OREGON WINE COMMUNITY SUPPORTS REBIRTH OF NEW ORLEANS Six Willamette Valley Wineries Travel South as Sponsors of the 15th Annual New Orleans Wine and Food Experience

Portland, OR – April 25, 2006 – Representatives of six Willamette Valley wineries will miss the Memorial Weekend in Wine Country open house this year as they head to New Orleans to help sponsor the 15th
Annual New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE). Wineries participating in the Oregon Wine Collaborative sponsorship are A to Z, Adelsheim, Bethel Heights, Chehalem, Elk Cove, and Rex Hill. Activities will include an all-Pinot dinner at Bayona with celebrity chef Susan Spicer, three grand tastings, and a featured seminar about “Oregon Pinot Noir.”

“Oregon wines have long found a welcome in New Orleans with its great wine and food tradition, and now the Oregon wine community wants to help the city rebuild that tradition after the devastation of Katrina,”
said Shirley Brooks of Elk Cove Vineyards, organizer of the Oregon Wine Collaborative NOWFE sponsorship. “In spite of overwhelming obstacles facing the food and wine community in New Orleans, including severe staffing pressures, the overall mood is upbeat and hopeful and the French Quarter is basically back. This just reinforces our desire to do what we can to help make this event a success,” said Brooks.

“We are extremely indebted to our sponsors for their support of the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. This event is so important to the culinary culture and rebuilding efforts of the city of New Orleans and we are thrilled to partner with these wonderful companies,” said NOWFE president Rick Gratia.

About the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience:
The 15th annual New Orleans Wine and Food Experience will be held May 24 – May 28, 2006. Sponsors include: The Gallo Family Vineyards Premium Wine Portfolio, Gourmet, American Express, the Oregon Wine Collaborative, Nestlé Waters, The Hilton New Orleans Riverside, and The Times-Picayune. Some of the events include: Vintner Dinners: Wednesday, May 24, 7pm; Royal Street Stroll: Thursday, May 25, 5:30 – 8:30pm; Grand Tastings: Friday, May 26, 5 – 8pm and Saturday, May 27, 1 – 4pm; Seminars & Programs: various times and locations on Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27; Bubbles & Brunch: Sunday, May 28, 11am – 2:30 pm. For more information, please visit http://nowfe.com.

About Willamette Valley Wineries Association
The WVWA is a non-profit industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for the Willamette Valley as a premier wine producing region. Currently, the organization has 133 members representing
wineries and tasting rooms throughout the Willamette Valley region – from Portland to Eugene. Memorial Weekend in Wine Country (May 27-29, 2006) and Wine Country Thanksgiving (November 24-26, 2006) are the two oldest wine touring events in Oregon sponsored by the association. The Board of Directors includes: Paul Hart, president and owner of Rex Hill Vineyards; Josh Bergstrom, Bergstrom; Bill Hatcher, A to Z; Lisa Jenkins, Duck Pond; Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem; Steve Vuylsteke, Erath Vineyards; Pat Dudley, Bethel Heights; Annie Shull, Raptor Ridge and Ken Evenstad, Domaine Serene. For more information or to request a wine touring map, please visit www.willamettewines.com or call 503-297-2962.