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Designer Label: Pininfarina / Heck Partnership to Produce Top Wines from the World
August 13, 2008 – Staff Writer

Paolo Pininfarina, President and CEO of Italian design powerhouse Pininfarina Extra, and Aaron Heck, co-owner of the wine producing Heck Estates, have joined forces to assemble a portfolio featuring select wines from winegrowing regions throughout the world.

They plan to feature a new wine-growing region each year, adding selected wines to the venture's wine offerings. As regions are selected and incorporated into the portfolio, one common thread will link them all together: each wine will represent an example of top quality production of the most celebrated varietal from each unique appellation, made by celebrated winemakers from each region.

With the help of winemakers Mia Klein, a well-known winemaker and consultant for several cult California wineries, and Paul Ahvenainen, a native Finn who has been Korbel estate Senior Winemaker since 1998, the inaugural release of Pininfarina Wine will take place in Napa, California, showcasing some of the most elegant Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the world. Italy, as the next regions to be produced, will be represented by a Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany and a Barolo from Piedmont.

The ultimate goal is to highlight the best wines from around the world under one moniker. Pininfarina Wine.

Paolo Pininfarina
The name Pininfarina has become synonymous with the pinnacle of quality, innovation and beauty. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that Pininfarina is the "dynasty that helped bring the story of the 'made in Italy' to the world."

Since 1930, the Italian design, engineering and manufacturing firm has seduced the automotive industry with its contributions to Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, among others. Paolo Pininfarina, President and CEO of Pininfarina Extra, has expanded the purview of the Pininfarina Group's services to include endeavors in all business sectors. Among Pininfarina Extra's partners are Jacuzzi, Motorola, Primatist, Snaidero, 3M, Aero Toy Store and other international market leaders.

Pininfarina Wine is the latest addition to Pininfarina's long history of innovative entrepreneurship. The artistic packaging combines Pininfarina's love of wine with his affinity for functional beauty, seamlessly.

Aaron Heck
Five generations of passionate winemaking have supplied the Heck Family with a wealth of knowledge and experience, which in turn has garnered them a reputation of excellence in the wine industry. Spending his childhood and adolescence in the vineyards and at the winery, Aaron Heck is taking his place among his predecessors in the family business.

Since 1997, Mr. Heck has been overseeing all advertising and promotions for each of the brands that are in his family's portfolio, which include Korbel California Champagne, Korbel Brandy, Kenwood Vineyards, Valley of the Moon Winery, Lake Sonoma Winery, King's Ransom Winery and Madrone Vineyards. This far-reaching history has inspired Heck to continue to build on and enrich his family's tradition. After a fortuitous meeting with Paolo Pininfarina, it was agreed to jointly pursue the creation of an ultra-premium international wine program. Thus Pininfarina Wine was born.

Mia Klein
Mia Klein is one of the most respected winemakers in the Napa Valley.

She received her degree in Enology from U.C. Davis, and worked her way up from the night shift cellar crew to assistant winemaker at Chappellet and then to winemaker at Robert Pepi. She then began her consulting career and helped to establish the highest standards of quality at prestigious Napa Valley properties such as Dalla Valle, Spottswoode, Araujo and Viader. Soon after she started her consulting career, Mia established her own wine brand, Selene, named after one of the Greek goddesses of the moon. She was named Food and Wine Magazine's Winemaker of the Year in 2003.

As consulting winemaker for the Pininfarina Napa Valley program, Mia Klein brings both her deep knowledge and understanding of the Napa Valley and its wines, and her personal enthusiasm for the craft of winemaking. Pininfarina allows for her to showcase the best regional characters of the Bordeaux varieties, as expressed in the Napa Valley. At the same time, the Pininfarina program allows the flexibility to add a little something extra. In this case, the 2005 Pininfarina Vino Rosso is blended with a small percentage of the traditional Tuscan variety Sangiovese. This grape was chosen to reflect the international underpinnings of the project.

Paul Ahvenainen
Paul Ahvenainen is the Director of Winemaking for Heck Estates and the Pininfarina international wine program.

After graduation, Paul worked his way through the entry-level ranks of winemaking at Schramsberg and Cognac producer e il pi. Eventually, Paul established a career at Korbel, where, after several years, he took charge of both the California champagne and brandy programs. About five years ago, Paul took on the responsibility to manage the entire Heck Estates winemaking portfolio, which includes the Korbel, Kenwood, Valley of the Moon, Lake Sonoma, King's Ransom and Madrone brands.

Pininfarina is the newest addition to the Heck Estates portfolio. The Pininfarina program allows Paul to partner with the best vineyards and winemakers in a region to make the finest wines possible, wines that are both innovative and respectful of their sense of origin.

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