Hi,

March is looking pretty nice so far, don't you think?  As much fun as I had sledding this winter, I am definitely ready for some warmth and springtime flowers!

The weather is almost hard to bear right now because Clyde and I are working on a website redesign.  It's hard to stay inside working on the computer when the weather turns so lovely!  We need to get used to being inside though since our bottling season is also rapidly approaching too.

If you are ready to shake off winter, plan on a trip over to the winery soon.  The birds are singing, the frogs are peeping, and the daffodils are just about to bloom any day now.  We won't stick you in the cellar, I promise!  Or if you can't make it by the winery soon, then check out one of these retailers to pick up a bottle of Peaceful Bend wine.

Cheers, Katie

Website Preview

Clyde is working hard to update our website this month.  We are switching everything over to wordpress so I'll be able to take over maintaining almost all of the site more easily.  We are trying to make sure all the information you would look for on our site is easy to find and up-to-date.

We are also taking the chance to update the graphics a little too.  The picture above is a little sneak peak at the new home page, which you can see full size by clicking here.  Just keep in mind that this is a work in progress and may change by the time we 'go live' with the new site.

We stay committed to keeping our website clean and easy to navigate.  Once we upload the final project, we might experience some difficulties, so please stay patient with us through this process.  Hopefully you'll love the finished website!

We'll keep you updated on our progress on the homepage of our current site (plus you can also find recipes, announcements, and occasional give-aways on the homepage too).

Visit our website by clicking here

What's Going On?

March 13 - I'll be at the Pony Bird Great Taste Event from 6-8pm at the Imperial MO Elks Lodge.  Click here for more information

March 20 - Julie will be onhand at Sappington Farmer's Market in St. Louis at 1pm.  Check out the wines and say hi to her!  Click here to visit Sappington's website.

March 25 - Julie will be in Monet, MO at Connoisseurs starting at 4:30pm for a tasting.  Here is a map & contact info for Connoisseurs.

Finally, we have been getting questions about our upcoming Americana Festival in May.  If you are interested in that event, please click here for more information.

See all our events here

A Little Food With Your Wine?

Clyde has been using our charcoal grill again now that the weather has warmed up a little. One of our new favorite recipes is this hearty, vegetarian sandwich.

Grilled Portabella Sandwich with Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• 2 large portabella mushroom caps
• 2 whole wheat hamburger buns
• handful of washed and rinsed spinach leaves
• olive oil, salt & pepper to taste
• 3 Tbl. Forche Renault
• 3 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, minced
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place garlic in a small oven-proof dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the dish with foil and roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes.
2. Cool, peel and mash garlic after it's done roasting.
3. Mix the mashed garlic, mayonnaise, basil and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl.  Cover and chill.
4. Trim the stems from the portabella caps.  Drizzle the caps with olive oil, Forche Renault and 3 Tbl balsamic vinegar.  Let set for 10-15 minutes.
5. Grill the caps until tender and warmed all the way through.  Don't allow them to dry out completely though.  If desired, melt a slice of swiss or cheddar cheese on top of the mushroom caps.
6. Toast the hamburger buns (optional).
7. Spread the mayonnaise mix on half of the buns.  Layer on the mushroom cap and a handful of spinach leaves.  Top off the the other half of the bun.  Enjoy!

These sandwiches are soooo good.  Just make sure you have plenty of napkins since they tend to be on the juicy side.

Have a wonderful month.  Cheers!

In This Issue

• Sneak Peek

• Events

• Recipe

Hours

Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm

Saturday 10am-6pm

Sunday noon-5pm

Wine Tip

If you plan to store your wine for more than a couple of weeks, try to keep it in a dark location that stays at a constant temperature.

Find Peaceful Bend Vineyard on Facebook and I'm trying out twitter too - search for peacefulbend.