"Sideways" Author, Rex Pickett, to Host April 10 Santa Barbara Vintners Golf Tournament, Kicking Off Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend Wine Festival
Buellton, CA (PRWEB) March 19, 2014 -- The Santa Barbara Vintners (SBV; #SBVintnersFest) and Santa Barbara- and Solvang-based event production firm, Relevé Unlimited, have officially revealed details of the “Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend” (http://www.sbvintnersweekend.com) kick-off event, the “Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend Golf Tournament”, to be held Thursday, April 10, 2014, from 12 Noon to 5:00 PM, at the oceanfront Sandpiper Golf Club in Santa Barbara. The April 10 tournament, to be hosted by “Sideways” author and playwright, Rex Pickett, as a nod to the 10-year anniversary of the Oscar-winning film, will have guests playing alongside noted VIPs, with a portion of sponsorship and 100% of raffle proceeds benefiting local charity, Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People (http://www.syvphp.org).
“In the early ‘90s I started journeying north to play golf at Sandpiper GC, a beautiful bluff-side course, as playing in L.A. was prohibitively crowded. I played many rounds there and got to know a number of fine people. They all encouraged me to try Ken Hunter’s other course at the time, La Purisima, in the Santa Ynez Valley. One day, I did, and I never looked back. Thus was born my discovery, and love, of the Santa Ynez Valley, and led to the eventual writing of ‘Sideways’. I guess you could say it all started at Sandpiper GC,” said “Sideways” author and playwright, Rex Pickett.
The Sandpiper Golf Club – rated by Golf Digest as one of the 2013-2014 top 40 golf courses in California – will serve as the shotgun-start golf tournament’s backdrop, with tickets to include golf cart use, a sleeve of balls, lunch, wine tasting stations and a post-tournament awards reception. Participants’ skills’ will be put to the test with contests such as “Closest to the Pin”, “Longest Drive”, and an official Putting Contest, as well as a test of attendees’ “Sideways” knowledge via a themed trivia contest. Rewards will take the form of a $30,000 prize for a hole-in-one on the 18th tee, as well as other premium prizes. Attendees will also have the option of buying into a raffle, the proceeds of which will benefit the tournament’s charitable cause, Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People.
Amidst all of the golf and games, tournament attendees will be able to enjoy Southern comfort cuisine from local Santa Barbara food truck, Georgia's Smokehouse, as well as wine from stations situated at the clubhouse, hosted by local wineries and winemakers including Dick Doré of Foxen Winery, Matt Brady of Jaffurs Wine Cellars, and William James Cellars.
Celebrities scheduled to appear at the April 10 Golf Tournament are Richard Karn of “Home Improvement”, Kathleen Bradley of “The Price Is Right”, Lydia Cornell of “Too Close for Comfort”, and Santa Barbara resident and former Los Angeles Lakers NBA pro, Don Ford.
“Our new partnership with Santa Barbara Vintners is intended to broaden awareness and support of the Santa Barbara County wine region. We’re thrilled to have gathered such a generous cast of characters – no pun intended – for this Spring Weekend Golf Tournament, each one demonstrating their dedication to the area, and their support of this essential, local charitable organization,” said Diane Hamilton, president of Relevé Unlimited.
The SBV’s new partnership with Relevé Unlimited is intended to expand upon the scheduling and exposure of previous years’ Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend and Santa Barbara Vintners Celebration of Harvest Weekend, via the addition of regional, ongoing, year-round wine industry events surrounding the SBV’s overall mission, as well as the two seasonal festivals. The 2014 Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend is expected to draw upwards of 5,000 attendees, and will take place at venues spread throughout the Santa Barbara County wine region.
In addition to the Thursday, April 10 Spring Weekend Golf Tournament, are four days’ worth of Spring Weekend activities running Thursday, April 10 through Sunday, April 13, encompassing a total of 12 “Signature” events and more than 15 SBV winery member ancillary events. The headlining Weekend events are the Saturday, April 12 Grand Tasting at Buellton’s River View Park, and the Sunday, April 13 Farm-to-Table Picnic and Concert at Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, featuring indie rock / Americana music band, Jamestown Revival (http://jamestownrevival.com/) – the proceeds of which will also benefit Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People.
Spring Weekend will also feature a Festival Opening celebration consisting of a Sta. Rita Hills AVA wine pairing dinner at Buellton food emporium, Industrial Eats; a Wine Education Seminar Series at Hotel Corque, moderated by Clos Pepe Vineyards’ Wes Hagen; multiple guided vineyard hikes; a 90+ Points Wine & Dine Event in Santa Barbara; a Barrel Toasting Seminar and Tasting, with dinner, at Michael Larner’s new wine co-op, Buellton Bodegas; and an ultra-exclusive Grassini Family Vineyards Dinner Event featuring their own wines, plus Dierberg Estate Vineyard, Margerum Wine Company, Kaena Wine, Andrew Murray Vineyards, Fiddlehead Cellars and Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard.
“We want people visiting Santa Barbara wine country for Spring Weekend, to really get out there and explore all that this region has to offer…that’s why we’ve partnered with Relevé Unlimited. Our combined efforts have allowed us to expand the annual Vintners Spring Weekend and all that it entails, which in turn, gives our winery members even more opportunity for exposure, and our Spring Weekend guests, additional chances to be delighted by all of the event options,” added Morgen McLaughlin, executive director of the Santa Barbara Vintners.
Tickets for the April 10 Spring Weekend Golf Tournament are $190.00 per person; for additional details surrounding the Golf Tournament and the full line-up of Spring Weekend events, and to purchase tickets for any portion of the Spring Weekend, please visit: http://www.sbvintnersweekend.com. The Sandpiper Golf Club is located at 7925 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93117; please visit http://www.sandpipergolf.com, for more information.
Additional wineries, celebrated dignitaries and celebrities scheduled to participate in the Spring Weekend Golf Tournament, will be announced in the coming weeks, as well as details about the additional Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend Signature events; updates will be published at http://www.sbvintnersweekend.com, and announced via posts with the hashtag #SBVintnersFest.
About Santa Barbara Vintners
Santa Barbara Vintners is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1983 to support and promote Santa Barbara County as a world-class, authentic wine producing and wine grape growing region. The Santa Barbara Vintners includes winery members whose annual production is at least 75% Santa Barbara County labeled, grower/vineyard members, and business associates and associations. The Santa Barbara Vintners produces festivals and provides information to consumers, trade, and media. For more information, and to purchase tickets for the Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend, please visit http://www.sbcountywines.com, http://www.sbvintnersweekend.com, http://www.facebook.com/SantaBarbaraCountyWine or http://www.twitter.com/sbcwines.
About Relevé Unlimited
Headquartered in Solvang, California, Relevé Unlimited is a one-stop-shop meeting, festival, exhibition and special event production company specializing in destination management, conferences, incentives, and social gatherings for both private and corporate clients, on local, national and international levels – from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, Orange County to San Diego, and beyond. For more information about Relevé’s suite of services, or to inquire about a specific event, please call 805.688.1434 or email info(at)releveunlimited(dot)com. More information is available at http://www.releveunlimited.com, and on Facebook and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/ReleveUnlimited and http://www.twitter.com/ReleveUnlimited.
For further information about this announcement, please contact Anna Ferguson-Sparks, Stiletto Marketing, at 1.877.327.2656 or info(at)stilettomarketing(dot)com.
Anna Ferguson, Stiletto Marketing, http://www.sbvintnersweekend.com, 1(877) 327-2656, [email protected]
Share this article