Grape Expectations Revealed at KSB Speakers Series
What’s going on out there in our Verde Valley backyard? If you’ve driven the pretty, winding Page Springs Road lately, you’ve got the idea…we’ve got a real wine country in our paradise…and it’s serious.
It’s so serious that Yavapai College has now launched a Viticulture and Enology program, is planting a 40 acre vineyard and building a greenhouse and science lab at the Clarkdale campus, all of which will serve the local wine industry. But that’s not all. They’re doing it right, using the latest in energy efficient and sustainable technology, solar power, a reclaimed water system and dry land farming. And this is only the beginning of what is hoped to become a major economic force in the entire Verde Valley.
Keep Sedona Beautiful’s “Preserving the Wonder” Speakers Series will offer an inside look at the burgeoning wine industry in red rock country on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at the historic Pushmataha Center, 360 Brewer Road in Sedona. A welcome reception for the public will be held at 5 p.m. with the opportunity to taste our local wine, and the program will follow at 5:30, concluding by 7 p.m.
A panel of three experts will discuss all aspects of the business: Tom Schumacher, Executive Dean of Yavapai College, is also the current President of the Cottonwood Economic Development Council (CEDC), serves as Secretary for the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization (VVREO) and is a founding member of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium representing the education committee.
Eric Glomski, is co-owner and Director of Winegrowing at Arizona Stronghold Cellars and Page Springs Cellars, a winery which has grown into an operation that produces about 60,000 bottles of wine per year. He is a consultant to wineries as a noted expert in the field of organic farming and a proponent of doing things properly. Prior to starting these two wineries and planting their associated vineyards, Eric worked in the California wine industry for several years – most notably in the Santa Cruz Mountains at David Bruce Winery.
Paula T. Woolsey is a certified fine wine specialist, wine distributor, restaurateur, hotelier, teacher and farmer. She is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and the Master Court of Sommeliers, former owner of the Asylum Restaurant in Jerome, and former Beverage Manager at L’Auberge de Sedona, Cellar Master at Enchantment Resort, and Educational Chair of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, among many other accomplishments.
The panel will be moderated by Tom Pitts, the founding Chairman of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium. He has been a wine enthusiast and follower of wine trends throughout the world for many years and has provided market research and marketing consultation for wineries, wine importers, distributors, and retailers. He also serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of the Jerome Chamber of Commerce, as a Director of the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization, as a principal in the Sedona Verde Valley Tourism Council and is the owner and operator of Belgian Jennie’s Bordello Bistro & Pizzeria in Jerome.
A serious, but enthusiastic bunch these speakers are, as they share the challenges AND their big visions for great potential growth and economic impact for our new Verde Valley wine country…and why they believe it really can happen, and indeed, already is.
The Keep Sedona Beautiful Speakers Series programs are presented the third Wednesday of each month from September through June. Featuring a wide variety of topics related to the “wonder” of our region, this popular series dates back to the early KSB organization with a mission to engage, inform and inspire the community. Donations are appreciated, members are free.