PA WINERY ASSOCIATION TO PRESENT DONATION TO LEHIGH VALLEY CHILDREN’S FUND

The Pennsylvania Winery Association (PWA) President Sam Landis will present a donation of $8,000 to the Fund to Benefit Children & Youth, an Allentown, Pa.-based charity dedicated to helping children in need throughout the Lehigh Valley on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 11 a.m. at Vynecrest Vineyards & Winery in Breinigsville.

The money being donated was raised during the Great Pennsylvania Wine Toast, a one-day event held at more than 60 Pennsylvania wineries in August. The Fund to Benefit Children & Youth is the charity of choice of racing legend and wine enthusiast Mario Andretti, who served as the celebrity toastmaster during the PWA event.

The Fund to Benefit Children & Youth has helped more than 20,000 children since 1991. Last year, The Fund provided more than $200,000 to help abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. One hundred percent of all donations made to The Fund go toward helping children in need.

Vote for your favorite original toast for The Great PA Wine Toast event

The Great PA Wine Toast event on Saturday, August 14 is just weeks away. We're hoping you are going to join our participating Lehigh Valley wineries in our state-wide attempt to set a new world record.

Earlier this summer there was a contest to to write an original toast for the big day which will be read by host Mario Andretti. Submissions were narrowed down to five nominees, one of which is from right here in the region (Bath, Pa.). Give the toasts a read below and then follow this hyperlink to the Pennsylvania Wine & Wineries web site to vote for your favorite.

Voting ends Sunday, July 25, so vote today!

Richard - West Chester

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, in this our quest for fame,
Will all the Pennsy wineries, too numerous to name,
Raise your glasses with me now, to set the record toast,
So we in Pennsylvania, will have the right to boast!

Brian - Sewickley

I call to you, friends, to stand and raise your glass!
To challenge a record, we hope to surpass.
Not only for this, we rise to salute,
Our fair state and its wine, of distinguished repute.
From its lush rolling fields, to its mountainous ‘scape,
The heart of Pennsylvania, lies in its grape.
Remember this, friends, wheresoever you go,
And you’ll be blessed to age well, like a distinctive Merlot.
As we stand here united, under the Keystone State sky,
May our cups runneth over. May they never go dry!

Ricki - Greensburg

We are here today to celebrate another record-setting year for the Pennsylvania wine industry. Pennsylvania, with its moderate climate and rolling hills, produces 14,000 acres of grapes. Wineries, with medals and awards, conveniently located near major cities and highways, offer an experience of old world traditions. Wine, a mixture of mystery, science and art, cannot be rushed. Let us raise our glasses to toast the success of Pennsylvania’s wines. Congratulations to all, as we set a world record for the largest tasting ever conducted. Cheers!

Pat - Bath

Friends, family, and fellow wine lovers, this is a special day in Pennsylvania wine history. We gather here in honor of the more than 100 wineries throughout the state and the dedication, hard work and hospitality of everyone involved in growing, making, selling and, of course, drinking the wine that brings us to this memorable event. Raise your glasses in honor of all the folks living their passion every day to bring us the award-winning wines we all enjoy. Cheers!

Constance - Gettysburg

Hi, I'm Mario Andretti, here to raise a toast in celebration of our Pennsylvania Vineyards. The variety and quality of grapes and the dedication of vintners have elevated the Pennsylvania wine industry to the rank of the fourth largest winegrape producer in the nation, all in a relatively short span of time. Whether hearty or light, smooth or lively, these distinctive offerings reflect the hospitality and warmth of the families creating them. Each is a delight to sip and savor. With these wines, there’s never a race to the finish. To the Pennsylvania vineyards and wineries, Salud!

Be part of history with The Great Pennsylvania Wine Toast

Want to be part of a history-making event right here in the Lehigh Valley? Then mark your calendars for Saturday, August 14 and plan to attend the "The Great Pennsylvania Wine Toast!" Coordinated by the Pennsylvania Winery Association, this first-time event will attempt to set a world record for the largest wine toast in history. Wineries across the state have been invited to participate and several of our own wineries here in the Valley will be taking part.

But first and foremost, the Winery Association needs a toast to be recited at the big event. They're holding a competition for the best toast,which is no longer than 100 words, on their web site. All entries must be received by Tuesday, July 6, just two weeks away! Then on July 7, the Winery Association will choose the five best toasts and a public poll will be used to determine the Ultimate Pennsylvania Wine Toast.

Each finalist will receive a passport to a wine trail of their choice or a free ticket to a winery event if that wine trail doesn’t have a passport program in place. Each finalist will also receive a PWA t-shirt, corkscrew and wine bag. The Grand Prize will be a 2-night stay in a wine region of choice, dinner with a winemaker and private tour of a winery. This prize will be for two people – the winner and his/her guest. (The grand prize does not include travel costs.)

During the big celebration on August 14, the winning toast will be read by lifelong Pennsylvanian, winery owner, and auto racing legend Mario Andretti, and aired simultaneously at wineries across the Commonwealth!


So if you decide to enter a toast into the contest, please let us know by posting a reply comment on this blog post or on our Facebook fan page.