Inviting food and wine awaits guests at the Crush Challenge Marketplace, which will donate proceeds to the deLeuze Family Endowed Professorship for a Non-Toxic Cure for Lymphoma, the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s and Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley
Napa, CA, April 17, 2018 – ZD Wines today unveiled the leading Napa Valley restaurants and wineries participating in the upcoming Crush Challenge Food & Wine Marketplace taking place Mother’s Day Weekend on Saturday, May 12, from 12 – 3 p.m. at the Picnic Grounds of the Veterans Home of California in Yountville. This year’s Crush Challenge restaurant partners include Angèle, Celadon, Cook St. Helena, Eight Noodle Shop, Kollar Chocolates, Heritage Eats, Il Posto Trattoria, Trade Brewing, and Woodhouse BBQ. Winery partners include Baldacci Family Vineyards, Clos du Val, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Silver Oak & Twomey, St. Supéry, Truchard, Vineyard 29, and ZD Wines. The charity event is the ultimate tasting experience of sumptuous samples from restaurants as well as face-to-face tastings with winemakers.
“The Crush Challenge really is all about bringing awareness and funding to charity organizations that support cancer research, provide tools and inspiration to people living with Parkinson’s, and support programs for our local youth,” said ZD Wines President, Brett deLeuze. “This can all be done while enjoying a day of incredible food and wine experiences that cannot be found anywhere else. We invite everyone to join us for a beautiful day in the Napa Valley.”
100% of the net proceeds from Crush Challenge go to charities including the deLeuze Family Endowed Professorship for a Non-Toxic Cure for Lymphoma, The Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley. The event was originally planned for October 2017 but was rescheduled due to fires in the area. The next annual event will go back to the original October date.
The complete ZD Wines Crush Challenge event offerings include:
- The Ride // 9AM-12PM – Experience the beauty of Napa Valley during the springtime on a private cycling excursion (27- or 38-mile routes). Pass through vineyard-lined avenues, sharing the road with cycling pros and friends of the Crush Challenge. Former professional cyclists and members of the venerated Team 7-Eleven that first brought the USA to the Tour de France will be joining the private ride, where they will be riding in support of their teammate Davis Phinney and his foundation for Parkinson’s. Cost: $175 per person, with commemorative jersey, $125 per person without jersey, or $25 per person with fundraising efforts. Cost includes access to Food & Wine Marketplace.
- Private Barrel Tasting // 10AM-12PM – ZD Wines’ barrel tasting is hosted by ZD Winemaster, Robert deLeuze, and Hell’s Kitchen Winner, Celebrity Chef Rock Harper, at ZD’s Rutherford Estate. A wide selection of ZD’s award-winning wines will be available to taste, including library and large format bottles, along with artisanal cheese, charcuterie, and light food pairings hand selected and prepared by Chef Rock. The wine tasting includes access to the Food & Wine Marketplace as well, for a complete day of the finest food and wine the Napa Valley has to offer. Cost: $195 per person.
- Food & Wine Marketplace // 12PM-3PM – Local vintners and favorite restaurants bring their tasting rooms and kitchens to you to create a marketplace unlike anywhere else. Walk around the marketplace and sample local wines and favorite culinary dishes while enjoying live music from The Bee Rays with Amy Hogan, as well as a silent auction and raffle. Cost: $95 per person for Marketplace access only.
- Exclusive Wine Dinner (SOLD OUT) // 6PM-10PM – A sold-out dinner with celebrity chefs Chris Cosentino, Justin Cogley, Chris DiMinno, Rock Harper, and Chris Kollar at Napa Valley’s newest gem, Las Alcobas, for a dinner experience that is unrivaled. Cost: $295 per person.
- The Auction – The silent and live auction includes rare wines, private vineyard dinners, wine-inspired art, exotic vehicle experiences, a South African safari vacation, Napa Valley private home stays and more. Bidders can register here: www.handbid.com/auctions/crush-challenge-2018/
About Crush Challenge
This year marks the fourth annual Crush Challenge event. The event is hosted by ZD Wines with the goal of bringing awareness and funding to a select group of worthy charity efforts. The event is open to anyone 21 years and older. Tickets are available for purchase online here. The Crush Challenge is also looking for enthusiastic and giving folks to volunteer at the event. Anyone interested in being a volunteer can sign up here. If you cannot attend the event but would like to donate to the charities involved you can visit the website here.
About the deLeuze Family Endowed Professorship
This professorship fund is established to recognize and further promote the outstanding research approach of Dr. Joseph Tuscano and the UC Davis Cancer Center in pursuing a non-toxic cure for lymphoma that will have widespread availability for lymphoma patients. When a cure for lymphoma is found, this fund will be designated toward non-toxic cures in perpetuity.
About the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s
The Davis Phinney Foundation was created in 2004 by Olympic medalist and retired professional cyclist, Davis Phinney, to help people with Parkinson’s live well today. The organization’s singular focus is to provide programs and resources that offer inspiration, information and tools that enable people living with Parkinson’s to take action that can immediately improve their quality of life. Through The Victory Summit® event series, Every Victory Counts® manual, Ambassador program, Sidekicks™ intergenerational program, extensive online content and the funding of quality of life research, the organization impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals each year.
About Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley
The mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Our Clubs serve 1,330 Napa and American Canyon youth every day after school at our Napa Clubhouse, American Canyon Clubhouse, Club 1515 Teen Center, and 8 additional school-based locations. We provide youth ages 6-18 with a safe, positive place after school, during most holiday breaks, and throughout summer. Key programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. The Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley can be found online at thepositiveplace.com.
About ZD Wines
ZD Wines is owned and operated by three generations of the deLeuzes, a Napa Valley family dedicated to sustainability, innovation, and philanthropy. The winery lies in the Rutherford region of Napa, and their gorgeous vineyard estate includes sweeping valley floor views. The deLeuze family has a passion for producing world-class wines from a variety of regions, including their organically certified estates located in Rutherford and Carneros, as well as vineyards in Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Sonoma Counties. Focused primarily on three varietals (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir), their innovative approach to winemaking is highlighted by Abacus, a solera-style wine currently containing 25 vintages of Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition, ZD Wines releases each year a winery-exclusive bottling under the Rosa Lee label offering single-vineyard wines. From organic farming and renewable energy, to a hands-on approach to winemaking, to hosting premier fundraising events in Napa Valley, the deLeuze family is dedicated to their craft. In 2018, ZD Wines celebrates 50 years of winemaking, and will be releasing its first ever Sparkling Cuvee to commemorate this milestone. ZD Wines can be found online at ZDWines.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ZDWines, on Instagram @ZDWines, and on Twitter @ZDWines.
