this year.

Arizona's 5th Annual Pecan, Wine & Antique Festival on Feb. 11-13.

Space Age Winemaking Technology from NASA

Vineyard managers are gaining new insights by using NASA techniques to schedule harvests, choose the best areas to plant vineyards, choose the best vines and even to protect them from pests.

Large wine companies like E&J Gallo and Mondavi are using NASA-based technology to design their fields to cultivate the perfect wine grape for the area. A project known as VINTAGE (Viticultural Integration of NASA Technologies for Assessment of the Grapevine Environment) is using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) for crop management.

Vineyard managers are also responsible for determining the perfect time to pick grapes. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with the Maryland-based Brimrose company, developed a device that uses spectrometry for testing the grape for harvesting. A spectrometer was used in deep space to separate the colors of light given off by an object.

To learn more about how America's wine industry has benefited from NASA technology, see the full article: Getting spacey for winemaking - Science Blog

Tidal School Serves Up Old Time Rock N Roll

Old Time Rock-N-Roll in Drumright
Enjoy live music and dinner at Tidal School Vineyards.
Saturday, February 26, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Price: $18.50 Per Person

The Valentines Day event sold out fast, so make your reservations soon!
For more details, check the Tidal School Winery website and have a look at their list of Oklahoma wineries, while you are there!

Pre-Planting Workshop at StableRidge Vineyards March 13

2005 Pre-Planting Vineyard Workshop Sunday March 13, 2005

This workshop covers all ground and site preparation for your grape vines. They expect a good turn out so hurry and make your reservations today.

Time: 3pm - 5pm
Fee: $10 includes wine tasting & OGGWMA contribution
Reservations: Stableridge@brightok.net or call 1-800-359-3990

StableRidge Vineyards Winery & Inn - Route 66 Stroud Oklahoma

Wine Tasting Events in Muskogee, Vinita and Drumright

I haven't managed to find much new wine news this week, I suppose the wineries are all gearing up for the big Muskogee wine tasting event this weekend and of course, Valentine's Day. Summerside and Tidal School wineries are both offering live Jazz at their V-Day events, rumour has it they are filling up fast!

With all of the Oklahoma wineries that will be pouring at the Shriner's wine tasting, I may bring my own dolly to carry it away! All for a good cause, naturally!

The Grape Ranch winery in Okemah is now open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm, until Spring.

Oklahoma Steakhouse Reviewed in Wine and Cuisine

Low Carb Luxury Wine and Cuisine in Tulsa

Regular readers know that my wife has been writing some Oklahoma food and wine reviews lately. You can see them posted at Wine&Cuisine.com in their Vintage Oklahoma section. Wine & Cuisine covers the world of wine, food, travel, and the arts in the American South and Southwest. The comprehensive information they provide for wine and food lovers everywhere and currently reaches over 70,000 readers. Dianne's article for this issue covers The Gaucho - a new Brazilian Steakhouse in South Tulsa.

The visit was my first taste of Brazilian style steak. It is a uniquely fun dining experience that is perfect for Oklahoma area low carb dieters. So far, they are ignoring Oklahoma wines, like most restaurants in the area. However, if you stop by ask for an Oklahoma wine, maybe they will see the light!

For anyone looking for a publication that thinks of our area as more than merely a 'flyover state', I heartily reccomend you 'fly' over to their website. In addition to some great articles, they now have a business offer for those interested in investing in the awesome growth in the American wine industry.

Wine and Cuisine of the American Southwest