Redbud awards—

Yes, we are proud and brag, but we also want to thank 701Corp.com who took our ideas and the vision we had in our heads and made it work. To our families who had to live with us while we changed, corrected, read out loud, discussed and then changed it again. To the inventor of Post-It –Notes, yep, that is how we organized our content and buttons---everything we wanted we wrote on separate Post Its, then organized them into file folders representing the pull downs (buttons).

Our website is the hub or our social media, where we can refer customers to find everything about us and even where we can check on ourselves. We feel the way we set it up makes it easy to look around and explore from our Bistro menu, to wine terms. Please check it out for yourself at Summersidevineyards.com.

Helping to make tourism in Oklahoma better, and then to put it in a format to be judged can only help us to improve.

Watch out because  in 2013 we, at Summerside are planning a clean sweep of all Redbud Awards, oh yea, a clean sweep. OK, maybe we will not win them all but there are things we know we could be doing better---so, let the games for 2013 begin.

 

 

OKLAHOMA TOURISM & RECREATION DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

May 9, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sandy Pantlik

Phone: 405-230-8402 or 405-990-4054 (cell)

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

(Photos of Redbud award and merit winners are available upon request.)

 

2012 Redbud Awards Honor Oklahoma's Top Tourism Entities

(Oklahoma City, Okla.) – Oklahoma's top tourism attractions, events, programs and organizations were honored during the annual Redbud Awards held Tuesday, May 8 in Oklahoma City. The awards represent the highest honor given in the Oklahoma tourism industry.

Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb and Discover Oklahoma television show host Jenifer Reynolds presented awards to 32 winners during a special evening gala held at the Oklahoma History Center.

More than 100 Redbud entries in 16 categories were evaluated by a slate of out-of-state tourism industry and marketing professionals. Judging criteria covered customer service and experience, marketing effectiveness, media relations, variety of audiences reached, value, and overall creativity. The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department partners with the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association to present the annual Redbud Awards.

The Redbud Awards were held during National Tourism Week (May 5 – 13) which recognizes the importance of tourism to the national and local economies. Direct travel expenditures in Oklahoma generate more than $6.2 billion for the state's economy annually and support jobs for 74,900 residents.

A full list of 2012 Redbud Award winners by category is included below.

2012 Redbud Award Winners

 

Outstanding Agritourism Attraction

Redbud: Country Cottage Primitives and Lavender Farm, Shawnee

 

Best Social media Campaign

Redbud (Tie): The American Banjo Museum

The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

 

Best Brochure or Publication: Trifold or Single Sheet brochure:

Redbud: Ardmore Convention and Visitors Bureau

 

Best Brochure or Publication: 11 pages or more

Redbud: Frontier Country Marketing Association

 

Best Overall Marketing Campaign

Redbud: Muskogee Chamber of Commerce and Tourism

 

Best Website

Redbud: Summerside Vineyards, Winery & Meadery, Vinita

Outstanding Media Coverage: Broadcast

Redbud: Craig Day, KOTV News on 6

 

Outstanding Media Coverage: Print

Redbud: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa

 

Best Partnerships

Redbud: Arbuckle Simpson Nature Festival, Tishomingo

 

Outstanding Attraction

Redbud: Oklahoma City Zoo

 

Outstanding New Attraction

Redbud (Tie): Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid

Chickasaw Nation, Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur

 

Outstanding Lodging Property

Redbud: Pine Lodge Resort, Grand Lake

 

Outstanding Temporary Exhibit

Redbud: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan

 

Outstanding Event

Redbud (Tie): Ponca City Herb Festival

Okie Noodling Tournament, Pauls Valley

 

Outstanding New Event

Destination Claremore, Claremore Convention & Visitors Bureau

Redbud: Legends Weekend, Stillwater Convention & Visitors Bureau, Stillwater

 

Tourism Organization of the Year

Redbud: Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau

ALL WINES AND MEADS PRODUCED AND BOTTLED BY SUMMERSIDE VINEYARDS & WINERY, & MEADERY

 

WINE

DRY       

2009 Rosé of Chambourcin, “Born to be Wild” Steppenwolf. “Looking for adventure.”                                

2010 Pinot Grigio, “Satisfaction” The Rolling Stones. A little wild but classy.                                                 

                          

2009 Riesling, “That Will Be the Day” Buddy Holly and The Crickets. Lively with a message

Route 66 Red, “Respect” Aretha Franklin. Always strong with great moves.                                                    

2010 Chambourcin, “Aways on My Mind” Willie Nelson (special thanks to Marsha). Bold and strong.

SEMI-DRY

2009 Riesling, “ Dancing in the Streets” Martha and The Vandellas. A party all the time.

2011 Pinot Grigio, “Under the Boardwalk” The Drifters. A total surprise of fun.

2009 Dam Red, “Great Balls of Fire” Jerry Lee Lewis. Robust.                                                                          

SEMI-SWEET

2010 Vignoles, “Do You Think I’m Sexy?” Rod Stewart. This wine even has a little sparkle of sexy.

Route 66 Kicksass, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” Jim Croce. No other song even comes close.

