Mendocino Wine Co. Reaches Out to Ethnic Consumers; Partnership with Divas Uncorked Aimed at...

BOSTON -- When the Thornhill and Dolan families purchased Parducci Wine Cellars last year, no one had ever heard of their new Mendocino Wine Company. "So there was every reason to reach out to new consumer groups, like women of color," says partner Tim Thornhill.

In fact, the

Wine Market Council reports that women constitute the largest part of the wine consumer market and account for 60 percent of "high end" wine buyers. And a 2003 Scarborough Research Report found that African-Americans spend more readily on wine than their white counterparts. That's just one of the reasons the Mendocino Wine Co. is now supporting the Divas Uncorked: "Wine, Women, and .Flights of Fancy," a wine conference for women, on February 5, 2005, in Boston, Mass. Divas Uncorked, Inc. is a Boston-based business made up of African-American women whose mission is to make wine more approachable to women and people of color. Their aim is to break down the intimidating image of the wine world.

The Mendocino Wine Co., along with Napa's St. Supery and Hess Collection wineries, has entered into a promotional agreement with the Divas to support the conference and to develop more long-term marketing programs.

According to Thornhill, "at the Mendocino Wine Company, we want to work on enhancing the lives and developing opportunities for all of our customers, especially women - and communities - of color." As one of the first partners with the Divas Uncorked, the Mendocino Wine Co. will work to promote socially conscious messages important to the growing ranks of women and minority consumers.

Mendocino Wine Co. was founded in early 2004 after the Dolan and Thornhill families purchased the venerable Parducci Winery in Mendocino County, California. The families consolidated all of the winery's brands under the Mendocino Wine Co. name. Paul Dolan comes from a pioneering California wine family and has made wine in Mendocino County for over 25 years. Partners Tom and Tim Thornhill are originally from Texas and discovered Mendocino County in a search for a new permanent home for their extended family.

Mendocino Wine Co. is a leader in sustainable business practices, believing that businesses can work to preserve economic and environmental health, without sacrificing quality or profitability. Some of the sustainable business practices championed by Mendocino Wine Co. have now been embraced by the broader wine industry: The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance was established in 2003 to promote environmental stewardship and social responsibility, and Paul Dolan was the group's first Chairman.

For more information about the upcoming Divas Uncorked Boston wine conference for women on Saturday, February 5, visit www.divasuncorked.com. To learn more about the Mendocino Wine Company, visit www.parducci.com or call (800) 362-WINE.