Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/450857
February 2015 Wines&Vines 37 OUR HERITAGE In the 1980s several maverick American winemakers began experimenting with Rhone-style wines and, encouraged by the results and a desire to make something other than than more of the same white and red wines, they forged ahead. These brave few soon became known as "The Rhone Rangers." In 1997, 13 wineries established a formal organization under "The Rhone Rangers" name. Today we have more than 100 members, large and small, who each have a passion for Rhone-varietal wines. If you produce at least one Rhone variety, we invite you to join the crew. WHAT WE DO We hold three major events per year in major cities across the U.S. and our local chapters also invite wine enthusiasts to small-scale wine country events. Events consist of educational seminars with top wine-industry media, walk-around tastings, winemaker dinners and auctions. As a non-proft organiza- tion our mission is to educate the public about these varieties and to raise money for those who will serve our industry, including students of enology and viticulture with direct scholarship and research grants to accredited institutions including University of California-Davis, Sonoma State Wine Business and Washington State University, and travel-study grants for up-and-coming chefs and sommeliers under our partnership with The James Beard Foundation. If you produce Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Picpoul, Roussanne, Viognier, Carignane, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre or Syrah or any of the remaining Rhone-approved varietal wines, join the movement to bring American-grown Rhones to our tables. If You Are A Producer of rhone-StYle WIneS, the rhone rAngerS Are lookIng for You! RHONE RANGERS WILL VISIT THESE CITIES IN 2 015 San Francisco Bay Area, March 27– 28 Washington DC, June 18 Los Angeles, November 6 – 7 Annual Membership includes participation in one event, access to thousands of our consumer members, listing on our website, inclusion in our media outreach and eligibility to join a local chapter. MORE INFORMATION: WWW.RHONERANGERS.ORG