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Update: Sunday, January 13th, the raffle is over, thank you so much for participating, we raised over $90,000 for the World Food Program! The list of raffle prizes and winners can be found at Chez Pim. Christina Sorenson is the lucky winner of the Quixote wine.

Every year for the last three years food bloggers from around the world have rallied their efforts to raise money for a worthy cause in the aptly named Menu for Hope raffle. Last year we raised over $60,000 to benefit the UN World Food Programme. This year the proceeds will again benefit the WFP, this time earmarked for the school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa, a program focused on buying food locally to support the local farmers and the local economy.

To see the comprehensive list of wonderful prizes you could potentially win, visit Chez Pim.

For our part we are straying from our usual focus on food to promote a prize of a half case (6 bottles) of 2004 Quixote Petite Syrah, generously donated by Quixote Winery.

So, what can I tell you about this wine that might inspire you to bid on this prize? According to the wine notes on the Quixote site, the 2004 Petite Syrah is a "rich, ripe wine with a texture as voluptuous as it is viscous. It is dense purple in color, offering complex spice and dark fruit aromatics. It is well-layered with intense blackberry and dark fruit characteristics that linger on the finish."

Hmm. Useful words perhaps for those who are accustomed to reading tasting notes. I am admittedly a loss for words when it comes to describing wine; food is hard enough. Can I just tell you that it is really really good? I've had the pleasure of enjoying this wine on a number of occasions and it's the kind of wine that makes your eyes light up with pleasure upon tasting. It's full, rich, wonderful on its own or paired with food. I've enjoyed this wine with lamb chops, with braised short ribs, with Spanish cheeses, and olives. My friend Andrea calls it lively and vivacious, for Garrett it is relaxing and drinkable.

Compared to most wines from Napa Valley, Quixote wines are made in small batches. The winery only produces about 4000 cases of wine each year, from grapes grown on its 27-acre organic vineyard. So, it's not the kind of wine you can easily pick up at your local store, or even specialty wine store. The winery itself just recently opened to the public, and even then only by private appointment.

Quixote's owner Carl Doumani is somewhat of a legend in Napa. He founded Stags' Leap Winery in the 70s before selling it to Beringer and founding Quixote.

The winery itself is an architectural marvel. Located on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley, California, it was one of the last buildings designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, and the only building designed by Hundertwasser in North America. (Here are some photos I shot of the winery earlier this year.)

So, I hope this gives you a little more background and perhaps some incentive to bid on this wonderful prize. 6 bottles of the 2004 Quixote Petite Syrah. Regarding shipping, the wine can be shipped to any state in the US except for New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Utah (state laws). The wine can also be shipped internationally. Shipping is included. According to the Quixote website, the retail price of this wine is $60 per bottle, making the half case a value of $360.

In addition, if the winner of this prize would like to visit the Quixote Winery in Napa, a private appointment can be arranged with the normal $25 per person fee waived, for up to 4 people.

The prize code for this prize is WB08.

How to Participate

From December 10 through December 21, 2007:

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from Menu for Hope at http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/12/menu-for-hope-4.html. Prizes are also covered in more detail at the blogs of regional hosts such as Rasa Malaysia for the West coast, Kalyn's Kitchen for the Midwest, Serious Eats for the East coast, and the Vinography blog for wine and drink prizes.
2. First Giving is managing all of the donations. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4 and make a donation and purchase virtual raffle tickets.
3. Make a donation! Each $10 will give you one virtual raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.Please specify which prize you'd like in the Personal Message section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for WB08 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xWB08, 3xEU02
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.
6. Check back on Chez Pim on Wednesday Jaunary 9 for the results of the raffle.

Links:
Hundertwasser and Quixote Winery - a post I wrote about my first visit to Quixote Winery
Tasting notes from Alder of Vinography on the 2004 Quixote Petite Syrah