Reserve Wine & Food to Host CRUSH Fundraiser for Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan

In order to better address the growing needs of West Michigan families, Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan is opening a regional office in Grand Rapids on April 1.

The new office will serve as a West Michigan base for the non-profit, which provides information, financial assistance and emotional support to Michigan families affected by leukemia, lymphoma and related blood cancers. Each year, CLF provides programs and services to more than 4,400 families throughout the state, approximately 20 percent of them from West Michigan – the organization’s highest concentration of patients and families outside of Southeast Michigan.

CLF will host CRUSH Grand Rapids Wine and Food Classic, its first West Michigan fundraiser, on Saturday, March 9 at Reserve Wine & Food in downtown Grand Rapids. The event, which is made possible by Dick and Betsy DeVos, will feature nine culinary masters from leading Chicago, West and Northern Michigan restaurants and honorary winemakers Celani Family Vineyards who will create an elegant and extraordinary evening for guests.

CRUSH Grand Rapids begins with a private patron reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by wine-food pairing stations and dessert. The event concludes at 10 p.m. after the awards ceremony, which will honor Dr. James B. Fahner, the director of pediatric hematology and oncology at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital with its 2013 Pioneers in Medicine Award, and Varnum LLP with its Corporate Leadership Award.

“For the past 60 years, CLF has worked to serve the practical and emotional needs of West Michigan families as they navigate their cancer journey – from diagnosis through treatment and beyond,” said William Seklar, president and CEO. “Our new office underscores the commitment of CLF to have a stronger presence in West Michigan to support our works with nearly 800 families in the region.

“We are also very excited to host our first CRUSH event in Grand Rapids. Since the series was launched in 2008, CRUSH has focused on creating world-class regional fundraising events that benefit CLF. CRUSH Grand Rapids joins very successful annual events in Birmingham and Northern Michigan that will showcase some of the leading chefs and sommeliers across Michigan. All funds raised at CRUSH Grand Rapids will stay in West Michigan to benefit patients and their families.”

A grassroots organization to its core, CLF was founded in Detroit in 1952 by a group of families who had each lost a child to leukemia. They were determined no other Michigan family should have to face such a diagnosis alone.

CLF programs and services fall into three categories:

• Casework support, which connects a social worker with the family to provide access to emotional support, information and referral sources. The CLF resource room provides print, audio, video and electronic information to help families learn more about cancer, the treatments available and the issues surrounding the disease;

• Financial assistance, which provides travel assistance, prescription drugs, treatment-related expenses and more, to ensure clients have access to the best medical care;

• Respite and recreational programs, which offer patients and families a peer support network, therapeutic arts, holiday toys and tickets to entertainment and sporting events to underscore patients and families are not alone.

“A cancer diagnosis affects the whole family,” Seklar explains. “More than half the clients CLF serves are at or below the poverty level, requiring them to make tough decisions about how to allocate already-stretched financial resources. At CLF, all our programs and services are free – and no patient is ever turned away.

“That makes our fundraising efforts like CRUSH and our other events extremely important. We strive to be good stewards with the donations we receive. For every $1 donated, approximately 83 cents goes directly to patient and family programs and services.”

CRUSH Grand Rapids joins the CLF series featuring world-renowned wine experts and culinary masters who create unparalleled of degustation events for their guests. Culinary masters for the event will include the following executive chefs:

• Paul Virant, Vie and Perennial, Chicago who will serve at the 2013 Honorary Executive Chef and Restaurateur
• Matt Millar, Reserve Wine & Food, who will serve as the 2013 Honorary Culinary Director
• Myles Anton, Trattoria Stella in Traverse City
• Mathew Green, Reserve
• Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux, La Bécasse in Maple City
• Josef Huber, Amway Hotel Corp. in Grand Rapids
• John Korycki, Zazio’s in Kalamazoo
• Colin McPhee, Bar Divani in Grand Rapids
• Matt Peitsch, Salt of the Earth in Fennville
• Joel Wabeke, Trillium Haven in Grand Rapids

Tom and Vicki Celani, proprietors of Celani Family Vineyards in Napa, Calif., will serve as the 2013 Honorary Winemaking Family.

Ron Edwards, a master sommelier, consultant and educator, will serve as the 2013 Honorary Wine Director for CRUSH Grand Rapids. He will be joined by Peter Marantette, a certified sommelier and general manager of Reserve Wine & Food.

