Ellen DeGeneres Auctions Wine

Filed in archive Celebrities and Wine on February 17, 2007

The Oscars are only, what, like a week away now? That means there's still plenty of time for companies to give goodies away to stars and get those last minute promotions in there of their products, including Sterling Vineyards who will auction off monster bottle of Chardonnay signed by comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

From a company press release:

Sterling Vineyards, the landmark Napa winery, will make its fourth consecutive appearance as the featured wine of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Ball, the official party of the 79th Annual Academy Awards(R), to be held Sunday, February 25, 2007. This year, Sterling will also participate in Oscar Night(R) America fundraising events across the country with donations of unique large format bottles of the custom made Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay, signed by the host of the 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, ellen degeneres.

This is the 14th year that the Academy of Motion Pictures' Oscar Night America program will support important charities across the United States with officially-sanctioned Oscar(R) viewing parties and galas. Oscar Night America events allow movie fans to participate in the excitement of the Academy Awards and have raised nearly $17.5 million over the years for dozens of worthy organizations. Each ONA-sanctioned event across the country will be presented with one signed three-liter bottle of 2005 Sterling Vineyards Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay to be auctioned for charity.

"We are extremely proud of the wines we create each year for the Oscar celebration," said Vice President of Winemaking for Sterling Vineyards, Mike Westrick. "To be able to create something exclusive for this special night and to also benefit charities across the country through Oscar Night America events is even more fulfilling. For the first time, Winemaker Chris Millard and I commissioned three-liter bottles of our Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay exclusively for auction at Oscar Night America events. When Ellen DeGeneres agreed to sign our bottles, we knew we had an auction lot that wine and movie lovers around the country would be thrilled to support."

Westrick and his team at Sterling Vineyards created the 2005 Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay, the second vintage of a very limited edition white wine, to complement the culinary creations of master chef Wolfgang Puck, who will orchestrate the multi-course gala dinner for the Academy's 1,500 guests at the Governors Ball. A crisp and richly aromatic Chardonnay, Gold Standard Reserve offers notes of apple, citrus, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with hints of vanilla in a lingering finish. Westrick and Millard also create Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a limited edition red wine to be poured at the Governors Ball.

Each three-liter bottle is individually numbered to confirm its unique status and bears the winemakers' signatures. The bottles are etched and hand painted with the Gold Standard Reserve label design approved by the Academy and signed by Ellen DeGeneres in gold ink. The wines are created exclusively for the Academy Awards and for auction at ONA events. For more information about Oscar Night America and ONA events across the country, log on to http://www.oscar.com/ and click on the Oscar Night America tab.