ICONIC VITNERS FROM US, FRANCE AND A RGENTINA TO TEAM UP WIT H LEADING CHEFS F ROM THE SOUTHEAST AT FOURTH ANNUAL GOURMET & GRAPES BENEFITTING H OLLINGS CANCER CENTER

Weekend-long Culinary Fete to be Held May 4 th- 6 th at The Sanctuary at Kiaw ah Island Golf Resort

March 27, 2012, Charleston, SC – Some of the world’s iconic vintners will bring their wines and expertise to the Fourth Annual Gourmet & Grapes Culinary extravaganza benefitting the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. The weekend-long event will be held May 4th- 6th at the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

The weekend kicks off with the signature reception and distinctive multi-course dinner paired with excellent wines, featuring Row Eleven Winery, Heitz Wine Cellars and Trinchero Wine Estates. An all-star team of noted chefs of the Southeastern region amplifies the black tie dinner, staged in The Sanctuary’s Ocean Room. The Ocean Room is the only steakhouse in the US to earn both Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond ratings.

More about the winemakers and special guests (note to Hal and Nicole—please feel free to reorder these however you’d like):

• Black Stallion Winery (Napa Valley) - Black Stallion Winery is the latest addition to the distinguished collection of wineries in the Knoll District of Napa Valley. Each of the is handcrafted and carefully blended from several small lots. Black Stallion Winery crafts wines that are elegant and distinctive yet approachable.

• Bodega Luigi Bosca (Mendoza Region, Argentina) – Located in Argentina’s Mendoza wine region and owned and managed since 1901 by the Arizu family, the founding family of Argentina’s wine industry, Bodega Luigi Bosca wines are renowned for quality and inventiveness.

• Treasury Wine Est ates (Australia, New Zealand, Napa Valley) - Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is a unique global wine company with an international portfolio of new world wines. From the establishment of Australia’s Penfolds in the mid 1840s to the 1876 founding of Beringer , Treasury Wine Estates is a winemaking legacy. The TWE portfolio includes iconic brands such as Chateau St. Jean, Lindeman’s, and Wolf Blass.

• Moet Hennessy - The leading importer and marketer of luxury wines and spirits in the U.S., the Moët Hennessy portfolio includes renowned brands such as Hennessy Cognac; Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, and Ruinart champagnes.

• Heit z Wine Cellars (Napa Valley) – Heitz Cellars has earned countless accolades for its dazzling wines every year since 1961. Their three renowned vineyard-designated wines --- Martha's Vineyard , Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon --- are the highlight of the winery's distinguished résumé. Heitz Wine Cellars' , Grignolino, and Port have also earned their share of ardent fans over the years.

• Stratton Lummis/ Ro w Eleven Wineries (California): Founded in 2004 by Richard de los Reyes, the Row Eleven Wine Company (makers of Row Eleven, Stratton Lummis, and Civello) earns top billing on the best wine lists. Rarely sold in wine stores, these three exciting brands can be found in many of America’s greatest restaurants, such as The Four Seasons Hotel Group, Alain Ducasse, Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, Cut and Spago.

• Trinchero F amily Est ates (Napa Valley) – Owned and operated by the Trinchero family, Napa Valley vintners since 1948, the company produces more than 22 brands of wine including Sutter Home, Trinchero Napa Valley, Main Street, Napa Cellars, Terra d’Oro, Montevina, Trinity Oaks, Folie à Deux, and Ménage à Trois. www.trincheronapavalley.com

In addition to Friday’s exquisite wine dinner and black tie event, the following are highlights of the Gourmet & Grapes Weekend:

• Wine Odyssey Gala: (May 5) Participants enjoy food stations presented by some of the finest local and regional chefs along with wine pairings on the Terrace Lawn overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Participants meet the chefs and sample brilliant wines and bid on a wide-range of items during this silent- and live-auction gala, all while enjoying live entertainment and dancing into the night with champagne and chocolate afterglow.

• Jonathan Calo (Mixologist at Cockt ail Club of Charleston, SC) – Calo will be featured at the Champagne and Chocolate Afterglow reception following the gala. Calo brings 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry as well as a talent for crafting innovative cocktails.

• Farewell Brunch: (May 6) Participants celebrate the weekend and salute the chefs at this seaside brunch sponsored by Moet Hennessy as they toast and celebrate a successful weekend at a true Lowcountry brunch on the Grand Lawn with build-your-own Bloody Mary bar by Belvedere Vodka.

Since its inception in 2009, Gourmet & Grapes has raised close to $500,000 dollars for cancer research programs at Hollings Cancer Center. With stagnant federal funding, this contribution has proved invaluable in the cancer research conducted in South Carolina. For more information on the Hollings Cancer Center’s Gourmet & Grapes, visit www.gourmetandgrapes.com.

The Hollings Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)- designated cancer center in South Carolina and one of just 66 NCI centers in the country. This distinction is based on the depth and breadth of research at Hollings and places the cancer center among the elite research institutions in the nation.

Located just south of Charleston, South Carolina, along 10 miles of pristine beach, Kiawah Island Golf Resort was recently named the No. 1 golf resort on the U.S. Mainland by readers of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine. The publication also named Kiawah as the No. 3 overall resort on the U.S. Mainland. Tennis magazine named it the No. 3 tennis resort in the U.S. Kiawah Island is also known as one of the top eco-friendly resorts in the U.S., and its beach was named one of the 10 best beaches in America by famed “beachologist,” Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach. In addition to The Sanctuary, the resort manages over 500 private villas and luxury homes, nine restaurants, two tennis centers, a renowned recreation and nature program and has five championship golf courses, including The Ocean Course, host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and this year’s PGA Championship.

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Contact: Contact: Michael Vegis Public Relations Director Kiawah Island Golf Resort Phone: 843-768-2749 Email: [email protected]

Contact: Jenny Gilson Special Events Coordinator MUSC Hollings Cancer Center Phone: 843-792-1669 Email: [email protected]