Seghesio Family Vineyards Launches Dinner Series at Historic Vineyard Sites

PRLog (Press Release) - May 15, 2012 -
Seghesio Family Vineyards offers guests the opportunity to dine and savor its wines at their source — among the vines of the historic properties where they’re grown — as part of its new Chef’s Summer Dinner Series. These dinners, hosted by members of the Seghesio family, continue the winery’s long tradition of sharing wine and food among friends. Guests will be shuttled from the winery to these treasured sites to enjoy special wines from the Seghesio library and seasonal menus prepared by Executive Chef Peter Janiak, formerly of San Francisco’s Boulevard and Presidio Social Club.

Chef’s Summer Dinner Series

Passalacqua Ranch/San Lorenzo, Alexander Valley – Saturday, June 9th
Hosted by Winegrower Pete Seghesio and Uncle Fred Passalacqua
The inaugural dinner series will kick off at the oldest site of the Seghesio farms. Guests will enjoy Chef Peter’s menu with Seghesio’s first vintage of Muscat Canelli and a flight of Old Vine Zinfandels while surrounded by beautiful century-old, head-pruned vines.

Westphall Ranch, Rockpile AVA – Saturday, July 14th
Hosted by Winegrower Pete Seghesio
The second dinner will take place in one of California’s newest and most exciting appellations, Rockpile, situated on a narrow ridgetop with breathtaking views of Lake Sonoma. The winery’s limited-production Arneis and a flight of Rockpile Zinfandels will complement Chef Peter’s menu.
Rattlesnake Hill at Home Ranch, Alexander Valley – Saturday, August 11th
Hosted by Winemaker Ted Seghesio
The series finale will be at Home Ranch, the birthplace of Seghesio Family Vineyards and the home of America’s oldest Sangiovese vines. Chef Peter’s menu, served atop Rattlesnake Hill overlooking Alexander Valley, will be paired with Seghesio’s first release of Vermentino, along with the Home Ranch Zinfandel, Aglianico and a flight of
Venom Sangiovese.

The Chef’s Summer Dinner Series will be limited to 50 guests per event. Tickets are $200 per person and $175 for Centennial Club members (two per membership). A limited number of tickets will be available to Visa Signature cardholders at $175 per ticket. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.seghesio.com/NewsandEvents/Events/ChefsDinnerSeries or call (707) 433-3579, ext. 109.

Other culinary offerings:
Seghesio Family Vineyards offers several other wine and food experiences throughout the year, including its popular weekend Family Tables and annual Zinfandel & BBQ Festival:

New season of Family Tables
Now in their seventh year, Seghesio’s Family Tables are considered by many a “must do” in Sonoma wine country. These private tastings allow guests to enjoy wine the way it was intended, around a table with food and friends. Each Family Tables experience begins with a tour of the historic winery before moving to private tasting rooms overlooking the century-old cellar. A seasonal menu of recipes from the Seghesio family and Executive Chef Peter Janiak is paired with a special selection of library wines.

Family Tables are offered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Presidents Weekend in February through Thanksgiving. The cost is $50 per person and $35 for Centennial Club members (two per membership). For more information or reservations, please visit www.seghesio.com/wineandfoodpairing or call (707) 433-3579.

Ninth Annual Zin & BBQ Festival – Saturday, July 28th  
Pete Seghesio and the Blaze Pit Crew will put their famous ribs up against the barbecue of two of the best in the business — reigning Memphis in May champion Chris Lilly and Dr. BBQ. Guests will choose the champion in this annual showdown, showcasing some of America’s best barbecue and a stellar lineup of Seghesio Zinfandels. Seghesio’s barbecue tradition began 10 years ago, when Pete Seghesio met Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson’s at Memphis in May, the world’s largest barbecue competition. Inspired by what he saw, Pete headed out to Kansas City to bring back Blaze, a custom-built Jedmaster smoker. Upon his return to the winery, Pete invited Chris and Dr. BBQ to come teach him the tricks of the trade, and thus the Zin & BBQ Festival was born.

Chris Lilly has won 11 World Barbecue Championships and is recognized as one of the top pitmasters in his field. Dr. BBQ has won numerous barbecue awards and published six cookbooks, and he frequently appears as an expert judge at major barbecue events across the nation.

Seghesio’s Zinfandel & BBQ Festival will be held Saturday, July 28th from noon to 4 p.m. at the winery in Healdsburg, CA. Tickets are $75 per person and $60 for Centennial Club members (two per membership). For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.seghesio.com/NewsandEvents or call (707) 433-3579, ext. 109.

