Circle of Hope has been helping cancer patients since 2004. Initially providing support to breast cancer patients, the organization now helps sufferers of a variety of cancers, including not only breast cancer, but also colon, cervical, ovarian, prostate, testicular and uterine cancer.
Of especial interest to Eve Wine 101ers is the spectacular Vine 2 Wine annual fundraiser held at California Institute of the Arts. This year’s event was held Saturday evening. August 16th. Through the efforts of Executive Director Ray Tippet and a host of other individuals, a fantastic selection of wines, beers and food were provided to an appreciative crowd of Santa Claritans. (EDITOR’S NOTE: I got an email from Ray Tippet and this event…drum roll please…earned Circle of Hope $40,000! And that’s $15,000 over last year! We were very pleased to lend a hand in marketing the event – pro bono – for this very worthwhile homegrown non-profit!)
Wines were poured by winery representatives as well as a number of volunteers from the Santa Clarita Valley. Wines from the following wineries were offered:
Quady Winery
Pulchella Winery
Reyes Winery
Tolo Cellars
RiverStar Vineyards
Tackitt Family Vineyard
Clayhouse Wines
Coruce Vineyards & Winery
Golden Star Vineyards
Nuggucciet Cellars
Hug Cellars
Kiamie Wine Cellars
Castoro Cellars
Chamisal Vineyard
Forefront by Pine Ridge
Layer Cake / One True Vine
Laetitia Vineyards & Winery
Lucinda & Millie
NADIA Wines
Pine Ridge Vineyards
Steelhead Vineyard
Valley of the Moon / Toad Hollow
Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards
Opolo Vineyards
Dry Creek Vineyards
J & J Cellars
Vigilance Winery & Vineyards
Nadeau Family Vineyards / Tolosa
Au Bon Climat Winery
Donati Family Vineyards
Empson USA – Wine Importers
Louis M Martini Winery
Niven Family Estates / Larson Champagne
Penman Springs Vineyard
Fratelli Perata
Pear Valley / Harmony / Shannon Ridge
Trefethen Family Vineyards
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
Raymond Vineyards
Silver Oak
Caymus
Groth
A special thank you to the Schwartz and Carpenter families, who graciously and generously poured library wines from their personal cellars.
And the Pisoni winery donated enough of their Lucy Rose so that each guest could not only taste it at the event but take home a bottle as well.
But there was more than wine at this event. Thanks to the efforts of Shannon and Simon Mee, owners of the popular Newhall Refinery, the following breweries were represented in the “Barley 2 Beer” section:
Alaskan Brewing Co.
Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
Angel City Brewery
Deschutes Brewery
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Golden Road Brewing
Kinetic Brewing Co.
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Stone Brewing Cp.
Wolf Creek Brewery
Good thing there was all this wine and beer, because the guests needed it to wash down the food from:
Stonefire Grill
California Mad Poppers
Hidden Havana
Smokin Bar B Quties
Marstons
Pizzscotti
Jasmin Thai BBQ
Pieology
Rattlers BBQ
Rustic Eatery / Burger
Wildflour Gourmet Bakery
Eat Real Café
Truffles ‘N Toffee
Thelma’s Café
Rita’s Ice
It’s A Grind
Kokalita Cakes
Kake Kreations 2
Nana’s Baked Goods
Embassy Suites
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Lima Limon
Persia Restaurant
The evening was made complete by the great singing of Jimmy Carnelli. There was even a dance floor to work off some of the calories being consumed!
And, after the event, I received the following email from the owners of Golden Star Vineyards offering even more:
“Thank you for stopping and visiting with us last night at the Vine 2 Wine Classic. It was a wonderful evening and our pleasure to introduce or re-introduce you to our wines at Golden Star Vineyards. Should you care to purchase any of the wines you tasted, please visit our website wine store @ www.goldenstarvineyards.com and use the following promo code as a token of our appreciation for 10% off any of your purchases. VINE 10.
Also if you haven’t already done so, please like us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GoldenStarVineyardsWinery.
Thank you again,
Lee & Helen Williams”
Lee has informed me that this offer will be valid through the end of October.
Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting (http://evewine101.com/eveswine101consulting/). Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com.
