The First Rhone Ranger Wine Tasting In Seattle Hits A Bullseye

July 16, 2004 -- The Rhone Rangers declared as a success today their first Grand Tasting in the Northwest region. The event, held July 10 at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, showcased more than 175 U.S. produced Rhone wines, presented by wineries from California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Over 800 people were in attendance.

The event was arranged to benefit FareStart, a nonprofit agency that provides nutritious meals to those in need and helps homeless and disadvantaged men, women and their families create new opportunities for the future.

"It was a resounding victory," said Bill Crawford, president of the Rhone Rangers and owner/winemaker of McDowell Valley Vineyards. "The tasting provided an outstanding opportunity to show the wine trade and media the appeal of US produced Rhone varietals. I was particularly gratified by the public's extremely enthusiastic interest. The feedback we received was clearly positive towards both our Rhone wines and the event itself. As a result of the show's success, we look forward to creating more awareness programs for U.S. produced Rhone wines."

"Food friendly is perhaps the best way to describe Rhone wines," said Doug McCrea, winemaker at McCrea and a member of the Rhone Rangers' Board of Directors. "Attendees had the chance to taste over 100 Syrahs, and other Rhones side by side with Fish Tacos, Mini Lamb Burgers, and Mediterranean fare," He remarked that recipes by chefs like Chris Ainsworth, Executive Chef of the Fish Club, created a memorable palate pleaser.

McCrea noted, "the comments we heard from our attendees indicated to us that we had produced a well managed and enriching, world-class show. We felt we delivered an appreciative audience to our industry and that many people discovered our wines for the first time.

The event also included a silent wine auction of premium wines that were donated by the participating wineries.

The Rangers are a non-profit organization focused on promoting the enjoyment of Rhone Varietal wines produced in the U.S. These grapes include the 22 traditional varieties approved by the French government grown in the Cotes du Rhone and the petite sirah adopted by U.S. producers. www.rhonerangers.com




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