The event is sponsored by Celani Family Vineyards, Dom Perignon, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, Remy Cointreau USA, Reserve Wine & Food, Scott Shuptrine Interiors and Soaring Eagle Casino.

Since its inception, CRUSH has raised more than $1 million to benefit CLF. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.crushmichigan.com.

About Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan
Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan is a non-profit organization that provides information, financial assistance and emotional support to Michigan families affected by leukemia, lymphoma and related blood cancers. Each year, CLF provides programs and services to more than 4,400 families throughout the state, approximately 20 percent of them from West Michigan – our highest concentration of patients and families outside of Southeast Michigan. For more information, visit www.leukemiamichigan.org.

Reserve Wine & Food to Host Signature Wine Auction to Benefit Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital

Autographs from some of Grand Rapids’ most prominent business and community leaders will be “up for bid” during the Signature Wine Auction to be held next fall – Thursday, October 18, 2012 – at Reserve Wine & Food. The auction will raise awareness and dollars for the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

“I wanted to find a way to recognize our community leaders – those who have helped shape Grand Rapids’ future and put this city on the map,” says local radio personality and children’s advocate Kevin Matthews, who first came up with the idea after a meeting with friends Dick and Betsy DeVos. “This exciting fundraiser will not only showcase these individuals and their accomplishments, but it will raise much needed funds and public awareness for the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.”

During the Signature Wine Auction, attendees will participate in silent bidding on as many as 50 1.5L magnum bottles of wine, each displaying a custom label autographed by the community’s top leaders in business, as well as state and local celebrities. A live auction will conclude the evening, as guests bid on a bottle to be autographed by all in attendance that evening. The goal is to raise at least $30,000 during the course of the evening.

Tickets to the Signature Wine Auction will go on sale September 13, 2012 and will be $100 each. Space will be limited to 80 individuals. The event will be held from 6-9pm on Thursday, October 18 in the upper level of Reserve Wine & Food.

“We are honored to be the host venue for this inaugural event,” says Peter Marantette, General Manager at Reserve Wine & Food. “We expect this to be the first of many such events, which will bring together those who appreciate good food and wine and who are also willing and able to contribute to such a worthy organization as the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.”

About the charity:
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, a member of Spectrum Health, is a Grand Rapids-based hospital serving children throughout Michigan. A teaching hospital, it includes more than 200 pediatric specialty physicians with specialized training in providing medical and surgical care to children in more than 40 pediatric specialties.

About the venue:
Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at 201 Monroe Avenue NW, Reserve offers a world-class menu fully embracing the West Michigan farm-to-table philosophy, paired with over 100 wines available by the glass and 200 wines by the bottle, in an elegant yet casual fine dining setting.

www.SignatureWineAuction.org

www.ReserveGR.com

www.helendevoschildrens.org

St. Julian Winery Introduces Award-Winning Braganini Reserves to Michigan Restaurants & Retail Outlets

(PAW PAW, Mich) – St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw has introduced its top-of-the-line Braganini Reserve wines to retail outlets and restaurants throughout Michigan. These wines, considered the “best of the best,” are receiving national acclaim and capturing awards at some of the country’s top competitions.

Currently, St. Julian is producing 10 varieties of its reserve wines with Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Traminette being the most decorated. Chancellor, Cabernet Franc, Meritage, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Rose and Riesling round out the Braganini Reserve line.

“Producing the Braganini Reserve wines is time consuming, but well worth the effort,” says Dr. David Miller, St. Julian’s Vice President of Winemaking. “All of our vineyards are carefully tended, but the reserve vineyards get the most TLC. When its time to harvest, we use special time-consuming techniques to produce the reserve wines.”

Techniques such as soaking the white with the skins to extract more flavor and making the wines more intense. Yeasts are selected to maximize the flavor and aroma of each individual variety of grapes. White wines are fermented around 60 degrees Fahrenheit to retain the delicate aromas and flavors.

The reserve red wines are all barrel aged for 12 months in either American, French or Michigan oak barrels. Once the wines are near the end of barrel aging, another selection is made from the barrels so that only the best barrel lots are chosen. The final blend is worked out and then Dr. Miller and his associate winemaker, Nancie Corum, do fining trials to polish the finished wines. Wine fining involves “tweaking” the wines so that it is the best it can possibly be.

