BRIEF BRIEFS

Small Winery Honors

Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards recently won the honor of "Small Winery of the Year" at the 2010 Riverside International Wine Competition in Temecula, Calif.

Held May 5-7, the contest awarded the Umpqua Valley winery nine silver-or-better medals of its 10 entries, including three unanimous golds.

For more information about Reustle-Prayer Rock, visit www.reustlevineyards.com.

Conservation Kudos

Willamette Valley Vineyards was recently honored at the Rainforest Alliance's annual gala held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit organization focused on sustainable farming, forestry and tourism, honored Willamette Valley Vineyards with their prestigious Sustainable Standard-Setter Award. The annual gala recognizes companies and individuals for making sustainable supply chain decisions, and for their longtime support of conservation work. 

"[Willamette Valley Vineyards'] efforts to provide sustainable livelihoods, conserve biodiversity and minimize ... environmental impacts have solidified Willamette Valley Vineyards as a leader of sustainable agriculture and forestry," said the president of Rainforest Alliance, Tensie Whelan.

Shoots and Ladders

WillaKenzie Estate recently announced that Sarah Cabot Moore has joined the winemaking team as assistant winemaker.

"Sarah brings a high level of competence in all aspects of cellar work," said Thibaud Mandet, WillaKenzie's head winemaker.

The Yamhill winery also announced the promotion of Annie Bailey as enologist. 

"Annie continues to bring her enthusiasm and a strong work ethic to our winemaking program," Mandet said. "Her skill in the lab ensures accuracy and efficiency, which, ultimately, benefits the wines."

Design Contest Winners

 Walk the Vine, a Portland-based apparel line with national distribution, recently invited artists to participate in a design contest. Two designs were chosen: "In Wine We Trust" by Kris Jones of Portland, Ore., and "Swirl Girl" by Kristy Arnold of Reno, Nev.

The reason for the contest? Owner Liz Healy-Kay explained, "Our success is based on the passion of our fans, and what better way to say, 'You matter to us' then to ask them to join our design team?"

The shirts are now available at www.iwalkthevine.com.

HIRED!

ArborBrook Vineyards recently hired Angelina Huxon as the winery/tasting room relations manager.