Twenty International and U.S. Winemakers Join MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival

The wine will flow freely for the MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival, as winemakers from six continents and ten countries fly in to the MidAtlantic region May 14–18, 2014. Four of the 2013 festival favorites – Château Tanunda, Hand of God, Domaine Kikones and Martinelli Winery & Vineyards – have returned for 2014, and the Festival will toast the 16 new wineries joining the celebration. All the wine poured at the Festival is being donated by the winemakers who are also contributing their time and talent. Following is a list of the winemakers, cellar masters and owners who will share their wines, their tasting notes and their stories as part of this 50-event festival:

· Nikolaus “Nik” Weis is Owner/General Manager of St. Urbans-Hof Winery in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer of Germany. 82 acres of Riesling produce Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Alte Reben, Oba Trocken, Eiswein and more. Wine Spectator awarded 19 of their wines between 90 and 95 while Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated 15 wines with scores between 90 and 97. ( bio, website)

· Carol Shelton is Owner of Carol Shelton Wines, Santa Rosa, California, and has earned the title of “Most Awarded Winemaker in America” as well as “Winemaker of the Year” three times. Shelton’s goal is to craft small lots from carefully selected vineyards, with Zinfandel as their focus and passion. ( bio, website)

· Patricia Carraro manages together with her family the Lidio Carraro Winery, Brazil. They combine respect for the land and modern vinification technology. Lidio Carraro was the first Brazilian winery to be internationally recognized as the top quality boutique winery producing icon status wines, and was selected to produce the official wine of the 2014 World Cup™. ( bio, website)

· Manu Muga is Vice President and Owner of Bodegas Muga, Spain, named the most popular Spanish wine in the United States by Wine & Spirits. Muga produces Viura white, Grenache rosé, and many Riojas, including a special reserve and a grand reserve, and both white and rosé Cava. Muga wines are consistently ranked among the best wines in the world. ( bio, website)

· Johan Reyneke is Winemaker and Owner of Reyneke Organic Winery, Stellenbosch, South Africa, a 35-hectare farm, to date the only certified biodynamic South African estate. Best Wines Online called their 2010 Syrah “simply one of the best” and Wine Advocate gave it 94 points. ( bio, website)

· Regina Martinelli is Owner and Winemaker of Martinelli Winery & Vineyards, Sonoma, California. The Martinelli family began growing grapes in 1887. The award-winning Martinelli Winery specializes in small single vineyard lots of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah from the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast and Green Valley of Russian River appellations. ( bio, website)

· Melina Tassou is Managing Director and Chief Winemaker of Domaine Kikones, Greece. Kikones was the first European winemaking tribe ever mentioned 2500 years ago. It is the first winery to produce handcrafted wines and practice VSP on organic vineyards in Greece, resulting in 21 international award winning wines. ( bio, website)

· Quentin Paillard is an eighth generation Winemaker of Champagne Pierre Paillard, Bouzy, France. Bouzy is located in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, a renowned Grand Cru for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 28 acres of vines are composed of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Five of their champagnes were recently rated 90 to 92 by Wine Spectator. ( bio, website)

· John Geber is Owner of Château Tanunda, Australia’s largest chateau (est. 1890), and traces his ancestry back to Earl De La Warr, after whom Delaware was named. In 2011, the winery was named number four on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Outstanding Value wines. ( bio, website)

· Maria Giulia is Owner of Tenuta Il Corno, Florence, Italy, producing wines such as Chianti DOCG and Colorino IGT, as well as fine olive oil, a family business since World War II. Its grape varieties include Malvasia di Santa Lucia used for Vin Santo (Tuscan dessert wine), and several clones of original Tuscan Sangiovese grapes. ( bio, website)

· Jon Staenberg is Founder of Hand of God, Mendoza, Argentina. Wine Advocate awarded 92 points and Ronn Wiegand gave 5/5 stars to its 2010 Fingerprint Series Red Blend. The 2010 Old Vine Malbec – Stolen Horse Vineyard received the same scores, as well as 91 from Wine Enthusiast and 92 from Wine Advocate. ( bio, website)

· Tom and Deb Mortimer are the Proprietors of Le Cadeau. They began cultivation in 1999 with a 28-acre Willamette Valley hillside site to create unique estate Pinot Noir. Le Cadeau wines have consistently received rave reviews including Wine Advocate which rated 12 of their wines between 90 and 94 points. ( bio, website)

