We're Back With Friends

It has been one busy summer but now that the grape harvest has begun we are back to work and rejuvenated with ideas for the Illinois Winemakers Alliance! We have spent the summer researching wine legislation in Illinois and the United States. We have specifically been meeting and collaborating on ways to keep the public and wine consumers in ‘the know’ with wine legislation news. One way to do that was to create a group called ‘Friends of Illinois Wineries’. Our friends will not only get special treatment at participating Illinois wineries but will also be kept up to date with news and mailings. Here’s some more information on ‘Friends of Illinois Wineries’:

Sponsored by the Illinois Winemakers Alliance, the ‘Friends of Illinois Wineries’ program will help support efforts to minimize the cost of wine to consumers by protecting each winery’s right to ship directly to the retailer and to you.

A $10 donation gives you special access to promotional offers at participating Illinois wineries!

With your donation you will receive a card to present at each winery to redeem discounts, wine tastings and other special offers.

Participating Wineries Include:

Lynfred Winery
10% off the purchase of wine bottles or cases

Glunz Family Winery & Cellars
10% off the purchase of wine bottles or cases

Massbach Ridge Winery

20% off first bottle of wine purchased

Hidden Lake Winery
10% off the purchase of wine bottles or cases

Illinois River Winery
10% off the purchase of any wine bottles, cases, or merchandise


Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery
10% off the purchase of wine bottles or cases

August Hill Winery
Two Tastings for the price of one, plus 5% off wine purchased

Kensington’s Wine Auctions
One free tasting of four Illinois wines of the customer’s choice

Tasting deVine (Wheaton)
10% off the purchase of wine bottles or cases

Tasting deVine (Naperville)
10% off the purchase of wine bottles or cases


To Become a Friend of Illinois Wineries Click Here

IWA Meeting This Wednesday

Illinois Winemaker’s Alliance (IWA)
Agenda
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant & Winery
Burr Ridge, Illinois
Lunch: 11:30 AM
Meeting: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

I. Call to Order (Fred Koehler)

II. Report of Executive Director (Tom Stone)
A. Progress Report
B. Current Member List

III. Treasurer’s Report (Fred Koehler, Acting Treasurer)

IV. Legislative Update (Fred Koehler)

V. “Friends of Illinois Wineries” Discount Card Update

VI. Presentation by Jerald O’Kennard, Director, Beverage Testing Institute (BTI)
A. How BTI Tests Wines

VII. Presentation by Steve Puccini, http://www.winefather.com/
A. Illinois Wineries on Web site
B. Kensington’s Wine Auction Facility in Chicago

VIII. Review / Discuss IWA Web Site (Links and Blogspot)

IX. Other Business

X. Adjournment


At this meeting, we will make the final decisions and launch our Friends of Illinois Wineries program, the BTI Quality Improvement program, and new legislative initiatives. We will also hear from Steve Puccini of WineFather LLC about a new marketing opportunity for all Illinois Wineries.

Please RSVP to Tom Stone

The New Illinois Wine Law

Today CLTV starting airing a new piece regarding the new Illinois wine bill that will go into effect on Sunday, June 1, 2008. It is a bill that the Illinois Winemakers' Alliance has been fighting and will continue to fight. WATCH THIS STORY UNFOLD .

The governor and many other individuals consider this bill to be beneficial to Illinois wine consumers and even market it as a great thing for the Illinois wineries. What has actually happened is that the three largest wineries, creating over 60% of the wine made in Illinois, have had their rights stripped from them. Before HB 0429 passed 2nd class wineries (wineries producing over 25,000 gallons of wine per year) in Illinois were able to sell 10,000 gallons of wine direct. With the new bill, 1st class wineries (wineries producing under 25,000 gallons of wine per year were given the ability to sell 5,000 gallons direct per year, while the large wineries were stripped of all direct shipping abilities.

What does this mean to the consumer? It means that if someone loves Cooper's Hawk, Galena Cellars or Lynfred wines and wants to buy them at a restaurant, they will be paying more. The reason? The second class wineries now must go through a distributor; tacking on dollars to the consumer. We find that to be discriminatory. We are living with liquor laws from the 1930's. Ridiculous.

Tom Wark, Executive Director of the SWRA, had a commentary in the Chicago Tribune the other day that truly sums it up. Bill Daley from the Tribune followed it up with a blog, too.

