STELLAR WINE AND LIFESTYLE LOTS UP FOR BID AT
BOCA BACCHANAL WINEFEST & AUCTION

Marcella Hazan and Warren Winiarski to Receive
Boca Bacchanal Award of Excellence

BOCA RATON, FL – (March 3, 2005) - Let the revelry begin! A weekend of great wine matched with delectable culinary delights will tempt the savvy palates of patrons at the Third Annual Boca Bacchanal Winefest &Auction as they prepare to sip, savor and bid at the event’s world-class auction, all to support educational causes in Boca Raton. On tap are ten Vintner Dinners on Friday evening; wine seminars; The Grand Tasting, a sumptuous Saturday luncheon food and wine tasting on the green at the Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park , and the Auction and Dinner Saturday night.

“The wineries participating in Boca Bacchanal come to us from some of the world’s great wine producing countries: Italy, Australia and the United States,” states Chris Kearney, Vice president of National Distributing Company. “They bring an international flavor that compliments the great lineup of chefs, making this a tremendous wine and food event. But, importantly, wine is also a lifestyle. At the auction bidders will be vying for an outstanding array of distinctive lifestyle packages and impressive wine lots.”

Also sharing the spotlight is the presentation of the first Boca Bacchanal Awards of Excellence, which will be awarded to famed cookbook author and teacher Marcella Hazan, and to renowned vintner Warren Winiarski, Owner and Founding Winemaker of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

“This is very exciting for us, because it adds a new dimension to Boca Bacchanal,” said Boca Raton Historical Society President, Peter Page. “ The Award of Excellence recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions the culinary arts and to winemaking. Marcella Hazan is internationally acclaimed for her teaching and for her remarkable cookbooks, which explore the regional foods of Italy,” Page said. “Warren Winiarski is a wine industry icon, noted for bringing the respect of the world to California wines. His efforts made headlines around the world in 1976, when a panel of French experts selected Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon the winner in the red wine category, edging out the best of French wines.”

Presented by the Boca Raton Historical Society March 18- 19, 2005, this year’s edition of Boca Bacchanal benefits the Heritage Education Programs of the Boca Raton Historical Society, the George Snow Scholarship Fund which provides need-based college scholarships for young people to reward excellence, and the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce's "Golden Bell" Education Foundation providing assistance to local schools in grades K thru 12th. The centerpiece of Boca Bacchanal is the Auction and Dinner at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, which features rare wines and lifestyle lots at live and silent auctions and a multi-course dinner displaying the culinary talents of top chefs. Orchestrating the Grand Finale evening will be master Auctioneer Dave Reynolds and James Reaux, Executive Chef of the Boca Raton Resort & Club, who will preside over a delectable dinner created by renowned fellow culinarians and prized vintners.

These outstanding chefs include Miles Angelo (The Caribou Club, Aspen, CO); Jim Dodge (Bon Appetite Management, San Francisco, CA along with Celebrity Guest Chef Rich Vellante (Legal Sea Foods, Boston, MA); Carmen Gonzalez (Carmen the Restaurant, Coral Gables, FL); Edgar Leal (Cacao, Coral Gables, FL); Nancy Oakes (Boulevard, San Francisco, CA) Louis Osteen (Louis’s at Pawley’s Pawley’s Island, SC); Fulvio Siccardi (Ristorante Conti Roero, Monticella d’ Alba, Italy); Ken Vedrinski (Sienna Restaurant, Daniel Island, SC) and Johnny Vinczencz (Johnny V, Fort Lauderdale, FL).

The presenting vintners are Peter K. Huwiler (Merryvale Vineyards, Napa Valley, CA); John W. Gay (Rosemount Estates, Australia); W. Reed Foster (Ravenswood Wines, Sonoma, CA); Warren Winiarski (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars); Dennis Cakebread (Cakebread Cellars, Rutherford, CA); Michaela Rodeno (St. Supéry Vineyards, Rutherford, CA) Aldo Rafanelli (Antinori Estates, Italy) Giovani Folonari (Tenute A & G Folonari, Chianti, Italy); Michael Weiss (Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY) and Italian producers Malvira’, Cigliuti, Borgo Maragliano, and Cascian Fontana (Piedmont, Italy).

