WOODRIVER CELLARS ANNOUNCES BOCCE BALL COURTS OPEN FOR PLAY ON THE GROUNDS OF ITS EAGLE WINERY

Teams Now Forming For Open Mixed League Competition; Public Invited to Check Out The New Courts and “Throw Bocce” With Instructor And League Chairman Leo Chambers

Eagle, Idaho, May 19, 2009 – Woodriver Cellars (www.woodrivercellars.com) announced today that its new Bocce Ball Courts are now open for play to the public. Four new official Bocce competition quality courts have been added to the grounds of the Woodriver Cellars winery, very near the popular WRC Tasting Room. The public is invited to visit the courts and to throw some Bocce with instructor and league chairman Leo Chambers, who is also serving as the Bocce advisor to Woodriver Cellars.

“Bocce Ball is a great game for men and women of any age,” Chambers began. “It offers great competition, a test of skill and it is very social. A game of Bocce with a great glass of wine really sounds too good to be true but it’s now available at Woodriver Cellars. So far we have 4 or 5 teams signed up for the Bocce league but what I’m suggesting to people is that they come out to the winery and throw the ball with me. I’ve played the game for fifteen years and can teach the basics, which really enhances the enjoyment factor. It’s great fun and can be picked up quickly. I’m really looking forward to helping bring Bocce to Eagle and Woodriver Cellars is a great venue for it.”   

“My thanks go out to Leo for his efforts in organizing the Bocce league and for offering his experience to visitors to the winery that have never played the game before,” Woodriver Cellars owner Dave Buich stated. “My dad, Mitch, is also a real Bocce fan and will be forming a team for the league we are starting. Bocce as a game has Italian roots but it is popular all over Europe, the United States and the world. Leo already has four of five teams lined up and we’re looking forward to getting it going soon. We are really excited to bring the game to our winery. It’s just one more reason to visit Woodriver Cellars.”

About The Game (from the United States Bocce Federation Website (www.bocce.com)

Athletic Aspect
It is clear that, considering the weight of the balls and the distance they are thrown, apart from ability and precision that are the basis of the game, the game of "Bocce" also demands a certain amount of strength and stamina. The physical effort is notable above all for the "bowlers". But for everyone – bowlers or pointers – the activity of "Bocce" revives all muscular movements throughout the body and particularly the arms, legs, and main trunk – constituting an excellent basic sport.

Social Aspect
The game of "Bocce" is a crucible in which ages and social class fuse and disappear. On the court there are neither young people nor old people, neither workers, nor managers, neither laborers nor students. The beginner can play with the veteran and the mechanic with the lawyer. The exceptional democratic spirit of the game of "Bocce" is the basis on which its deeply peaceful character is founded. It is often the beginning of long friendships.

Bocce at Woodriver Cellars

Visit Woodriver Cellars to have a “throw” and a glass of wine. Information on the game or the league can be gained from Leo Chambers. Leo will be at the winery most evenings through the end of May. To learn more about the rules of the game or joining the league, call Leo Chambers at (208) 375-5601 or on his cell at (925) 768-5439.

About Woodriver Cellars

Woodriver Cellars is the best kept secret among Idaho’s fine wineries. Located at an optimal 2,200 foot elevation at the heart of the Snake River Appellation and using sustainable environmental practices, Woodriver Cellars has gained a reputation for creating unique, award-winning wines from what many call the best grapes in Idaho. Celebrated winemaker Neil Glancey takes advantage of Woodriver vineyard’s optimal rocky, Bordeaux-like soil and limits harvests to two tons per acre to produce memorable wines with intense fruit flavors that stay in the minds of wine lovers long after they have finished a bottle. Woodriver Cellars limits its wine production each year and, as such, Woodriver Cellars wines are available only select at restaurants, the winery or via its website, www.woodrivercellars.com. For more information or to order directly over the phone, call (208) 286-9463.

Media Contact:

Julia Angelen Zunich
Z Group PR
(909) 275-5804
julia@zgrouppr.com