La Crema Winery Honors Cleve Jones And AIDS Memorial Quilt; As New San Francisco LGBT Community...

News Editors/Food & Wine Writers

WINDSOR, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2002

La Crema Winery, a Founder and Corporate Sponsor of the new San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center, has selected AIDS Memorial Quilt creator Cleve Jones to honor as

La Crema, one of the pioneer wineries in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley, will place a commemorative plaque focusing on Jones and his accomplishments with the NAMES Project on the Center's fourth floor, near the Ceremonial Room where many events are expected to be staged. Jones will be in attendance for grand opening ceremonies.

The Charles M. Holmes Campus of The Center opens this month with a series of special events before settling into its role as a center for Gay life in the Bay area. More than a dozen not-for-profit organizations serving the Gay community will be in residence there, and the facility has a series of meeting rooms, kitchens and supporting services for special events.

"It's a privilege to help create this wonderful community gathering place," said La Crema Brand Manager David Simpson, "and we're pleased to have the opportunity to recall the power and the impact of the NAMES project and the lifelong contributions of Cleve Jones."

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a poignant memorial with more than 44,000 colorful panels, each dedicated to the life of a person lost to AIDS. Jones stitched the first panel in his backyard in 1987, organizing the NAMES Project Foundation and creating an inspiring story and national memorial that many have likened in its power to the Vietnam War Memorial.

Naming heroes within the Center started with a community-based nominations process, creating a core list of more than 1,000 candidates. Heroes were defined as those whose actions "teach about a collective past, reflect shared values and inspire the future." The process will continue throughout the life of the Community Center.

For more than two decades La Crema has been a pioneer in Sonoma County's famed Russian River Valley, crafting elegant and sophisticated Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards in the cool growing regions of the Sonoma Coast.

In the 13th annual Restaurant Poll conducted by Wine & Spirits magazine, La Crema was rated as the most popular Pinot Noir. Visit La Crema on the Web at LaCrema.com

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For information on the NAMES Project Foundation and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, please visit http://www.aidsquilt.org

For information on the Charles M. Holmes Campus of the CENTER, please visit http://wwwsfcenter.org