For information on Boca Bacchanal package rates and accommodations partners please call 800- 508-5210 or 561.395.6766, ext. 101. Visit the event Website at www.bocabacchanal.com. Please note: All Boca Bacchanal sponsors and weekend package ticket purchasers receive priority for event selections. Limited number of tickets and space available. Boca Bacchanal chairs include: Kathryn Gillespie, Tim Snow and J.C. Perrin, Co-Chairs; Chris Kearney and Saby Diaz, Vintners; Chef Jim Dodge, Chef Advisory Chair; Chuck Jabloski, Grand Tasting Chefs Chair; Chef James Reaux, Auction Dinner Chefs; Mary Jane Evans, Vintner Dinners; Ann Rutherford and Mary Glynn Toomey, Grand Tasting; Susan and Jerry Wolf Auction and Dinner; Kathryn Gillespie, Beth King and Cathy Spano, Auction; Carter Strickland, Wine Committee; Carla Marsh and John Lewis, Vintner Dinner Chefs; Lauri Saunders and Karen Larkan, Chef Hosts; Donna Geisert, Chef Liaisons; Carla Marsh, Public Relations; Cynthia Brown, Underwriting; Kae Jonsons, Pre-events; Mark Weinstein, Travel; Robin Deyo, Website and Roland Bressler, Program.

Boca Bacchanal corporate and private sponsors include Mrs. Elaine Wold, Boca Raton Magazine, National Distributing Company, Boca Raton Resort & Club, JM Family Enterprises, The Wine News, Un Po' Pazzo, Inc., Carla Marsh Public Relations, Legal Sea Foods, Luxuria, R.A. Ritter Foundation, Master Design Group, Newman-Craske Family Foundation, Northern Trust Bank, Pointe Bank, Cendyn, Rutherford, Mulhall, PA; Publix Super Markets Charities, Champagne Taittinger and Classy 92.1 FM – Kool 105.5 FM.

COMPLETE LIST OF CHEF AND VINTNER PAIRINGS FOR VINTNER DINNERS,
AND ALL AUCTION LOTS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Winefest Events

Friday, March 18 - Vintner Dinners Celebrated chefs will pair with vintners to create memorable dining experiences in historic settings and private residences. The dinners will take place at ten sites, each an outstanding venue which displays Boca Raton's distinctive character. Admission: $300/person

Saturday, March 19 - Grand Tasting “Luncheon Revelry on the Green” at the Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park Stroll, taste and enjoy delicious food "by the bite" created by 26 of the area's top chefs and over 140 wineries. An Exceptional presentation of featured wines will be offered along with the food, under the shelter of an attractive tent. Guests will stroll, sip, dine and listen to live music. Presenting restaurants include Abe and Louie’s, American Institute of Wine & Food, Big City Tavern, Bistro Zenith, Brooks, Caffe Luna Rosa, City Oyster, Cucina D’ Angelo, Del la Tierra at the Sundy House, Galler Belgian Chocolates, Gaucho Rodizio, Gigi’s Tavern, Gold Coast Seafood, The Hillsboro Club, La Maison du Soleil, Le Bistro, Legal Sea Foods, Maggiano’s , Mario’s Tuscan Grill, Mark’s at the Park, Max’s Grille, The Melting Pot, Palladio Italian Gourmet Market, PF Chang’s China Bistro, Pranzo, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and Sol Kitchen.

Time: 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM Wine Seminars by Michael Weiss of the Culinary Institute of America 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. Site: Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park (Boca Raton Museum of Art) Admission: $ 50 per person (includes souvenir wine glass) Saturday, March 19 - Auction and Dinner Set at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the Grand Finale Dinner and Auction will be a delicious fantasy of sensational food and great wine followed by an exciting auction orchestrated by respected master auctioneer David Reynolds.

6:30 PM Reception, Dinner & Auction Admission: $250 per person.

Boca Bacchanal Committee Members: Cynthia Brown, Mary Csar, Kathryn Gillespie, Chris Kearney, Margaret Mary Shuff, Tim Snow

Vintner Dinner Hosts Peggy Ruzika and Asa Lööf with committee member Mary Jane Evans.