YOUNTVILLE, Calif., May 14, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Roots of Peace, a California-based non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of landmines, has been designated the recipient charity of all proceeds raised at the twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Paris Tasting of 1976 on May 19, 2001 honoring Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Cellar. Paris, the sister city of San Francisco, symbolizes the international scope of this effort to convert "mines into vines" in a modern day effort to transform "swords into plowshares."
In Paris 25 years ago, on May 24, 1976, Mike Grgich's 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay placed first in a blind tasting with France's best Chardonnays -- proving beyond a doubt that Napa Valley was a world-class wine producing region. Giving back to the land that has been so good to him, Croatian-born Grgich explains, "Over 1.2 million landmines are buried roughly six inches below the ground in my homeland. Fortunately, the people's 8,000 year history of winemaking is buried a little deeper."
Grigch Hills Cellar has partnered with Roots of Peace along with other prominent California vintners to plant the seeds of hope in Eastern Europe.
His Excellency Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, articulates the importance of the California wine industry in an effort to create peace:
"The role of Roots of Peace and the active participation
of so many Napa and Sonoma vintners in this noble effort
is a testament to your commitment to making our one earth
a place of life and nourishment and not one of death and
destruction."
The event will feature over 30 Napa Valley vintners and over 20 restaurants and is expected to attract over 1,000 people at the Domaine Chandon Winery in Yountville. In addition, there will be a silent auction that will raise money to demine a wine and wheat field in Croatia, planting "bread and wine" in former minefields as a symbolic gesture of peace in the first Spring planting season of the new millennium. A Black Tie Gala Dinner will follow, featuring top wine owners toasting to the bountiful seeds of hope amidst the backdrop of the Napa Valley -- in sharp contrast to the seeds of destruction caused by 70 million landmines in 70 countries.
Roots of Peace recently received generous wine donations from the World Wine Market held in San Francisco in support of its upcoming Mines to Vines silent auction, featuring rare bottles from Italy, France, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Canada and Slovenia.
Roots of Peace has already demined 160 acres of land in Dragalic and Zadar regions of Croatia featured on a new Website designed "pro bono" by Digitas, Inc., as part of a generous international advertising campaign, http://www.rootsofpeace.org.
About Roots of Peace:
Roots of Peace is a humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication landmines worldwide by converting demined land into productive agricultural use. Roots of Peace has established a myriad of public-private partnerships enlisting leading California vintners, international high technology companies and other prominent industries and NGOs dedicated to the landmines cause.
Wineries Pouring and Restaurants Serving:
Wineries: Restaurants:
Flora Springs Wine Company Bistro Don Giovanni
Bouchaine Vineyards Piatti
ZD Wines Pacific Blues
Livingston-Moffet Wines Cafe Kinyon
Beringer Vineyards Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi
Costentino Winery Napa Valley Grille
Corison Winery Brix
Domaine Chandon Gordon's
Grgich Hills Cellar Compadre's
Grgic Vina Domaine Chandon
Robert Mondavi Family Winery Napa Valley Wine Train
Burgess Cellars Millstone Coffee
Honig Vineyard & Winery Silverado Resort
Plumpjack Winery Oakville Grocery
Louis Martini Winery Tuscany
Bell Wine Company Alexix Baking Co.
Groth Vineyards & Winery V. Sattui Winery
Robert Peccota Winery Sweetie Pie
The Hess Collection
Dominus
Rombauer
Trefethen
Franciscan Oakville Estate
Cain Vineyards & Winery
St. Supery Winery
Storybook Mountain Winery
Liparita Cellars
Neibaum Coppola Estate Winery
Swanson Vineyard
V.Sattui Winery
Davad Bruce Winery
Bealieu
Round Hill Winery
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CONTACT: Roots of Peace, Yountville
Heidi Kuhn, Executive Director
(415) 455-8884