A: Is for Art and Wine Combining!

Today art and wine combine to make a sweet sensation. Wente Wines in combination with Columbia records presents the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” legendary album. Like a fine vintage wine, the music contained on Kind of Blue reveals added nuance and unexpected pleasures the older it gets. And yet with each year that Kind of Blue ages, it goes through a rejuvenation process that is exciting to behold. The essence of the 1959 album has never been duplicated. That may account, in part, for its triple-platinum status in the U.S. and worldwide recognition as a timeless masterpiece, No 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. "Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition is an expansive and lavishly-designed box set. The contents of the box include: two CDs (running time over two hours); a newly-produced black-and-white documentary DVD, a full-size 60-page book of critical essays, annotations and photography; and an envelope chockfull of memorabilia. The box also includes the 12-inch LP package pressed on 180-gram blue vinyl and an enormous 22x33 fold-out poster of Miles. The box will be released by Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. The new DVD incorporates material from the 2004 mini-documentary, Made In Heaven, including black-and-white still photography of the recording sessions and the voices of Miles (at the sessions), as well as excerpts of radio interviews with the late Bill Evans and Cannonball Adderley. There are interviews with musicians and luminaries including composer/performer David Amram, the late Ed Bradley, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Cosby, Herbie Hancock (who demonstrates "So What" at the piano), Eddie Henderson, Shirley Horn, Dave Liebman, the late Jackie McLean, funk-rocker Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello, hip-hop's Q-Tip, Carlos Santana, John Scofield, Horace Silver, and many others. The DVD also unearths the group's entire 26-minute appearance on "Robert Herridge Theatre: The Sound of Miles Davis," a CBS television program recorded in 1959 and broadcast in 1960. Another bonus feature is the gallery of images captured by Columbia staff photographer Don Hunstein, covering the original recording sessions, as well as a key performance at New York's Plaza Hotel in September 1958. In conjunction with the latter, an unprecedented four-week exhibit of Miles Davis photography will be mounted at New York's downtown Morrison Hotel Gallery in November-December 2008. The exhibit will then travel to other Morrison Hotel locations and Starwood Hotels in 2009.

Wente is no stranger to combining music with wine. Starting in 2007 “Discover the Wine, Discover the Music” was a pairing of the innovative music download and wine. The program introduced wine and music lovers to breaking new artists from a mix of popular musical genres. Wente Vineyards and musical partners promoted the project to their fan bases through website postings, email campaigns and exclusive events. “Discover the Wine, Discover the Music” Vintage II runs through March 2009 and Wente wines will carry “Discover the Wine, Discover the Music” foldout bottle-neckers showcasing Karl Wente’s selected wine and music pairings and a redemption code to download a free song from each of the featured artists. “I find the intellectual process of matching the structures and moods of wine and music very compelling,” said Wente, a musician himself. “For Vintage II, I paired the tannins and weight of our wines with the percussion and brass of the songs, and the mid-pallet with the rhythm. Like food and wine pairing, there are no absolute right and wrong answers, only combinations that can inspire the senses. The Discover project allows us to share these inspirations.”

Here is a list of the Vintage II pairings:

• Legend Miles Davis lives on in Miles From India’s “Great Expectations,” paired with Wente Vineyards The Nth Degree Merlot
• Academy Award nominee Allison Moorer’s self-penned “Mockingbird,” the title track from her tribute album to the female artists who have inspired her, paired with Wente Vineyards Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc
• Tally Hall’s John Lennon Songwriters Award recipient “Good Day,” paired with Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay
• UK critics darlings The Duke Spirit’s “The Step and the Walk,” paired with Wente Vineyards Charles Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon
• Rock royalty's Joachim Cooder shines in Hello Stranger’s “Big Boots,” paired with Wente Vineyards Sandstone Merlot
• Shurman’s Americana Music Award contender “Wonder Where You Are,” paired with Wente Vineyards Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

To read full descriptions of Karl’s pairings, visit www.wentevineyards.com/discover.

What a way to spend a winter night .......jazz, wine and ________________and that is a F.A.C.T.