According to Dr. Miller, the fruit for the reserve wines comes from the very best local vineyards, on soils that produce low-vigor vines – the first step in growing the world’s great wines. The Traminette is grown by Mike Nitz near Baroda while Joe Herman, who also owns Karma Vista Winery, grows the St. Julian’s Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Merlot, Pinot noir and Cabernet sauvignon grapes near Coloma. Cabernet franc are grown by both Ron Nitz near Baroda and Dr. Miller near Lawton. Chancellor is produced exclusively for St. Julian by Ed Oxley Farms of Lawton and, the reserve Riesling grapes are produced in Dr. Miller’s vineyard, also near Lawton.

“The 2007 season was long and warm, producing wines with intense varietal character,” Dr. Miller says. “The whites are crisp with bright flavors and aromas. The reserve reds are still in barrels, but they are filling out nicely and we expect a superb vintage.”

Sauvignon Blanc
The Braganini Reserve Sauvignon blanc won a Silver Medal at the 31st Annual Michigan Wine & Spirits competition, as well as Bronze Medals at both the Pacific Rim–National Orange Show and Great Lakes Great Wines Competition. It also received Gold Medals from both the Taster’s Guild International and LA International Wine & Spirits Competitions. The LA competition is touted by USA Today as one of the Top 5 wine competitions in the United States. First held in 1935, the competition has maintained the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most sought-after wines in the world, and for good reason. This brisk and refreshing white wine has classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas, bursting of lemons and limes. The crisp acidity on the palate is accompanied by flavors jam-packed with mangos, white peaches and tropical fruits, with a lingering hint of fresh cut grass. Each satisfying sip is rewarded with a long, lasting finish.

Syrah
The 2006 was St. Julian’s first vintage of Syrah grapes and just 350 cases were bottled. Noted as the first commercially produced Syrah in Michigan, this wine received a Bronze Medal at this year’s Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition and a Silver Medal, with an 85 ranking, from the Beverage Tasting Institute.

Syrah produces its best, most elegant wines in cool climates like that of Southwest Michigan. The inviting aromas of Bing cherry, black raspberry and white peppercorns, with a hint of vanilla, contribute to the rich flavors and soft tannins that linger and satisfy. The wine is very much in the style of the wines from the northern Rhone region of France, where Syrah originated. Fermented in small tanks and punched down by hand, twice a day, this wine was aged in ½ new Michigan oak barrels and ½ older Michigan oak barrels, for a wine that is a complete Michigan product.

“It is one of my favorites,” says Dr. Miller. “It was a difficult vintage with lots of rain, but the fruit was sound and we let it hang as long as possible for aroma, flavor and color development.”

Traminette
The Braganini Reserve Traminette recently won Best of Class – Semi-Dry White at the 2008 Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition. This year, it also received Chairman’s Best of Class at the Long Beach Grand Cru Competition, a Critics Gold at the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition and a Gold Medal at the LA International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Traminette was developed by Cornell University in the 1960s and was released to the public in 1996. The Braganini Reserve Traminette has the fine characteristics of its better known parent, Gewurztraminer. Exotic aromas of mango, orange peel, melon and pear leap from the glass. Crisp acidity and a hint of sweetness create the perfect framework on which flavors of peach, mango, apple, and lemon zest dance. The long, satisfying finish begs another sip and the racy structure is the perfect accompaniment to shellfish, seafood and Asian cuisine.

Several other Braganini Reserve wines received medals at the 2008 Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition, including a Silver Medal for the Meritage and Bronze Medals for the Cabernet Franc, Chancellor, Merlot and Riesling.

“Our wines stand shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts at national competitions and win gold,” says Dr. Miller. “That speaks volumes for our climate, soils and vineyards. Michigan, but specifically Southwest Michigan, is consistently producing world-class wines."

The family-owned St. Julian winery – Michigan’s oldest and longest-operating winery – was founded by Mariano Meconi in 1921. Today, grandson David Braganini has adopted the family tradition of winemaking while turning St. Julian into Michigan’s most renowned winery, nestled in the picturesque fruit-growing region along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

As one of 11 wineries to make up the Lake Michigan Shore Appellation – a designated American Viticultural Area (AVA), St. Julian has been instrumental in the creation and advancement of the Southwest Michigan Wine Trail, the marketing vehicle for this group of wineries. In addition to its primary facility in Paw Paw, St. Julian also operates tasting rooms in four other Michigan cities including Dundee, Frankenmuth, Parma and Union Pier. You can also find them online at www.StJulian.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
David Braganini, President – St. Julian Winery
269-657-5568 / davidb@stjulian.com