About Seghesio Family Vineyards
Founded in 1895, when Edoardo Seghesio planted his first Zinfandel vineyard in Sonoma County, Seghesio Family Vineyards produces critically acclaimed wines that honor the history of Sonoma and the Seghesio family. Collected over a century, Seghesio’s 300 acres in preeminent growing regions — the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys — represent some of the oldest vineyards and proprietary clones. True to Edoardo’s vision, Seghesio produces Zinfandel and Italian varietals. The winery offers daily tastings and weekend wine pairings with Seghesio family recipes. For more information, visit www.seghesio.com.

For media inquiries, images and interviews please contact Skye Morgan of Charles Communications Associates at 415-701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.

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Travellers Autobarn Launches Family Friendly Hi5 Campervan In Australia

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 18, 2012 - With an increasing demand for larger vehicles, Travellers Autobarn has been looking for a solution to accommodate large groups or families who would like to travel together in a single campervan.  The Hi5 Camper not only allows groups of up to 4 or 5 people to drive in one vehicle, it is also the ideal vehicle for families with children. It will be the first campervan in the fleet that will legally allow customers to take their infants on board from the age of 6 months onwards.

Peter Burke, owner of Travellers Autobarn, stated "The Hi5 Camper was the logical step for us. The demand for campervans from large groups and families has been very high over the last few years and it seems to be one of the few classes where supply doesn't meet the demand."

The Hi5 Campers will be the first Travellers Autobarn campervans with automatic transmission, which will be a bonus for those clients unfamiliar with manual gears. The Hi5 Camper is also much larger compared to the 3 berth campervan models, with an internal height of over two meters, allowing taller clientele to stand up comfortably.

The new campervans will also be affordable for families and groups on a budget. For 90% of the year they will be just 20% more than the 3 berth models; and with 4 or 5 travellers, this translates to significant savings in terms of the overall cost of campervan hire.

Travellers Autobarn plan an initial launch of 25 Hi5 Campers, with plans to launch a further 20 over the next twelve months.

Travellers Autobarn has been a 'one stop shop' for backpacker and budget travellers in the Australian campervan rental market since 1993. Travellers Autobarn offers a range of campervans, cars and stationwagons for hire and sale, with their famous buyback guarantee, at six locations around Australia; Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin and Perth.

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Pirates release Danish family from 'horrible ordeal'

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A Danish yachting family held hostage by Somali pirates for more than six months has been released and is returning home after enduring "the most horrible ordeal one can imagine," government officials said.

Jan Quist Johansen, his wife Birgit Marie and their three teenage children were captured along with two Danish crew members on Feb. 24 as their 43-foot (13-meter) yacht was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean.

All seven "were released Tuesday and are doing well under the circumstances. They are in a plane on their way to Denmark," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Slente said.

She declined to comment further on the circumstances of the release and wouldn't say whether a ransom had been paid.

The Johansens, from Kalundborg, 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Copenhagen, were on a round-the-world journey when they approached the pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa. Their travel blog showed they were aware of the dangers but didn't expect to get into trouble, and were comforted by the sight of anti-piracy forces patrolling the vast area.

News of their release was met with relief in their home town.

"The family very likely is aware that what they did was not so fortunate. They certainly feel pretty bad about it now," said Ole Meridin Petersen, chairman of the Kalundborg yacht club, in which Jan Quist Johansen was a member.

Hostages are held in hot, austere conditions in Somalia — typically for many months — before a ransom is agreed on and paid, and the hijacked ships and crew are released. Last year, a British sailing couple were released after 388 days in captivity. Reports indicated that a ransom in the region of $1 million was paid for their release.

Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen told Danish news agency Ritzau that Denmark doesn't pay ransom "as a matter of principle," adding it was the family, not the Foreign Ministry, that had been negotiating with the pirates. The family was "advised by professional negotiators," she said.

Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said negotiations carried on for "a long period" before the hostages were freed.

"I am really happy on behalf of the family, which since Feb. 24 has been through the most horrible ordeal one can imagine," Loekke Rasmussen said. "It is important that we now give the family quiet and peace."

The Foreign Ministry said two Danes and four Filipinos from Danish cargo ship M/V Leopard are still being held by Somali pirates after the vessel was attacked off Somalia on Jan. 12, 2011.

Somalia hasn't had a functioning government since 1991, one of the reasons the piracy trade has flourished.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Mariel Rodriguez Receives Birthday Surprises from her ‘Happy Yipee Yehey’ Family

Teary-eyed Mariel Rodriguez can’t contain the happiness she felt because of the “touching” birthday surprises she received from her “Happy Yipee Yehey!” (HYY) family yesterday.

“Ang Tanging Hinga Mo,” renamed as “Ang Tanging Birthday Mo” in a while, was made extra special, as Mariel’s closest friends Lara Quigaman, Valerie Concepcion and husband’s daughter Queenie Padilla battled out for it. Also present for the game were Mariel’s cousin Bianca and fans club president Juliet. Mariel sang her favorite songs “Fallin” and “Ipagpatawad Mo.”

