We’ve been focusing on charitable parts of the wine industry and I felt this belonged here. I rarely cut and paste unless it really deserves it and this article does.

Original Story

Newman’s Own^® Wines Released

Newman’s Own^® Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon Are Premium Wines That Give Back

WESTPORT, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Newman’s Own^®, Inc. unveils its highly anticipated premium wines—Newman’s Own^® 2006 California Chardonnay and Newman’s Own^® 2006 California Cabernet Sauvignon. Like all other Newman’s Own^® products, Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation will donate all profits and royalties after taxes to educational and charitable purposes.

The high-end Newman’s Own^® wines are crafted from select grapes from California’s premier coastal vineyards, including Napa, Sonoma and San Luis Obispo counties. The complex Chardonnay has an elegant mouth-feel and imparts intense fruit flavors of apple, pear and citrus with a crisp dry finish, while the full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French and American oak, reveals hints of dried black cherries and vanilla spice and has a long, smooth finish.

In classic Newman’s Own^® style, the labels feature Newman’s signature face with a play on his most famous role as Butch in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” A cowboy hat, like the one Newman wore for much of the 1969 movie, pops off the top of the Chardonnay label, as does a bowler hat on the Cabernet label, giving a nod to another legendary hat donned by Butch.

It was only 25 years ago that Newman bottled his first product—a salad dressing in old wine bottles with parchment labels. “We have come full circle. We are back to wine bottles but this time we are filling them with a wine that will complement my salad dressing and pasta sauce. Wine was the only thing missing at dinnertime. Now the meal is complete,” says Paul Newman, founder of Newman’s Own^®. Since that humble start, the line has grown dramatically, allowing Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation to donate more than 200 million dollars to thousands of charities.

To realize his winemaking vision, Newman worked closely with the Rebel Wine Co., a collaboration of Three Thieves and Trinchero Family Estates. The wines have a suggested retail price of $16 per bottle and are available nationally.

Newman’s Own^®, Inc. (www.newmansown.com), founded on a lark by Paul Newman and his buddy A.E. Hotchner in 1982, is now a leading premium food company that offers over 100 varieties of all-natural food and beverage products. Based in Westport, CT, the charitable mission of Newman’s Own^® is expressed in its company motto: “Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good.” Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation donate all profits and royalties after taxes for educational and charitable purposes.

Rebel Wine Co. (www.threethieves.com) is a St. Helena, California based joint venture between Three Thieves and Trinchero Family Estates. The company was formed in 2005 to unite the powerful production and distribution of Trinchero Family Estates and the creative flair and winemaking talent of Three Thieves.

Contacts

Bieler Communications
Mira M. Bieler, 415-990-9121
mira@bielerfamily.net