Want to know more! Let us know! Email us with your questions or post a comment.

So True. So True.

The Southern, an Illinois newspaper, posted an article on Friday called ‘Ups & Downs’ mentioning some of the good vs. evil in Illinois this year. What caught my eye was this quote:

“Thumbs down – to Gov. Rod Blagojevich for putting state support for the burgeoning Illinois wine industry on the chopping block. It is now, as the industry is experiencing phenomenal growth, that it needs expert guidance for grape growing and winemaking if it is to produce quality wines. What's a near $400,000 state investment in return for an estimated $60 million direct economic impact that includes state taxes and state license fees? We know the state budget is strained, but this expense looks more than justified by the return on investment.”

Kudos to the Southern! Finally someone has it right! Before prohibition Illinois was the fourth largest wine producing state in the US (New York, Ohio and Missouri being the top three). If Illinois wine is going to continue to grow we need the help of our state and local governments.

Well said Southern, well said. . .

Quality Assurance Program

Canada is doing it; so is Pennsylvania; why not Illinois? At the last meeting of the IWA members discussed the prospect of submitting Illinois wines, from member wineries, for analysis. The analysis doesn’t award the wines with bronze, silver and gold but with a stamp of approval.

There is such a plethora of wines available to consumers that having a ‘stamp of approval’ could give assurance to buyers that the wine has been tested and is well worth their money. It’s a project that IWA is doing research on and was just delighted to see someone else trying it out.

Member News: Blue Sky Winemaker Dinner

April 12, 2008 – 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Save the date for an opportunity to enjoy award-winning Illinois wines and 4-star quality food at Blue Sky Vineyard. Learn the basics of wine tasting and the rules of wine and food pairing. Meet our winemaker Karen Hand, "Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Associations" - Vintner of the Year 2006, and enjoy a delicious, catered 5-course meal.

After the class join our winemaker for a tour of our cellar. Each person that attends the course will receive a 10% off coupon good towards a purchase made that day at the vineyard.

Read what some of our guests said about our first "Wine & Food" course:

"I enjoyed this very much. This was my first wine class. I would like to repeat it someday, just to refresh. Thank You!" - Wine Drinker for 7 years

"This class was very well presented and easy to understand and best of all, a lot of fun. Great wine, great food, and great information!" - Deb Browning

"Great workshop! Very informative. - A nice way to spend an afternoon! - Wine Drinker for 20 years

Caterer and Menu Information Will Be Available March 5, 2008

For More Information Contact:

Blue Sky Vineyard

3150 S. Rocky Comfort Rd. Makanda, IL 62958
Phone: 618-995-9463 Fax: 618-995-9763

Senate Bill 2121 Submitted

PHOTO: The picture above is of Lynfred Winery owner, Fred Koehler, breaking a bottle to recognize the opening of the winery in 1979. 29 years ago, when Lynfred first opened, Mr. Koehler was only allowed to produce 2000 gallons of wine per year. Today Lynfred produces about 80,000 gallons per year, and are about to hit the state’s limit of 100,000 gallons.


The IWA has been planning how to fight HB0429’s passing in 2007. The way for us to begin 2008 is by submitting a counter bill. Senator Carole Pankau, with the approval of IWA has submitted Senate Bill 2121 for review.

The Senate Bill would allow 2nd Class Winemakers (Illinois winemakers producing over 25,000 gallons) to purchase a self-distribution license. Current legislation (HB0429) takes away that right from the larger wineries in the state, which in turn, would raise the price of wine to consumers.

Chicagoist writer, Chuck Sudo, mentioned the new bill today in his article ‘More Wine Bills Working Their Way Through Springfield’.

The executives of IWA will be meeting in Springfield on Wednesday and we’ll have more updates later this week. If you have any questions in the meanwhile please email us at wineinfo@lynfredwinery.com

1st Quarter Meeting Summary

Thanks to IWA members, our First Quarter 2008 General Membership Meeting was a great success. We have three great challenges ahead of us:

. to influence Illinois legislators to pass laws governing winemakers that protect our right to growand prosper while preserving reasonable access andcosts for consumers, and

. to introduce consumers to Illinois wines and wineries through various cooperative promotional programs, and

. to improve the quality and reputation of Illinois wines by establishing quality standards according tothe tenets of the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI).

