Wine Tasting Nets Cash for Library

About 200 people attended Stomp the Grapes to sample wines, spirits and beers Friday, Oct. 1, and helped raise about $3,000 for the operations of the Club's non-profit arm, the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library.

"I can't think of a more fun way to raise money for the Library," said organizer and former NPC President Donna Leinwand. "Everyone had a terrific time sampling the wide variety of wines."

The money raised will help pay for training programs and other needs at the Library.

Attendees at the event were invited to sample more than 60 wines from California, Australia, France, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and Washington State, as well as scotches, cognacs and specialty beers - all donated by distributors through Bell Wine & Spirits, a retail wine shop on M Street between 18th and 19th Streets NW.

The shop is owned by Carlos Nalda and is managed by Brian Leger, both of whom participated in the event. The store offered the wines for sale at substantial discounts and also gave attendees a $5 gift certificate to use toward a future wine purchase. Representatives of the distributors and store personnel staffed the tables and discussed the virtues of their respective wines with guests at the event.

-- Al Teich, [email protected]