STAMFORD, CONN. – January 9, 2012 – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today that it has partnered with Chateau St. Jean Winery, a pioneer in Sonoma winemaking, to develop a choice wine offering that will be poured at more than 490 Starwood hotels in the United States. The development of Magnolia Grove by Chateau St. Jean for Starwood is a result of months of extensive creative development and was a collaborative effort between Chateau St. Jean’s Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren and Associate Winemaker Bob Coleman, and the hotel giant’s executive food and beverage team. Beginning next month, Magnolia Grove will be available at restaurants, bars and in banquet and catering programs.
"Chateau St. Jean is a renowned, highly-awarded Sonoma County winery deeply rooted in quality and tradition which made them the perfect partner to develop this select wine offering,” said Brian Abel, Vice President, Food & Beverage for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “Our goal is to elevate the Starwood dining experience and the winemaking team’s vision combined with the expertise of our food and beverage team has resulted in two exceptional varietals that allow us to deliver a consistent, high-quality wine experience to our guests at a great value.”
Introducing a Perfect Pairing – Magnolia Grove and Starwood
Inspired and named after the elegant magnolia grove tucked within the grounds of the Chateau St. Jean estate, Starwood will introduce two carefully crafted, delicious blends as part of the new Magnolia Grove brand offering:
Magnolia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon –With bright fruit and soft tannins, this wine’s rich aromas and flavors of cedar, black fruit and black cherry complement a finish of sweet oak and cedar spice.
Magnolia Grove Chardonnay – This Central Coast fruit lends the tropical and stone fruit backbone of the Magnolia Grove Chardonnay, capturing lush flavors of ripe fruit and pineapple and with aromas of sweet oak and vanilla which give this Chardonnay the same pleasures as an afternoon in Sonoma wine country.
The two signature varietals were crafted with the guest experience in mind by the winemaking team. Chateau St. Jean’s Associate Winemaker Bob Coleman described the blending of these exclusive wines as “an exciting project and a great opportunity to work directly with Starwood to craft wines specifically with their guests in mind.”
In support of Starwood’s commitment to sustainability the packaging of the wine includes light-weight glass to reduce the impact on the environment.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,071 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft, and Element SM. The company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
About Chateau St. Jean
Chateau St. Jean is a winemaking estate located at the foot of Sugarloaf Ridge in the Sonoma Valley near Kenwood, California. Founded in 1973, Chateau St. Jean has long been recognized as a leader in Vineyard Designated wines. Chateau St. Jean Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren has over 20 years of vineyard and winemaking experience with Chateau St. Jean, and her knowledge of Sonoma further underscores her excellence in highlighting the best of each vineyard.
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