The Second Quarter General Membership Meeting will beheld in May on a date and in a location to be determined. We will hear the reports of the Marketing and Legislative Action Committees and the BTI StudyTeam at that time.

Meeting Thursday, February 7

Attention IWA Members:

This Thursday, April 7, 2008 will be the first-quarter meeting of the IWA for 2008. The meeting will be held at Lynfred Winery in Roselle and will start at 11:30 am. Here’s the agenda:


11:30 AM Buffet Lunch
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Call to Order (Fred Koehler)

Report of Executive Director (Tom Stone)
Progress Report
Current Member List

Treasurer’s Report (Fred Koehler, Acting Treasurer)

Legislative Update (Fred Koehler)
Impact of Illinois HB429 (scheduled for enactment July 1, 2008)
IWA Activities to Combat Passage of HB429
Legislators Representing IWA in Springfield

Marketing Plan Ideas
“Friends of Illinois Wineries” Discount Card
Frequently Asked Questions about Discount Card Program
IWA Wine Quality Standards
Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) (How BTI Tests Wines)
Other Ideas

Selection of Committee Chairs
Budget Committee (Treasurer)
Marketing Committee
Legislative Committee
By-Laws Committee

Review / Discuss IWA Web Site (Links and Blogspot)

Other Business

Adjournment

Please RSVP by calling Tom Stone at 773.549.4071

Be Informed

The passing of House Bill 0429 in 2007 has left the Illinois Winemakers’ Alliance with a battle on their hands. Our battle will begin with first informing our consumers of what HB0429 will do. Here is the letter we will be sending out to our mailing lists:


Dear Illinois Wine Consumer,

I am writing to you in regards to current wine legislation that will affect Illinois wine consumers. Recently House Bill 0429 was signed by Governor Blagojevich and will become law July 1, 2008. The media has portrayed this bill as beneficial to all Illinois wine consumers and Illinois wineries, while it actually strips the rights of the consumer and stunts the growth of the Illinois wine industry.

We want to inform you of how the bill will affect you as a consumer:

HB0429 Ignores you, the Illinois wine consumer
HB0429 Strips your rights as Illinois citizens to buy wine from out-of-state retailers
HB0429 Increases the cost of wine to you, the consumer
HB0429 Stops the function of the free market
HB0429 Is an Illegal restraint of trade and commerce
HB0429 Prevents industry competition
HB0429 Limits fair access of Illinois wines to the retail market
HB0429 Creates an Imbalance of distribution among state wineries
.
While the private interest of the commercial entities in the industry is artificially protected from the challenges of dealing with the changes in the market place, there is no noticeable advancement of the public welfare.

We will be contacting Illinois Senators and Representatives to review the Illinois Alcoholic Beverage Laws and Regulations. The Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency in charge of consumer protection and anti-trust enforcement, will be looking into wine distribution in various states.

We urge you, the Illinois Wine Consumer, to contact your state representative and senator. Further information can be found at www.illinoiswinemakersalliance.com as well as links to contact your local and state representatives.

Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us at 630.529.9463 or at wineinfo@lynfredwinery.com. In the meantime we, as Illinois Winemakers, will be planning our next move.

Sincerely,

Fred Koehler
President
IWA

Scott Lawlor
Vice President
IWA

Tom Stone
Executive Director
IWA

This letter will be followed by similar letters to our state representatives, senators and the members of the press. We urge you to share this letter with fellow wine lovers anyway you can, email, blog, anything! Help us fight the fight!

Back with a Force

After a long holiday season we are back to blog! The holidays are a busy time for wineries and wine retailers and I apologize for the lack of blogs but now we’re back in force.

The Illinois Winemakers’ Alliance is still fighting the effects of HB 0429 in Illinois and today the newspapers and media outlets are abuzz with the revelation of wholesaler’s political donations.

The SWRA has released monetary donation charts of the wholesaler’s political contributions and Wines & Vines printed the article today. The Sun Times and The Chicagoist also picked up on outrageous donations. Take a moment to read for yourselves and you’ll realize how hard it is for the Illinois Wineries to fight these battles, the wholesaler’s just have the money.

Stay tuned for upcoming political action by the IWA.