Issue 17        September 2006

In This Issue:

Our recent Winery Adventure to south-central Indiana

Upcoming Winery Adventures 

What's new at the Winery Adventures website
We want your photos!

Feature Article:
Casa Larga Vineyards celebrates harvest with annual Purple Foot grape stomping festivities

Area wine events

Featured businesses:

Wellington Inn Bed & Breakfast A meticulously restored landmark in Traverse City, Michigan www.wellingtoninn.com

Vinifera -  The Inn on Winery Row Near more than 45 award-winning wineries in Grimsby, Ontario www.viniferainn.ca

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Firelands Winery in Sandusky, Ohio
Heineman Winery in Put-in-Bay, Ohio
Kelly's Island Wine Company on Kelly's Island, Ohio
Mon Ami Winery in Port Clinton, Ohio
Quarry Hill Winery in Berlin Heights, Ohio
Sand Hill Vineyard in Sandusky, Ohio

Feature Article:

Casa Larga Vineyards Celebrates Harvest with Annual Purple Foot Grape Stomping Festivities

Fairport , NY :    In celebration of harvest, Casa Larga Vineyards is gearing up for its 11th Annual Purple Foot Weekend. The featured events of the festival, the 5K Race for the Grapes and the Purple Foot Grape Stomping Festival, will take place on September 9th and 10^th.  The following week, on September 14^th, Casa Larga will be holding the Purple Foot Winemaker's Dinner at the Mundo Grill.  This year, along with being a celebration of harvest, Purple Foot is marking the culmination of a summer-long La Dolce Vespa promotion, which has benefited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  The Vespa Motorscooter, from Country Rode Motowerks/Vespa Rochester, will be raffled off to a lucky winner at the Purple Foot Festival.  Vespa entry forms and donation boxes for the NCMEC are located at partner locations across Rochester, including Casa Larga's Wine Shop, Country Rode Motowerks, the NCMEC offices, the Mundo Grill, and Tri Running and Walking.

To kick off Purple Foot Weekend, Casa Larga will be hosting the 1^st annual Race for the Grapes 5K run/walk on Saturday, September 9^th.  Participants of all ages are encouraged to run or walk.  Awards will be given out to top runners, and a special award will be presented to the team of runners, representing a section of law enforcement, with the largest number of race participants.  Representatives from the NCMEC will also be present at the race to hand out an award in honor of Sara Rivazfar, a young girl who was abducted and murdered in 1988.  The starting point for The Race for the Grapes will be at Casa Larga Vineyards, in Fairport, NY, beginning at 9AM, with registration beginning at 8AM.  Race participants will be provided coffee beverages by Starbucks at Perinton Square, and will also be able to enjoy a tasting of High Falls beer after the race.  Race entry forms can be picked up at various Fairport/Perinton locations - Casa Larga's Wine Shop, Starbucks at Perinton Square, and Tri Running and Walking, and at the NCMEC offices in downtown Rochester.  Entry forms can also be printed from the Casa Larga website at www.CasaLarga.com.  The entry fee for the race is $18 if postmarked by September 5^th or $20 on the day of the race.  Runners will also be given the chance to donate a specific amount of money to the NCMEC.

On Sunday, September 10^th, Casa Larga will be holding the 11^th Annual Purple Foot Grape Stomping Festival, where the name of the lucky Vespa winner will be drawn.  The feature of Purple Foot is grape stomping ??“ the traditional way the Colaruotolo family made wine in Italy.  There will also be vineyard hayrides, wine seminars and food demonstrations, facility tours, and wine tasting outside at the Harvest Bar.  The wine shop will be open and will be fully stocked with homemade grape pies!  A children's game area, sponsored by the Rochester Rage young women's soccer team, will be available, featuring vineyard-themed games, face painting and even karaoke.  Guests are also invited to spend a relaxing afternoon on the deck overlooking the vineyard, listening to local blues and jazz quartette The White Hots, and enjoying a glass of Casa Larga wine and a cheese and baguette snack from our cash bar.  Admission into the festival is $9 for Wine Lover's Club Members and $10 for non-members - a complementary, Italian-style wine glass is included in the price of admission.  Guests under the age of 21 will be admitted free of charge. 

Join Casa Larga on Thursday, September 14^th to celebrate harvest at the Mundo Grill on Monroe Avenue in Brighton.  Guests will savor the culinary talents of Chef Cameron Boyd, paired with Casa Larga's finest wines.  The casual dress evening begins on the deck with a welcome glass of wine at 6:30pm.  Dinner will begin promptly at 7pm.  Seating is limited.  Please call the Mundo Grill for menu details, event prices, and reservations.  The Mundo Grill (585) 442-2840.

For more information on the Race for the Grapes, the 11^th Annual Purple Foot Festival, or the Winemaker's Dinner at Mundo Grill, contact Casa Larga's Wine Shop at (585) 223-4210 or visit www.CasaLarga.com. 

Area Wine Events:

6th Annual Moonlight Stomp at AmRhein Winery in Bent Mountain, Virginia