Velvet, “When a Man Loves a Woman” Percy Sledge. Just beautiful and smooth.

All American Road, “Born In the USA”Bruce Springsteen. The name of the wine says it all.

SWEET

2010 Riesling, “You’re the One That I Want” Olivia Newton John. Everyone loves this one and everyone wants to sing along with their pretend microphone.

2011 White Cloud, “The Kiss” Faith Hill. Playful, fruity but yet light with a strong message.

Beautiful, “California Girl” Beach Boys. Refreshing and full of surprises

Tantalizing Tana Lou, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” Beatles. Explodes with flavor, but yet a pretty blush color.

Hard Cider, “Don’t Be Cruel” Elvis. Nothing fake, the truth.                                                                                                              

Sunset, “Happy Together” The Turtles (special thanks to Jackie). Smooth and playful.                                  

Blackberry, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” Elvis. What all wish for in our lives.

Raspberry, “Do You Believe in Magic?” The Lovin’ Spoonful. Fun and delightful.

DESSERT        

2004 Vintage Cabernet Franc, “Killing Me Sofly With His Song” Roberta Flack. Rich full-bodied.

Butler’s Choice, “Georgia on My Mind” Ray Charles. Rich, luscious, deep and aged well.

Cream Sherry, “With Or Without You” U2.  Warm and soft.

 

MEAD

DRY

Holly Honey, “Dancing Queen” ABBA. Building strength and boldness.

SEMI-DRY

Cyser  (honey and apples), “Good Vibrations” The Beach Boys. All American taste of wildflowers and alfalfa with apples, you know every taste in it.

100% Texas Guajillo Honey, “Yellow Rose of Texas”  Traditional Texas Folk Song.

SEMI-SWEET

Pyment  (honey and grapes), “What’s Going On?” Marvin Gaye. Taste the honey and the grapes, now the honey now the grapes…a wonderful blend of flavors you know.

100% Goldenrod Honey, “My Girl” The Temptations. Solid, but yet light and so easy.

Wild Betty Blackberry Mead, “Wild Thing” The Troggs. Our first and a crowd hit. Full of surprises.

SWEET

Orange Blossom Honey, “Canon in D” Pachelbel. Love in a bottle. A touch of sparkel makes it tastes like a wedding.

February 1st is a BIG day for Summerside Vineyards, on that day we start self-distribution, that means we control when liquor stores will receive our wines because we will get it there ourselves.

 

No middle man.

Summerside Wholesale Ambassadors go to stores and get orders or stores can call the winery (918-256-3000) and order; and shortly, stores will be able to order on line.

No waiting days or weeks for the orders to be delivered. This is new and WONDERFUL so spread the word.

Summerside Rt66 Fruit Wines and Meads will be what we self-distribute at this time, they are listed below. What a great time of year for stores to know they can get Rt66 Raspberry Wine for Valentine's Day. Or Hard Apple Cider can be purchased to go with cheddar cheese appetizers. Or for a wedding shower, Orange Blossom Mean can be served because one can purchase it from their local liquor store.

We also offer to stores who carry us, Facebook* time. We have over 2000 fans on Facebook, not bad for a little winery/meadery in Oklahoma. For added support we also offer on our website Shelf Talkers** so that liquor stores and their customers will know our wines better. Some of our labels even have QR Codes *** telling more about the product.

So please contact your local liquor store and tell them that Summerside Vineyards Winery and Meadery will start tomorrow with self- distribution.

If you are a liquor store and would like a trained Summerside Whole Ambassador to call on you, just send a request or questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We offer for wholesale our:

Summerside Rt66 Fruit Wines:

Sweet

Hard Apple Cider

Raspberry

Blackberry

Summerside Rt66 Meads:

Dry

Traditional (Holly Honey only)

Semi-Dry

Cyser (Oklahoma Wildflower -Alfalfa Honey and apples)

Guajillo {100% Texas Guajillo Honey, a cousin to Mesquite)

Semi-Sweet

Pyment (Oklahoma Wildflower - Alfalfa Honey and grapes)

Traditional (Goldenrod Honey only)

Melomel ("Wild Betty," Clover Honey and wild blackberries)

Sweet

Traditional (Orange Blossom Honey, carbonated)

 

*Facebook, please "Like". http://www.facebook.com/summersidewinery

**Shelf Talkers to download and then print. http://www.summersidevineyards.com/shop/liquor-retail-stores/shelf-talkers

***QR Codes, what are they? Check our February eNewsletter (we send it out to over 5000 readers each month). http://www.summersidevineyards.com/hot-news/enewsletters

Wine Tasting Sheet http://www.summersidevineyards.com/wines-a-meads/tasting-sheets

Mead Tasting Sheet http://www.summersidevineyards.com/wines-a-meads/tasting-sheets/mead

2000th “Like” on Facebook.