Meanwhile, her co-host Randy Santiago shocked everyone when he introduced Robin Padilla as one of the guests. But it was not hubby Robin who appeared but “Ro-Bentong” in Robin Hood costume. For more updates, follow HYY on Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/hyyofficial

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Family, friends remember fallen troops as heroes

Some had young children, wives and girlfriends. Others were just starting to make their way in the world.

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But the brothers, fathers, sons and uncles who died when a U.S. military helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan all had something in common: a love of family and country, according to friends and family members. Those who knew them said the soldiers were aware of the dangers they faced but were dedicated to their mission — even if it meant giving their lives.

Here are the stories of some of the fallen:

____

Patrick Hamburger planned to propose to his girlfriend, but had a job to do first: a mission in Afghanistan.

The 30-year-old sergeant from Grand Island, Neb., had joined the Nebraska National Guard when he was a senior at Lincoln Southeast High School but had never been deployed, his brother Chris Hamburger told The Associated Press on Sunday.

"He didn't have to go, and he wanted to go because his group was getting deployed. He wanted to be there for them. That's him for you," Chris Hamburger said, adding that Patrick always looked out for his two younger brothers and friends.

He was also the kind of guy who helped his girlfriend raise her 13-year-old daughter from another relationship as well as the couple's own 2-year-old daughter, and planned to propose marriage when he got home, Chris Hamburger said.

Video: 30 killed in deadliest day for US in Afghanistan (on this page)

Patrick Hamburger had been in Afghanistan less than two weeks and had arrived at Forward Operating Base Shank a few days before climbing aboard the helicopter with U.S. Navy SEALs and other troops to rush to the aid of a U.S. Army Ranger unit under fire from insurgents.

"It doesn't come as a total surprise that he was trying to help people and that's how it all ended up happening," Chris Hamburger said.

___

If someone was sad, Michael Strange tried to make them smile. He loved snowboarding, surfing, scuba diving, running, and shooting guns on the range.

"He loved his friends, his family, his country; he loved making people laugh. He was one of a kind," Strange's brother, Charles Strange III, 22, said Sunday outside the family's Philadelphia home, where American flags were planted throughout the neighborhood.

Strange, 25, decided to join the military when he was still in high school, and had been in the Navy for about six years, first stationed in Hawaii and for the last two in Virginia Beach, where he became a SEAL about two years ago, his mother, Elizabeth Strange, told The Associated Press.

But he always told his family not to worry.

Interactive: Timeline: The war in Afghanistan (on this page)

"He wasn't supposed to die this young. He was supposed to be safe," Elizabeth Strange said. "And he told me that and I believed him. I shouldn't have believed him because I know better. He would say 'Mom, don't be ridiculous and worry so much. I'm safe.'"

Charles Strange said his brother loved the SEALS, especially "the competitiveness, getting in shape and running and swimming and all of that."

He also had two sisters, 21-year-old Katelyn and 7-year-old Carly, and recently became an uncle. The family last saw him in June, when he came for a weeklong visit for his birthday, his mother said. He was supposed to be back for Thanksgiving.

"It was going to be such a good time," his mother said.

____

If Elizabeth Newlun wanted to have a serious conversation with her son, John Brown, she had to shoot baskets with him.

"There's nothing athletic about me, but I realized that you have to get into other people's comfort zone to get information," said Newlun, of Rogers, Ark., explaining that her son, an Air Force technical sergeant, was a "gentle giant" who "just loved anything physical, anything athletic."

Newlun said her son played football and basketball in high school and went to John Brown University on a swimming scholarship. He had wanted to go into the medical field and become a nurse anesthetist, but decided to join the military after seeing a video of a special tactical unit, she said.

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The airman was a paramedic and ready to attend to the medical needs of anyone who was rescued, his mother said.

Arkansas state Rep. Jon Woods went to high school with Brown in Siloam Springs and remembered playing basketball and watching "Saturday Night Live" on the weekends.

"When you think of what the ideal model of a soldier would be, he would be it," said Woods. "He could run all day."

___

Aaron Carson Vaughn was a man of deep faith, insisting to his family that he didn't fear his job as a Navy SEAL "because he knew where he was going" when he died.

"Aaron was a Christian and he's with Jesus today," Geneva Vaughn of Union City, Tenn., told The Associated Press on Saturday. "He told us when we saw him last November that he wasn't afraid ... he said, 'Granny, don't worry about me.'"

"He was a tough warrior, but he was a gentle man."

