WOPN Donates $4,000 to Michael Bonaccorsi Foundation
Supports Endowment Established at Allan Hancock College
The organizers of the annual World of Pinot Noir event were pleased to present a donation to the Michael Bonaccorsi Foundation’s scholarship program, which was recently presented at a Pinot Noir focused gathering at the Bacara Resort & Spa, the new location for the 2014 World of Pinot Noir.
Please click the link below for an image of the check presentation by photographer Bob Dickey:
(names & titles of participants in the photo below)
Although wine is consumed and admired by millions of people around the world, the wine community itself seems small, tight and close. Winemakers and sommeliers tend to band together in a “company of compatriots’, sharing stories, discoveries and wines – a “wine-geek” type of relationship, with Pinot Noir often the main topic of a gathering. One of the students and stars of Pinot was Michael Bonaccorsi, a sommelier, winemaker and much-loved colleague of many winemakers in Santa Barbara County, California. In January 2004, Michael suddenly passed away, causing a ripple of grief amongst friends, family, colleagues and the wine community at large. His legacy remains in the Michael Bonaccorsi Foundation, which awards scholarships to those striving to follow in his footsteps. Pinot Noir was a focal point for Bonaccorsi. There are few wines creating so much buzz amongst professionals and public as the ethereal and magical Pinot Noir, with the annual World of Pinot Noir the epicenter of this like-minded community.
Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi, who continues to make the wines for the winery that she and Michael founded notes, “The Michael Bonaccorsi Foundation is so excited to receive funds from the World of Pinot Noir to continue the legacy of contributing to a future winemaker. Michael poured at WOPN in our early days as a winery and we considered it to be one of the best events that focused on a varietal that was not very popular at the time. And having a scholarship at Allan Hancock makes perfect sense, to encourage our local students who have a passion for winemaking to continue striving for their dream, as Michael did. It is heartwarming to think that these students will be the future of our own community, and important to invest and believe in them.”
Alfredo Koch, Coordinator Agribusiness/Viticulture & Enology with Allan Hancock College adds, “Our Enology and Viticulture program continues to expand at the college, and students in the program are gaining more exposure to the art and science of fine wine. It’s wonderful that the Bonaccorsi family included our program in their endowment, and it’s great that the World of Pinot Noir is helping a local, community-based school. Perhaps our students will someday be pouring their wines at this prestigious event.!” Visit the AgriBusiness program at: www.hancockcollege.edu for information on Allan Hancock’s Enology and Viticulture program.
The 14th World of Pinot Noir will be held at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara County on February 28th & March 1st, 2014. Bonaccorsi Wine Company will be pouring their wines at the 2014 event, joining more than 200 winery colleagues for 2 full days of seminars, tastings, dinners, and special events like the WOPN Silent Auction. It will include more than more than a hundred fifty special offerings of large format wines, many not normally available for public purchase. A portion of the proceeds from the Silent Auction will support the Michael Bonaccorsi Foundation again in 2014. Those as intrigued by Pinot Noir as the participating wineries and winemakers are invited to join in the adventure and the community. For details about the World of Pinot Noir, visit www.wopn.com.
The World of Pinot Noir event brings Pinot Noir producers from the most exceptional and unique regions in the world together with Pinot Noir enthusiasts for a weekend of celebration and education at the edge of California’s beautiful Central Coast. More than 2,000 guests attend the weekend events that feature Pinot Noir from 200 wineries ranging from California, Oregon, Burgundy, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Austria, Switzerland, and New York.