NAPA VALLEY, Calif. – October 6, 2015 – Adopt-A-School Napa County is excited to announce that the recipients of its first annual Partnership of the Year Award are Clos Du Val (www.closduval.com) and Vichy Elementary School for their partnership in the innovative Adopt-A-Vine program. Adopt-A-Vine is an ongoing, hands-on program that takes fourth grade students into Clos Du Val’s historic Stags Leap District Estate Vineyard at five different times throughout the growing season. The program began on February 19th, when approximately 60 Vichy students each adopted their own Merlot vine by placing their name on it. Since then, the adopted vines have been a learning platform to explore multiple concepts and subjects, including photosynthesis (biology), water usage and yields (mathematics) and fermentation science (chemistry). The Adopt-A-School Partnership of the Year Award was presented to Clos Du Val and Vichy Elementary by Jackie Downer, Adopt-A-School’s steering committee chair, and Barbara Nemko, the superintendent at Napa County Office of Education.
“Our partnership with Vichy and its amazing students has been so positive and rewarding,” says Clos Du Val President and CEO Steve Tamburelli, who designed the Adopt-A-Vine program. “Our vineyard makes a wonderful classroom, where we are able to show students real-world applications to concepts they are learning in the classroom, while also introducing them to an industry that is a deep and historic part of their community.”
Adopt-A-School Napa County is a grassroots partnership between schools and the business and private sectors of Napa County, with the goal of enriching the educational environment of students. Adopt-A-School partners the time, energy and expertise of local businesses to an individual school with the goals of enriching the curriculum experience, increasing career awareness, improving preparation for the world of work, and providing an enhanced understanding of the larger community and its career opportunities.
“Clos Du Val’s Adopt-A-Vine partnership with Vichy is a model for what we are trying to achieve,” says Adopt-A-School Program Director Karen Zimolzak. “It’s an amazing program that has already had a very positive impact on Vichy’s students. Our hope is that this program, and our annual Partnership of the Year Award, will inspire other businesses to think creatively about how they can engage and enrich the educational experiences of students in our community.”
Clos Du Val adopted Vichy Elementary School beginning in 2012. As Vichy’s adoptive community sponsor, Clos Du Val winery hosts the school’s annual Teacher Appreciation Luncheons, as well as its bi-annual Parent Socials. Clos Du Val also sponsors Vichy’s yearly Jog-a-Thon, and is a key contributor to the annual Starry Night Auction, where the winery contributes silent auction items, wine for the auction dinner, and live auction lots, which included two dinners for eight people at the winery in 2014, and a murder mystery dinner at Clos Du Val in 2015. As part of Clos Du Val’s Adopt-A-Vine program, the winery will be creating a commemorative 10-case bottling of Merlot with a custom label celebrating the program—all of which will be donated to the Vichy Starry Night Auction.
About Clos Du Val
In 1972, Clos Du Val acquired 150 acres of estate vineyards in the heart of the Stags Leap District, and made its first wines, including Clos Du Val’s legendary debut 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon—one of only six California Cabernets selected for the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris Tasting. Today, Clos Du Val’s acclaimed estate program has evolved to include an additional 180 acres in Carneros, and an 18-acre vineyard in Yountville. From this diverse palette of estate fruit, which includes 30 distinct blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon, Clos Du Val makes elegantly structured wines notable for their balance, complexity and vivid fruit.
About Adopt-A-School Napa County
Launched more than a decade ago, the Adopt-A-School program seeks to engage Napa County businesses and organizations to support local schools and further enhance our children’s educational experience through volunteering or mentoring, technology assistance, subject matter expertise, or help organizing school events. Adopt-A School is supported by a steering committee that includes representatives from the Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Chamber of Commerce, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, NapaLearns, the Napa County Office of Education, Visit Napa Valley, five school districts, and local service organizations like the Rotary Club. To learn more, visit www.adoptaschoolnapa.org.
