7th Annual Mendocino Wine Affair in Hopland Raises $185,000 for the Mendocino Winegrowers Foundation to Benefit the Agricultural Scholarship Fund and Mendocino Search & Rescue

June 26, Ukiah, CA -- The 7th annual Mendocino Wine Affair last weekend, held in Hopland and Ukiah, drew a record crowd and raised $187,000 at its live and silent auctions on Saturday, up from last year's take of $138,000. With the theme "Discover the Taste Mendocino," the two-day event raised more than money for good causes. It also raised the bar on quality for wine, food, entertainment, creativity of auction items and good old-fashioned fun.

The Wine Affair kicked off with a first ever "Mendocino Western Wine Round-Up" at the historic Parducci Wine Estate in Ukiah. The pre-Prohibition winery site was transformed into the "OK Corral" for the evening, complete with hay bales, stiltwalkers and trick ropers. Over 300 guests, dressed in Western attire and sporting cowboy hats, boots, bandanas and bolo ties, feasted on an authentic chuckwagon BBQ provided by the Mendocino Cattleman's Association. The BBQ was accompanied by "Red, Pink and White" wines, with rosés (pinks) in big demand. Guests dined and danced to the country-western sounds of the Fred McCarty Band. The party went on all night under an almost full moon.

According to John Enquist, Executive director of the Mendocino Wine Growers Alliance, "This year's Wine Affair attracted an unprecedented number of people and terrific auction items. We truly feel it showcased the tremendous bounty of Mendocino County. We'd like to thank all of our sponsors for making this event a resounding success. "

Saturday's main event, the Garden Affair and Gala Dinner and Auction, was held at Fetzer Valley Oaks in Hopland. It began at 10:00AM with KGO Radio's live broadcast, of the Gene Burns" Dinning Around" program. Gene interviewed some of Mendocino County's most colorful personalities, including Linda Stutz of Maple Creek Winery, Chair of this year's Wine Affair; John Enquist, Executive Director of the Winegrower's Alliance; Bridget Harrington and Craig Stratman, owners of Patrona Restaurant; Coro winemakers Dennis Patton, of Fetzer and Golden, Casey Hartlip of Eaglepoint Ranch, Sally Ottoson of Pacific Star, and Greg Graziano of Graziano Family of Wines; Charlie Barra, local wine grape grower for over 4 decades, and Paul Dolan of Mendocino Wine Company. Also joining the broadcast was Kate Frey, this year's Chelsea garden show winner and Fetzer horticulturist. Kate later led guests on tours of the fragrant herb and flower gardens, teaming with lavenders, sages, and butterflies.

In the afternoon, the gardens were turned into a showcase of Mendocino artisanry, with woodworkers and coopers demonstrating their crafts. Locally made furniture included reproductions of 18th century wine cabinets, creative wine display racks, rocking chairs and secretary's desks. Many pieces were made from old red wine barrels, proving that Mendocino is not only committed to sustainable agriculture and organic winemaking, but to recycling in every sense of the word.

Over 50 wineries poured in the garden, and guests enjoyed the long-awaited public debut of the 2002 vintage "Coro Mendocino" wines. These unique wines are the first of their kind in the United States and are produced under strict guidelines and must pass a blind tasting by a panel of judges. Coro, which means chorus in Italian and Spanish, is the blend created by nine vintners to showcase Mendocino County's winemaking prowess and is truly a magnificent example of one of the many "tastes of Mendocino."

Later in the evening, under fair skies and warm breezes, a total of 565 people filled the tables surrounding the historic Haas House at Fetzer Valley Oaks to witness bidding led by renowned auctioneer Frtiz Hatton. To kick the auction off, Roederer Estate offered a "Sparkling Salute to the Best of Mendocino Wine Country," which included a bottle of champagne for every table. In all, there were 45 live-auction lots, including a trip to Hong Kong for two, a weekend getaway at Fetzer for six, and a hand-blown 6-liter bottle of Artevino Estate Merlot hand-painted by vintner artist Tom Rodriguez of Maple Creek Winery. Sunridge Nurseries offered a "Plant Your Own Vineyard" lot of 1,000 dormant bench grafts, which proved very popular, and Mendocino Search & Rescue offered a "Bird's Eye View" of Mendocino, a two-hour flight over the county's beautiful lakes, forests, canyons and coastline. The top lot of the evening sold for $8,500 and was a collection of nine magnums of the newly released 2002 Coro Mendocino wines.

The auction concluded with the Harley-Davidson raffle, which raised $13,000 for the Mendocino Winegrower's Foundation and the Agricultural Scholarship Fund. The gleaming blue and black 1200 Sportster Custom was donated by Harley-Davidson of Ukiah.

Summarizing the events of the weekend, Linda Stutz, Chair of the 2005 Wine Affair commented, "This event really gave everyone a true taste of Mendocino. In this magical place, we can grow grapes, watch the sunset over the ocean, hike through redwood forests, dine on fine cuisine, camp, or stay in a luxurious hotel and enjoy the creations of local artists and craftsmen. With a population of 89,000 residents, we have the highest artist population per capita in the country. And I'd like to include our grape growers and winemakers among them!"

The two-day event was a benefit for the Mendocino Winegrowers Alliance with the Mendocino County Search & Rescue Unit the main beneficiary. The Mendocino Winegrowers Alliance (MWA) is a non-profit organization of grape growers and winemakers allied to develop and promote Mendocino County's winegrowing industry. Contact: John Enquist by phone at 707-468-9886, or via Email: mwa@mendowine.com. Visit the MWA website: www.mendowine.com