Wear the Green to this Green Country Party

2nd Annual Summerside Winery Spring Herb Dinner Party
March 17, 2007

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Vinita this year with live Celtic music by the Crofter's Gate Trio - instruments such as the fiddle, guitar, bodhran, Irish whistles, concertina and harp. The evening will begin with a 6:30pm wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres reception in your honor followed by seating at 7:30pm for dinner.

This specialty dinner is interlaced with interactive discussions about food and wine, and is hosted by winery owners Marsha and Gary Butler. Chef Val Saamer will prepare many delicious culinary delights. $60 per person all inclusive. Advance reservations: online at localwineevents.com, or e-mail gail@summersidevineyards.com, or call 888-508-9463.

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma Events, Live Music, Vinita, Oklahoma

Cabin Creek Winery On Free Trade for Oklahoma

Press Release
Source: Cabin Creek Winery
Cabin Creek Winery Encourages Free Trade for Oklahoma
Wednesday February 21, 8:59 am ET

TULSA, Okla., Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabin Creek Winery, http://www.cabincreekwine.com/, a Native Oklahoma producer of fine wine, brings forward an issue concerning Free Trade in Oklahoma. Unlike other states that produce wine, Oklahoma, by law, limits distribution favoring large producers and distributors. The issue is tied to a constitutional argument of restriction of Commerce among the various states.

The Vintners
Robert and Pam Harris stated today, 'If people like our wine they should be able to purchase it on a level playing field. If Oklahomans enjoy a product from their own soil, why should the big boys keep them from enjoying it? Oklahoma producers are down to earth folk, selling a product that can compete with the best in the nation.'

Several votes approach in the State Legislature sponsored by Senator Harry Coates, Senator Tom Ivester, Representative Jeffrey W. Hickman, Representative Al McAffrey and Representative Danny Morgan. Pam Harris encourages Oklahomans to make their feelings known as Free Trade affects all in Oklahoma. Contact information for the State Legislature can be found at http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/.

Cabin Creek Winery
Cabin Creek Vineyard & Winery is a swank place to meet in a country setting that is a short drive from Tulsa, in Big Cabin, Oklahoma. As stewards of the land, Cabin Creek strives to produce exceptional grapes that will give remarkable wines. Cynthiana, Zinfandel, Shiraz and Seyval grapes ripen under the Oklahoma sun, waiting for knowledge, experience and passion to transform the fruit into a fabulous experience.

saltmineconsulting.com
R. Blake Hendrix, Marketing Strategist, offers solutions for small business. His recent book, Strategic Decisions for Small Business can be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iUniverse. In addition to shaping marketing strategy, Hendrix encourages small business to embrace simplicity in mapping and achieving its goals.

http://www.saltmineconsulting.com
http://www.cabincreekwine.com
http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/

Technorati Tags: Direct Shipping, Wine Law, Oklahoma, Free Trade

Black Sheep Vineyards Tasting Room Hours

David and BeckyBrinkley at Black Sheep Vineyards near Poteau, Oklahoma tell me they have finished with their ribbon-cutting and now have their tasting room open for business.

Current Tasting Room hours are: Thursdays from 3pm -7pm, Fridays from 10 am -8 pm and Saturdays from 9 am -8 pm.

Tidal School Vineyards Boogaloo and BBQ

Boogaloo & Barbeque in Drumright
Saturday, March 3, 2007 / 6 PM to 9 PM

Boogaloo plays live at the winery for this limited seating dinner concert event! Enjoy great Oklahoma barbeque and great live music while tasting some great new wines from your favorite Oklahoma winery! Free wine glass with every ticket purchase, take home a memento of a wonderful evening.
Advance seating reservations are required, so call toll free 866 258 1903 or order online today! www.tidalschool.com

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma Events, Live Music, Drumright, Oklahoma

Dinner Theater in Drumright February 17, 2007

Who Killed US Marshall Rick Slow?

Some have called this their all-time favorite winery event! Tidal School Winery in Drumright is looking for 'characters' to join in the fun for this mystery. All parts will be signed up in advance - so please indicate whether you would like to participate (a line or two) and we will contact you with your lines. Free wine glass with every ticket purchase, take home a memento of a wonderful evening.

Murder Mystery Dinner Theater! Saturday, February 17, 2007 / 6:30 PM to 9 PM
Advance reservations are required, so call toll free 866 258 1903 or order online today!

Wine Tasting in Oklahoma Liquor Stores?

Friday morning the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission met for a regularly scheduled meeting. During his reports, ABLE Commission Director Keith Burt offered some news I found interesting:

• A state liquor retail group will introduce legislation to allow wine tasting in retail package stores that might require some action by the ABLE Commission.
  