Can you believe it? We are so excited, this was a goal we made, but never dreamed we would make, come on you know you make goals and never dream they will happen (thanks Lisa). 2000 may not sound like much to you but two years ago we didn’t even know how to log onto Facebook (ask my daughter). We also had no idea how much this social media devise could help us learn and promote.

Thanks to you (if you have Liked us) this means we are doing something right. This shows us that people care about Summerside Vineyards, Marsha and Gary (owners), wine knowledge, and yes even Oklahoma liquor laws.

We have tried to post quotes about wine and mead to get you to think; a few wine/mead lessons are sprinkled in along the way to get you to try; posting of events and festivals to get you to do. Even reposting or “Sharing” events to support the great state of Oklahoma, Historic  Rt66 and yes, even other wineries.

Facebook is where we now turn to see what people are saying about us, we have learned things from those that “Like” us---things we are doing good and things that we are doing not so good and need to change.

If you have not checked us out and “Liked” us, I suggest you do it now at http://www.facebook.com/summersidewinery?sk=app_4949752878 .

And as we start this New Year we vow to continue to help educated and to support Oklahoma wines and meads.

Salute’ to you.

On Saturday, December 3^rd, from 11:00am - 4:00pm, Summerside Vineyards will do something we have never done. While having our annual Open House with our traditional door prizes, hot mulled wine we will be hosting a trade show in our wine cellar.

For the trade show we have invited women owned businesses from the area to set up booths so that you can support them while doing your one stop shopping.

Those businesses include:

Cookie Lee Jewelry

Mary Kay Cosmetics

Pampered Chef

Scentsy

Celebrating Home

Thin Again

Tastefully Simple

Mimi’s Homemade Fudge

 

Come tomorrow, visit the booths in the back, try some Made In Oklahoma Wine and Mead, take your time enjoy the live music of the Smith Brothers while having lunch in our Bistro. Free gift wrapping on wine and mead purchases.

*******And during the BEDLAM Game we will have FREE Chips and Salsa in our Bistro.*******

Wine drinkers are gaining. Beer drinkers beware. I see it in my personal life with my family. It seems like more and more are starting to drink wine even at sporting events. I think it has to do with the fact one gets a choice. At one time, me, the wine drinker in the family had a choice of sodas or beers at events so I'd choose beer. But, now more and more I see the choice of wine. Now, I select what I want and just pick something.



View December Newsletter Summerside is making your holiday's toasty warm by featuring our Dessert Wines! Find out the difference between sherry and port-style wine. Make a fantastic cake with our Summerside Cream Sherry! MJ tells how to find the best dessert wine to go with dinner. We make a neat craft with corks. There's also the reminder for you to book your holiday parties!

View November Newsletter Meet our smallest fan in this issue of Arouse your Tastebuds, find out what goes into a bottle of wine, meet our Dobson Look-a-like winner, try a great stuffing recipe, and mark your calendar for our Holiday Open House!

View October Newsletter Take the "Mystery" out of all things wine in this issue of Arouse Your Tastebuds! We reveal our "Big Kahuna," MJ takes you on a mental taste test at our winery. We have an excellent Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Spicy Tomato Soup recipe, which has been tested by a winery staff member, and they say "it's amazing!" So check out all we have to offer in this revealing issue!

View September Newsletter Summerside explains the nature of honey, we celebrate two more members of our Summerside Family, Marsha (the owner) shares a recipe of her own, we showcase a new mead (Guajillo), and we've started asking trivia questions! How well do you know Summerside?

View August Newsletter Summerside puts the word out about our Harvest Party weekends! We make a fabulous Sangria, spotlight our newest releases, and invite you to our Website Launch Party!

View July Newsletter Summerside got the Grand Star in Texas! We also talk about foursquare, share a recipe from a Fan, and talk about those pesky wine headaches!

View June Newsletter Welcome to Summer! We discuss what our Mobile Fan Club is all about, share a great recipe for Caesar Salmon, and show the progress of our grapes.

View May Newsletter Nice to "Mead" You! To gear up for the Renaissance Fair in Muskogee, we decided to feature Mead this month! MJ answers an age old question, and there's a great recipe for dressing.

View April Newsletter Summerside finds Gold in Texas! We are so proud of our Cream Sherry that we decided to make it the sole feature this month! MJ explains how our Cream Sherry is made, and we have a great recipe for ice cream!

View March Newsletter Taste the Magic of Mardi Gras! Enjoy our Drunken Cheesy Bread, continue our Wine 101 series and more in this eNewsletter.

View February Newsletter Happy Valentine's Day! MJ talks about wine we love, we continue our Wine 101 series and we make Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce.

View January Newsletter Happy New Year from Summerside! Check out our Wine Cake Recipe and MJ's thoughts about the Cynthiana Grape. Also, we start a mini-series on Wine 101.