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March 4, 2010

Castle Hill Inn & Resort to Host Col Solare & Antinori Wineries for Exclusive Wine Weekend and Dinner

Newport, RI - March 3, 2010 - Castle Hill Inn & ResortSM, located at 590 Ocean Drive in Newport, RI, is pleased to present an exclusive dinner featuring the wines of Col Solare and Antinori on Saturday, March 20th.  Marcus Notaro, Winemaker at Col Solare, and Aldo Rafanelli, Ambassador for Antinori, will lead guests through each selection of wine as they are paired with Executive Chef Jonathan Cambra's elegant five-course dinner.  A reception will begin at 6:30 p.m.; dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $165.00 per person; tax and gratuity are additional.

A two-night guestroom package is also available, and includes luxury accommodations on Friday and Saturday nights, exclusive guest-only afternoon served tea each afternoon, gourmet breakfast served each morning overlooking Narragansett Bay, a Friday night welcome reception, Saturday morning wine seminar with lunch, and the Saturday night reception and wine dinner. Packages begin at $1270.83. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 401.849.3800.

The evening will begin with a reception of passed hors d'oeuvres including Taylor Bay Scallops with white truffle emulsion and chervil; Chicken Liver Mousse with a black pepper profiterole and hazelnut; Maine Crab Tostada with potato crisp, crème fraîche, and chives; Duck Confit with kumquat marmalade, red onion, and Portuguese sweet bread; and Potato-Leek Soup: golden potato, Devonshire cream, caviar, and parsley foam; all served with the Montenisa Sparkling Brut, offering intense aromas with hints of white peaches and apples and yeasty, toasty notes.

Dinner will begin with Hawaiian Blue Prawns with Maine lobster boudin, fennel-fines herbes salad, and blood orange-Uni butter, paired with the 2007 Cervaro della Salla Chardonnay.  A selection from Umbria, Italy, this wine offers intense and complex aromas with notes of citrus, pear, acacia flowers, hints of vanilla and sweet notes of butter and hazelnut on the palate, and is rated a '91' by Wine Advocate.

The second course will feature a rosemary-smoked Canadian Wild Boar Loin with Tallegio polenta, foraged mushroom fricassee, and balsamic demi-glace, complemented by the 2007 Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato from Bolgheri, Italy. The nose is very refined and elegant, with fragrant, sweet aromas, and is rated a '95' by Wine Spectator.

An Elysian Field Lamb Duo will follow, featuring a roasted rack and terrine, served with new potato, carrot, and sunchoke puree, spring garlic gremolata, and Col Solare emulsion, paired with the 2006 and 2007 Col Solare.  The 2006 vintage, rated a '92' by Wine Spectator, boasts aromas of black cherry, currants, and blackberry blend with subtle notes of vanilla and milk chocolate and flavors of berries, black fruit, and cocoa, while the 2007 offers aromas of black cherry, currant, and ripe black berries, together with subtle notes of espresso and vanilla in the nose and flavors of dark chocolate, black fruits, and a coconut spice.

The evening's fourth course will feature Pecorino Toscano, a classic Tuscan cheese, served with dried cherry-New Mexico chile compote and sourdough biscotti and the 2006 Tenuta Tignanello Super Tuscan, showcasing a very intense ruby red color and balanced ripe red fruit and spicy aromas on the nose and chocolate and citrus fruits on the palate.

Dinner will conclude with a Napoleon with Vin Santo zabaglione, almond nougat, quince, and an espresso-clove wafer, served with the 2003 Tenuta Marchese Antinori Vinsanto del Chianti Classico.  Rated an '89' by Wine Advocate, it features vibrant aromas of citrus marmalade and dried fruit with hints of liquorice in the aftertaste.

About Antinori
The Antinori family has been making wine for over six hundred years, since Giovanni di Piero Antinori became part of the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri in 1385. Throughout its long history, spanning 26 generations, the family has always personally managed the business making innovative, sometimes courageous choices, always with unwavering respect for tradition and the land.

Today, Marchese Piero Antinori is director of the company, assisted by his three daughters, Albiera, Allegra and Alessia, who are personally involved in the business. The qualities of tradition, passion and instinct have made Antinori one of the leading Italian producers of fine quality wines.