• State voters decided a number of alcohol-related issues on Nov. 7, 2006. McClain and Murray counties passed liquor-by-the-drink, the laws becoming effective Nov. 30, 2006, and Dec. 1, 2006, respectively. Oklahoma has 46 'wet' counties.

Full article: http://www.okinsider.com/readstory.oki?type=headline&storyid=0ZP0SU115

Technorati Tags: Wine Tasting, Wine Law, Oklahoma, Oklahoma ABLE

Jazz and Dinner at Natura Winery March 10

Spring Out of Hibernation Party
Saturday, March 10th, 2007 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

Enjoy the uplifting sounds of the Jambalaya Jazz Band as you feast on your choice of a corned beef or roasted chicken dinner at Natura Winery near Beggs, OK.

Cost is $30 per person and includes:

• Light appetizers
• Dinner includes your choice of meat accompanied by mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a roll
• Dessert Tray
• Wine is included in the cost, as well as assorted soft drinks, tea and coffee.

You may book your reservations online or at the winery during normal working hours. All reservations must be paid in full at the time of booking. No reservations will be accepted after 5pm on Sunday March 4th.

Corruption - the Fruit of the Three Tier System

Tom Wark from the Daily Wine Blog: Fermentation sent me a link to an interesting story on how the Texas State government is being corrupted by their own so-called regulation of the wine industry. Expect a similar flim-flam scam to be played out in Oklahoma this Summer.

A citizen member of the state's Sunset Advisory Commission wants the Legislature
to dismantle what he calls the 'corrupt system' of alcoholic beverage regulation
that he says protects wholesale distributors. - Austin attorney Howard
Wolf, in a scathing position paper, criticized the relationships among
lawmakers, wholesale distributors and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission. - Full article:
Panelist: Texas liquor regulation 'corrupt' Chron.com - Houston
Chronicle

Forcing a government monopoly onto the market with the goal of preventing corruption is like having sex to prevent pregnancy.

Tulsa Rotary WineFest March 31, 2007

Eagle Nest near Nuyaka Creek
Originally uploaded by FreeWine.

SECOND ANNUAL TULSA MIDTOWN
ROTARY WINEFEST MARCH 31, 2007

The Tulsa Midtown Rotary Club will have it's second annual Winefest on March 31, 2007 at the Holiday Inn Select which is located at I-44 and Yale Avenue in Tulsa. This will be a fundraiser for the Rotary Club and we hope to bring representatives from the best Oklahoma Wineries and representatives from the best cheese manufacturers and speciality bread stores to display and sell their products.

The First Annual Winefest held in April 2006 was a huge success. All the participating vendors praised the event and requested that we make this an annual event. This year the facility will be larger and we will have some special additional features.

Vendors wishing to reserve booth space should contact Joe McCormick at (918) 488-8000 or E-Mail him at josephmccormick@mindspring.com. Vendor applications will be mailed the last week in January 2007.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa Rotary, Wine Festival, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Wine

Kentucky Allowing Wine Sales by Phone or Web

State regulators have opened the door to shipments from small wineries that are both inside and outside Kentucky. Kentucky leaders decided to drop out of a federal lawsuit over wine industry regulation late last month.

In addition, small wineries in other states will be eligible to ship to Kentucky, but the state Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control hadn't received any applications for licenses as of yesterday.
Bear in mind that consideration for a Kentucky wine shipping license, a winery must produce no more than 50,000 gallons of wine annually.

Full article:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/BUSINESS/702070767

Technorati Tags: Wine Shipping, Wine Law, Kentucky, Free Trade

Oklahoma Wineries in the Tulsa World

U.S. Wine and Grape Industry Worth $162 Billion Annually

This Sunday's Tulsa World contains a short article on the growing economic impact wineries are having on all 50 U.S. states. The reporter interviewed my Dad from Nuyaka Creek Winery and Gary Butler from Summerside Winery about the critical wine industry decisions facing Oklahoma legislators this year.

Here's a link to the article: http://www.tulsaworld.com/BusinessStory.asp?ID=070204_Bu_e1_wine. Here's a brief quote:

"There's no doubt the wine industry is booming across the United States.

A new report by MKC Research of St. Helena, Calif., found that the U.S. wine and grape products industry is worth $162 billion a year, and it affects the economy in all 50 states.

There are now 4,929 wineries across the country -- up from 2,904 in 2000 -- and those wineries produced $11.4 billion in sales in 2005, the study said. -- Tulsa World"

Last year a judge eliminated the constitutional change Oklahoma voters passed to allow our state to participate in this rapidly growing industry. This year, Oklahoma lawmakers will have to show where their loyalties are.

Will Oklahoma join Washington, Oregon, California and New York by creating a system that supports the principles of free trade and economic growth or will we continue to provide a handful of wholesalers a forced monopoly at the expense of our local wine industry?

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma Wine News, Nuyaka Creek, Summerside Winery, Oklahoma Law