Video: Fallen SEAL was ‘willing to give his life' (on this page)

Geneva Vaughn said her grandson, 30, joined the SEALS straight out of boot camp and was already a decorated fighter when he was asked by the Navy to return stateside to become an instructor. But he applied to SEAL Team 6 after two years, earning his way onto the squad in 2010.

He asked the military to return him to combat and shipped out just six weeks before he was killed, Vaughn said.

Story: Navy SEAL’s widow: ‘We were blessed to be together’

"He was doing what he loved to do and he was a true warrior," Geneva Vaughn said.

Aaron Vaughn leaves behind his wife, Kimberly, and two children, 2-year-old son Reagan and 2-month-old daughter Chamberlyn.

___

Robert James Reeves and Jonas Kelsall had been childhood friends in Shreveport, La., where they played soccer together and graduated from Caddo Magnet High School, Kelsall's father, John, told The Times of Shreveport and KLSA-TV.

Both joined the military after graduation, though the 32-year-old Reeves spent a year at Louisiana State University first, his father, Jim Reeves, told the newspaper.

Reeves became a SEAL in 1999 and served on SEAL Team 6, his father said. During his many deployments, he earned four Bronze Stars and other honors.

Kelsall, 33, was one of the first members of SEAL Team 7, his father said.

He trained in San Diego and met his wife of three years, Victoria, when he was attending the University of Texas out of Basic Underwater Demolition training, his father said.

Reeves placed several American flags outside his home and his neighbors joined in, many decorating their homes in red, white and blue in support of the families.

___

Associated Press Writers Timberly Ross in Omaha, Neb., Chris Talbott in Nashville, Rochelle Hines in Oklahoma City and Ron Todt in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Family, friends say goodbye to Winehouse

LONDON — Mitch Winehouse said "good night, my angel, sleep tight" to his daughter, singer Amy Winehouse, at the conclusion of a memorial service for the late singer Tuesday in London.

The service, which included prayers in English and Hebrew, as well as Mitch Winehouse's eulogy, ended with a rendition of the Carole King song, "So Far Away."

"Mitch was funny, he told some great stories from childhood about how headstrong she was, and clearly the family and friends recognized the stories and laughed along," family spokesman Chris Goodman said. "He stressed so many times she was happier now than she had ever been and he spoke about her boyfriend and paid tribute to a lot of people in her life."

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Mitch Winehouse told mourners that his late daughter had recently found love and had beaten her drug dependency three years before her death, but he admitted she was still struggling to control her drinking after several weeks of abstinence.

"She said, 'Dad I've had enough of drinking, I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces anymore.'" Mitch Winehouse said.

He said Amy had been playing her drums and singing in the home the night before her death.

"But knowing she wasn't depressed, knowing she passed away, knowing she passed away happy, it makes us all feel better," he said, adding that he hopes to set up an Amy Winehouse Foundation that would help people beat substance abuse.

Family friend Alfie Ezekiel, 55, said the service had been a "joyful" celebration of the singer's life.

"Mitch gave a very good eulogy and he managed to get through it very well, considering," he said.

Among the guests at the service were stylist Alex Foden, who has been credited with creating Winehouse's trademark beehive hairdo, producer Mark Ronson and singer Kelly Osbourne, who wore her hair in a beehive style in honor of the late singer.

Story: Winehouse's phone was hacked, reporter claims

Photographers and a few fans lined the lane outside the Edgwarebury Cemetery, where the service was held. After the service, which was led by Rabbi Frank Hellner, Winehouse's body was taken to Golders Green Crematorium.

Several mourners, including Ronson — who co-produced Winehouse's breakthrough album "Back to Black" — looked emotional as they left the red brick structure, which has seen the cremations of thousands of ordinary Londoners and many celebrities, including psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, comedian Peter Sellers and drummer Keith Moon of The Who.

The family was then due to hold two days of shiva, a Jewish traditional period of mourning.

The soul diva, who had battled alcohol and drug addiction, was found dead Saturday at her London home. She was 27.

An autopsy held Monday failed to determine the cause of the singer's death. Police are awaiting the results of toxicology tests, which will take two to four weeks.

Story: Winehouse autopsy did not establish cause of death

On Monday the singer's father, mother and brother visited the house where she died, thanking mourners who had left flowers and cards.

Mitch Winehouse said "Amy was about one thing and that was love."

"Her whole life was devoted to her family and her friends and to you guys as well," he told fans.

Winehouse released only two albums in her short career — winning five Grammy awards for the second, "Back to Black" — and often made headlines because of drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, destructive relationships and abortive performances.

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Since her death, her records have re-entered album charts around the world, and tributes have poured in from fans and fellow musicians.

George Michael called her "the most soulful vocalist this country has ever seen," and soul singer Adele said she "paved the way for artists like me and made people excited about British music again."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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