Every vintage, every terroir, every idea is a new beginning, a new quest to raise our quality margins. As Marchese Piero loves to repeat: "Ancient roots play an important role in our philosophy, but they have never held back our spirit of innovation."

As well as the family's traditional heritage of estates in Tuscany and Umbria, investments have been made over time in other areas highly suited to quality wine production, in Italy and abroad, in a quest to promote new terroirs, rich in winegrowing potential.

Antinori continually experiment with their vineyards and cellars, with selections of native and international clones, growing methods, vineyard altitudes, fermentation methods and temperatures, traditional and modern vinification techniques, types of wood, size and age of barrels, and various bottle-aging periods.

About Aldo Rafanelli

Aldo was born and raised in Florence, Italy and graduated from the Agriculture School of Florence. In the early 1970's he participated as vineyard consultant in what has been called "the renaissance of the Italian wine industry," at which time he met with influential producers, including Piero Antinori.

Aldo moved to New York in 1979 with his American wife and first son, where he began working in sales and marketing of fine Italian wines across the USA.  In 1987 he joined Antinori as their sole USA representative.  Currently, Aldo works for Ste. Michelle, the newly appointed USA distributor for Antinori wines, with the title of National Business Development, Antinori.

Aldo's hobbies are fly fishing, cooking and the search for rare honey, in no particular order or discipline, always enjoying the company of his family, friends and associates.  Aldo lives in Tarrytown, New York with his wife Camilla.  They have two sons, Marco and Alessandro, who have inherited their father's passion for food and wine.

About Col Solare
Col Solare, which means "shining hill" in Italian, is the exciting joint venture between two influential wine producers who are recognized leaders in their respective regions: Washington State's Chateau Ste. Michelle and the legendary Marchesi Antinori of Tuscany. Col Solare's mission is to unite these two unique viticultural and winemaking cultures to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon-based red wine from the very best grapes of the Columbia Valley, a wine that will age for decades but is also meant to be enjoyed soon after purchase.

About Marcus Notaro
Marcus Notaro is the Resident Winemaker for Col Solare, located in Washington State's Red Mountain appellation. Col Solare is a winemaking partnership between Tuscany's Marchesi Antinori and Washington State's oldest and most acclaimed winery Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Notaro's mission is to join two distinct cultures, Washington and Tuscan, new world and old world, to create a wine with concentrated aromatics and flavors and supple tannins that lead into a seductive, linger finish. Marcus first became involved with Col Solare with the 2003 vintage, although his experience with its icon vineyards and small lot winemaking dates back many years. Since then, he has played an integral role in all decisions related to Col Solare's vineyard selection, winemaking regimes and blending trials. He also has developed a strong rapport with the Antinori vineyard and winemaking teams during his annual travels to the Antinori estates, fostering an international perspective that brings the partners' winemaking philosophies together in Col Solare. Since becoming a winemaker in 1995, Notaro's career has focused on red wine programs, including Columbia Crest's highly-acclaimed Reserve wines.

About Castle Hill Inn & Resort
Castle Hill is open for dinner from 5:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the ocean view dining room, and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., with brunch served on Sundays from 11:30 am - 3:00 pm accompanied by live jazz.

Castle Hill Inn & Resort is a Relais & Chateaux property, exemplifying the warmth and quiet luxury of 19th century seacoast life. Voted by readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure as one of the top hotels in the world, and lauded by the New York Times as 'the best spot in town,' Castle Hill Inn & Resort is the epitome of Newport elegance.

Castle Hill Inn & Resort includes the Agassiz Mansion, Harbor House rooms, Beach House rooms, Beach Cottages, the Chalet, and four dining rooms. Castle Hill Inn and Resort delivers an unmatched getaway in a superb oceanfront location.

Castle Hill Inn & Resort is operated by Newport Harbor Corporation, an employee-owned (ESOP) hospitality corporation based in Newport, RI. For more information on Newport Harbor Corporation, please visit the website at www.newportharbor.com

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kate Barba
Regan Communications
401.351.8855
kbarba@regancomm.com