Menu For Hope Food/Wine Bloggers’ Raffle

Especially toward the end of the year, all of us are bombarded with a zillion requests for donations to worthy causes—and most of them are indeed flat-out worthy. Here’s one more to consider—with the bonus that your winning raffle contribution might land you a personal tour of the elBulli kitchen laboratory with Ferran Adria, or dinner with Eric Asimov of the New York Times, or any one of a number of tasty collections of wine. You might even win, for a paltry $10, the mixed case of nifty bottles from the East Bay warehouse wine crowd donated by yours truly, Blind Muscat.

This fund-raising raffle is the work of food and wine bloggers all over creation, now in its fourth year. The recipient of the money raised is the United Nations World Food Programme—and what better cause for food and wine zealots than combating world hunger? Last year, the effort raised a tad over $60,000, and there is every chance this year will do even better.

The hook for serious foodies and winophiles is that every ten dollar contribution gives you a shot at the raffle prize of your choice, from a long and mouth-watering list (see below for how to cruise the list and donate). OK, a case of wine from some of the East Bay warehouse wonders isn’t quite like getting Heston Blumenthal to cook for you, but it is a great way to find out about the hottest trend in winemaking on the West Coast—urban warehouse pioneers who make fabulous vino in grunge-rock settings. Here’s a little more about why this is such a cool dynamic, from Wines & Vines.

The case in question has wines from Edmunds St. John, Harrington, Periscope Cellars, Tayerle, Dashe, Lost Canyon, Rosenblum and Blacksmith, plus a bonus bottle from the late, lamented, no-longer-in-business Grapeleaf Cellars. Wines range from bone-dry Riesling to sumptuous Chenin Blanc, from blends-never-before-seen-in-the-same-bottle to crystalline Pinot Noir. A fabulous urban geography lesson in a box, and definitely worth more than ten smackers. Remember this part: THE PRIZE CODE FOR THIS BABY IS WB16.

“What’s this thing about Prize Codes,” you may ask? Just follow the links below for a painless way to do good works and have a shot at great edibles and potables.

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from the full listing for Menu for Hope at http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/12/menu-for-hope-4.html. For details on the wine-related donations, head for Alder Yarrow’s Vinography blog.

2. Once you’ve decided what to go for, head to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4 and make a donation.

3. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code(s). Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

6. Check back on Chez Pim (http://www.chezpim.com) on Wednesday January 9 for the results of the raffle.

That’s it—a few clicks, a few bucks, a good cause, and something to salivate about over the holidays.