What do you get when you combine a local winery, a charity auction, and a group of friends? You get “Atta Girl.” This new white wine will make its debut this Saturday as part of the 2011 Groundhog Trail Wine Festival.
The partnership and the process that produced this wine is an interesting one. Annually, the Friends of the Area Agency on Aging Auxiliary hold the Anne S. Thacik Charity Auction to benefit the programs and services of the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, Inc. Over the past five years, Starr Hill Winery donated an interesting item to the auction. To the highest bidder would go the opportunity to work with Starr Hill vintners to select, blend, and name a unique wine. After the wine was bottled, Starr Hill would market and sell it, and a portion of each sale would be donated back to the auxiliary.
In the past, individuals have bid on this elite opportunity. However, this year, a group of friends and co-workers including: Lisa Ogden, Kristen Zurat, Judi Bookhamer, Michelle O’Day Manning, Lori Knowles, Kimberly Clark-Yoder, Gina DeSantis, and Adam Schoppe, bid on the item.
Lisa Ogden, speaking on behalf of the group, stated, “We had so much fun making this wine. Working with Ken Starr, Sr., Kenn Starr, Jr., and Marc Prave was entertaining. We all enjoyed learning the wine making process, and it was also interesting to hear how the winery began, its progress and the growth it has made over time. Doing it again is definitely something we look forward to.”
All past charity wine creations have sold-out quickly and “Atta Girl” will most likely follow suit. Starr added, “We always have a great time with the folks whose bid won the opportunity at the Anne Thacik Charity Auction to blend, bottle, and name their own wine. In the past, we have worked with couples, but working with a group proved to be just as adventurous. “Atta Girl” is a blend of Catawba and our new Muscat grapes. Muscat, pronounced [MUHS-kat], is thought to be the oldest variety of grape in the world with a family of over 200 different derivatives known today. Also called Moscato in Italy and Moscatel in Spain, the Muscat grape is sweet and fruity with a rich, musky aroma, just as its name implies.”
If you would like to blend and name next year’s unique wine, be sure to come to the Anne S. Thacik Charity auction on Oct. 6 at the Knights of Columbus in Clearfield. Be the highest bidder, and the experience is yours!
For more information on the auction or the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, Inc. please visit www.ccaaa.net. For information on the Groundhog Trail wine Festival this Saturday, February 5, please visit www.groundhogwinetrail.com or www.starrhillwinery.com.
