July 2024 Newsletter
Changes
| This was the opening statement of our Declaration of Independence. “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…” Recently, Pecan Creek Winery and our distributor have dissolved the bands that connected us. Starting this month, the winery will be distributing our products directly to retail stores. Self-distributing in Oklahoma will be best for everyone. Retailers will have a wider selection of Pecan Creek wines, dry and sweet. Prices and service will be better as well. Consumers will see Pecan Creek wines on the shelves in more stores throughout the state. Other changes are in the air as well. A new telephone system (see below). More winery events. Expanded space for operations. Updated Point Of Sale systems and more. All these upgrades will enable winery staff to spend more time with you instead of clunky technology. Of course, we are always improving winemaking. Every harvest brings change such as vegan-friendly winemaking ingredients, reduction of field-induced spoilage organisms by using competitive, non-fermenting yeasts (which also reduces sulfites), lower temperatures for white and rosé fermentation. These changes will improve wine quality. Things just get better every year. Bob Wickizer, Winemaker  |
| Telecommunication Woes We are not sure exactly when this happened, possibly a thunderstorm in the spring, but the settings on our telephone system had changed so that we were not notified of missed calls. We know that we missed a large number in June. We will be upgrading our telephone service to provide more reliable and prompt service to you. The telephone number will remain the same. I am sorry, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by this outage. We’ll get this fixed soon! |
| Upcoming Bottling Bottlings in July include: * Zucker Küsse Riesling (delayed from last month)- 35 cases * Just Peachy- 25 cases * Purple Martin- 35 cases |
| Wine Education Corner Véraison – No, this is not pronounced like the name of a telephone company. You say it like “Ver RAY zon.” It is French meaning color change. Véraison is a growth phase for red grapes where they change color from green to red, blue, or purple. The photographs below show the same two clusters of Cabernet Sauvignon taken four days apart in July, 2017. As these grapes mature, the coloring molecules (anthocyanins) become more concentrated leading to a darkening of the color. The tannins in the grapes chemically change too from bitter, mouth-puckering, spit-it-out forms to much softer, more palatable forms. Just like our teenagers eventually grow up and adopt more mature attitudes, so do our grapes. The chemical changes in the skin and seed tannins correspond closely to the increase in sugar content in the grapes. The whole process is nature’s crescendo leading to a fruit that is edible, even delightful for deer and humans. Nature’s plan is to get us to eat these things and then deposit the seeds elsewhere. Of course, sometimes we hijack Mother Nature’s plan and make wine out of it    |
| Events You Should Attend Red, White, & Blue BBQ – Saturday, July 13th from 6:00-8:30 pm in the PCW Cellar. Featuring our red, Chambourcin wines paired with BBQ, white, Brilliantly Lit with seafood and cheese appetizers, and Blueberry slushies with dessert. Our seating capacity is limited to 25, so make your reservations soon on EventBrite. The cost is $60 per person or $40 per person for non-alcoholic guests. Children’s tickets are available for $15 per child. Gluten-free and Vegan dishes will be included. Véraison should be underway by then, so this is a great time to come visit your favorite red grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Chambourcin. |
| Outside Winery Events * All Aboard Thursdays: Third Thursdays of the month: June 20th and July 18th in Downtown Muskogee, OK * Saturday Farmers Market; Muskogee and Tahlequah |
| Future Happenings * Murder Mystery Dinner – Our dinner on June 22 was sold out and a huge success. Everyone had a great time including the winery staff who are all natural hams. Look for another dinner in the Fall. * 5K Run / Grape Stomp – Saturday, September 22. 5K run in the morning at the vineyard (7000 Fern Mountain Road). Grape Stomp in the afternoon at the winery (8510 Fern Mountain Road) * Air BnB Grand Opening – October Date TBA * Pecan Creek Winery 10th Anniversary Party – November Date TBA |
| Wine Dinners and Public Tastings We have done many wine dinners around the state of Oklahoma. We are the only winery in the state that can make four or five wine pairings from our wines that were not only “Made in Oklahoma” but grown here as well. We love to do wine dinners. Ask your favorite restaurant to give us a call at 918 683.1087 or info@pecancreekwinery.com. We do fun and sometimes educational events. Everyone has a great time. We also do public tastings at liquor stores. If your favorite retail store does not carry Pecan Creek wines, just ask them. Tell them that we can do a public tasting and zero in on the labels they want to carry. Our winery customers tend to be our best promoters. Thank you for your help. If you are in the Broken Arrow area, make sure to stop by see Becca at CJ’s Liquor store on Friday, June 28th from 4:30-6:30 pm. |
| Staying at the Winery The winery provides space for up to four RVs with 50-amp hookups and water (no sanitary facilities). We have recently purchased the five acres and building immediately to the north of the winery, and we have four more 50-amp hookups on that building but no water yet. These locations also offer more privacy and a great view of the vineyard. This fall, we will open the house adjacent to the winery as an Air BnB facility. With a full kitchen and beds for up to eight guests, this will provide another opportunity for folks who want to visit the winery and spend the night in total peace and quiet. Stay tuned for our opening date in October. |
| WE SHIP TO 38 STATES! Wine makes a GREAT gift! did you know that we ship to 38 states, making it an easy gift to send to your loved ones? Ordering is easy on our website! We ship to the following states: AK, AZ, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY |