What’s New at Your Winery
by Mike Bobbitt, Operations Manager
With the holidays behind us and spring weather still a couple of months away, this time of the year often turns into the doldrums — but that is not the case at your winery.
Preparations are under way to participate in
approximately eight wine festivals throughout Virginia this year, with the first one coming up the end of February when we are pouring at the Virginia Wine Expo in Richmond. The Virginia Wine Expo will be held on Feb. 23rd & 24th at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. This is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier wine event that continues to grow every year. We hope to see you at our booth!
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A Taste of New Kent Wine Festival
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Of course, two of our festivals this year will be on site: New Kent Winery will host A Taste of New Kent on Saturday, May 11th and Classics on the Green on Sunday, September 15th. These two festivals have grown in recent years and we anticipate 2013 will be even bigger and better. For a full listing of the festivals where we’ll be set up, please refer to our website, www.NewKentWinery.com . This year Anne Green-Rulli will be heading the festival staff, so if you visit us at festivals, be sure and stop by and congratulate Anne on her new role.
Winter is also time in which we prepare for our special events, and New Kent Winery has quickly become a premier destinations for those seeking that special location for their wedding & reception. In less than two years, New Kent Winery has hosted nearly 50 weddings, and over 25 are planned for 2013. With numerous inquires into 2014 and beyond, this social calendar is expected to continue to prosper.
Peggy Mickles is busy preparing our first Barrel Club event of the year on Saturday, March 16th. This will be a wine social with Tom Payette (our Award Winning Wine Maker) and Pete Johns (our Managing Partner). Barrel Club members will want to put this date on your calendar and make plans to attend, as you will be sampling wines prior to bottling and also doing some vertical pairing with the same wine, only different vintages. We’re still working with our caterer for that ideally paired food, but I know Peggy will have some delicious selections.
Planning is also underway for our ever-popular
Cooking Classes. We hope to begin these classes in April and run through November. Due to many requests for an evening class (for those who work during the day) we are also trying to arrange a few months in which we have both a lunch time and dinner class. Look for information in the next few months as Erin Moskalski finalizes these plans.
Due to the efforts of Andrea Kephart, we hope that you begin seeing more New Kent wines in your local store or restaurant. Andrea is busy trying to grow our sales in areas where our distributor doesn’t service. If you have that favorite grocery store, wine shop or restaurant that doesn’t serve our wine, please let us know.
On a more immediate note, we will once again offer Chocolates by Kelly chocolates on our tasting bar this Valentine’s Day (see side bar). We also have a special, heart-shaped box of her Valentine’s Day Chocolate Selections available after February 1st at your winery. So
guys, don’t be like many of those “last-minute Romeos” who purchase candy for their sweetheart at the local drug store on Valentine’s Day. Be unique, be creative, be original, and consider chocolates made in Richmond, VA by our third generation chocolatier — along with a bottle of your honey’s favorite New Kent wine in a special bag — that tells her just how special she is. Hope to see you on Valentine’s Day!
Richmonders who listen to Jimmy Barrett’s Morning Show on WRVA have already learned that the Club at Viniterra, our neighboring golf course, is hosting the Jimmy Barrett Blue Ball Golf Tournament this year on March 1st. New Kent Winery is excited to be a part of this event, as we’ll be serving wine during the tournament as well as hosting the dinner & awards ceremony at the winery. Listen to WRVA or visit their website for more information on this exciting event benefiting the Fisher House at McGuire’s Veteran’s Hospital.
New Kent Winery will also host the Boy Scouts of America for their annual Heart of Virginia Council Klondike Derby Feb. 23rd & 24th. Scouts from the area will be camping near the vineyards and competing in a test of skills and endurance.
In may be cold outside and we may not be operating with much daylight this time of the year, but we’re still busy in preparations for another record setting year at your New Kent Winery. Thank you all for a prosperous 2012 and we look forward to yet an even better 2013. Salute!
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