· Kerry Damskey is the Founding Partner and Master Winemaker at Sula Vineyards, India’s number one wine company. Today, Sula Vineyards’ award-winning wines command a 65% market share in India and are exported to 22 countries. Over the years Sula has pioneered classic grape varietals like Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel and Riesling. ( bio, website)

· Julien Fayard is Proprietor and Winemaker of Azur Wines, Napa, California. Well known for its Mediterranean style rosés, Azur focuses on limited production of that and two other wines: Sauvignon Blanc and a proprietary red blend. ( bio, website)

· Paul Colantuoni is Winemaker of Rocca Family Vineyards, Napa, California. In 2002, its Grigsby Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon came in #1 in both a blind tasting of 12 Rising Star Cabernets at the Vintners Club and in France’s 12 Best Cabernets from California. ( bio, website)

· Michael De Loach is President of Hook & Ladder Winery, Sonoma, California. Their 375 acres include a regenerating oak woodland and produce cool climate grapes resulting in Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet and proprietary blends. ( bio , website)

· Eric Stauffer is Cellar Master for Domaine Carneros, Napa, California. Carneros, House of Taittinger, is the premium producer of Carneros sparkling wines and Pinot Noir, set among an 18th century chateau-style building and French carriage house, which once housed the largest solar collection system of any winery in the world. ( bio, website )

· Ira Goldberg is Owner of EDICT Wines, Napa, California and founded the JuiceBox custom crush winery. EDICT’s first release was a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, and it is now followed up with highly limited edition Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. ( bio, website )

· Manfredo Di San Bonifacio is Owner of Conti di San Bonifacio, Tuscany, Italy. Award-winning wines include Monteregio di Massa Marittima, a Sangiovese, Syrah and Cabernet Franc blend, Docet IGT Cabernet, Sustinet IGT Syrah and Prosecco DOC. ( bio, website )

· Richard Grosche is Managing Director of Weingut Reichsrat, Germany. Founded in 1849 in the center of wine region Pfalz, the world’s largest Riesling region, 87% of the winery’s production is Riesling, grown in some of the best grand cru vineyards in Germany. The portfolio focuses on dry wines. Sweet wines like Auslese and Beerenauslese are also produced. ( bio, website)

Festival founder and Board President Ajit George said, “We welcomed seven winemakers from five continents last year, and have more than doubled that number in only our second year. We are thrilled to bring the world of wine to the MidAtlantic, and with the addition of Kerry Damskey, Master Winemaker from Sula Vineyards in India, we have secured participation from a sixth continent: Asia. The only way we can top that is if we can find some friends in Antarctica!” Africa (South Africa), Australia, Europe (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain), North America (United States) and South America (Argentina, Brazil) are represented.

Many of the Festival wines will be available for sale on Saturday, May 17, 2014, at the Festival’s Wine Shop in the Bazaar at the DoubleTree at Hilton Downtown Wilmington and at preferred purveyors and wine suppliers in Delaware.

George added, “Two of the Festival’s twelve winemakers dinners – one at the elegant Oberod Estate and an all-Champagne dinner – have already reached capacity. As people begin to see what winemakers are participating in which events, excitement is really building.”

In its second year, the Festival features international vintners and chefs in collaboration with local talent, delivering once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Festival events range from moderated tastings to three-course lunches to seven-course dinners, with more than 60 percent of the 50 events built around wine.

Expanded winemaker bios as well as Festival event descriptions can be found on www.mawff.org. For additional information about the Festival, call Laura Stimson at 302.660.2200 extension 105.

About the MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival

The MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival™ began as an independent festival in 2013. The Festival’s purpose is to be the premier food and wine event of the MidAtlantic featuring international vintners and chefs in collaboration with our local talent, to bring tourism to Delaware and to increase awareness of our cultural assets.

90 chefs, with assistance from local high school and college culinary students, will collaborate with 20 visiting winemakers, plus brewers and distillers, on 50 events and 23 educational courses over four days, in over 42 venues. The 2013 Festival attracted 4,328 ticketholders from 16 states and nine countries for 42 events; visiting personalities hailed from five continents, with winemakers from five countries, seven international chefs, eight national chefs and 26 local and regional chefs.

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