Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/72545
MANAGEMENT and we put on three summer eve- ning cookouts for customers and volunteers to attend. "They pick one cookout and can come with a guest. We have live music and we prepare all the food, except the meat which they pick out and grill themselves. This is also a good event for the custom- ers – we-generally open it to 120 people." Pilot PEAKers get their cellar rat T-shirts and receive a discounted wine price after helping with events and working crush, Wilson said. MAINTAINING THE SUMMER CAMP VIBE Camaraderie keeps people com- ing back. While wineries tend to e-mail correspondence with volun- teers to keep logistics private, vol- unteers themselves stay in touch with each other through Facebook and e-mail. "After an event, (winery staff and volunteers) will all sit around and think of things that we could do next year. We drink wine and eat snacks – it becomes a party atmo- sphere," said Fenn Valley's Van Auken. "They talk to their friends and the next thing we know, some- one says they did an event at work like one they saw at the winery. They go into the community and talk about their experiences with us. It's fun to see how it grows out and spreads. "The volunteers stay in touch with each other via e-mail and pick the same cookout and sit together at their own table. We have a Fenn Valley Facebook page and they stay in touch on that as well. They attend the Wine Makers Dinner and we give them a big price break on that." Pilot Peak echoes that atmo- sphere: "We have a great volun- teer community – these guys are dyed-in-the-wool, tried-and-true PEAKers," Wilson said. "It's a bit like Tom Sawyer painting the fence: All his buddies wanted to help him. We couldn't continue to hold our events without them." Long-term friendships also develop as a result of time spent at Chehalem's crush. "People do maintain ties with each other, although they may not tell us about it," observed Peterson-Nedry. "Ten years later they're still chatting together. We know the network is solid." Cynthia Rosi worked as a newspa- per journalist in London for 10 years before moving to Columbus, Ohio, with her vintner husband Paolo. He runs Via Vecchia Winery, and she writes articles and novels. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwm-online.com. YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR CERAMIC BOTTLES!!! For more than 30 years Phoenix Packaging has designed and introduced new concepts to the wine industry. We work to produce distinctive, unique, and recognizable packaging. BE Creative, BE Bold, BE Different!!!! BUILD YOUR BRAND using what YOU think will be the PERFECT PACKAGE. DON'T be limited by someone's catalogue or stock. WWW.PHOENIXPACKAGING.COM Telephone: 514-487-6660 / 800-661-6481 108 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT JULY - AUG 2012 WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM