Veteran Local Winemaker's Donation Supports SRJC Wine Program

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — One of Sonoma County's most celebrated veteran winemakers, Ted Elliot, recently donated newly released reserve wines to the Santa Rosa Junior College Wine Studies program at Shone Farm.

The program teaches production, analysis, sensory evaluation, marketing and sales. This semester, students are learning about marketing a new release of reserve wines from different vineyards in the Russian River Valley, including Elliott’s donated wines.

Elliott is co-founder of Carmenet Winery, CEO and jack-of-all-trades at Sonoma-Cutrer and created his own label, TR Elliott. His wines are sold to prestigious wineries including CIRQ and MacPhail Wines.

His donation to the SRJC program includes his 2017 vintage of chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which add a variety of new and old world-style wines to the Shone Farm lineup. They were made with Russian River Valley grapes from Bootlegger's Hill, Pratt Vineyard and O’Connell Vineyard.

"We are thankful that Ted Elliott supported the SRJC wine program with this generous donation," said Kevin Sea, instructor and coordinator of the SRJC Wine Studies Program. "These wines are excellent and offer our buyers a slightly different style than our estate wines. I am excited to be able to offer them."

The Ted Elliott reserve wines will be available to order online or through the Shone Farm Wine Club. All proceeds are reinvested into the educational goals of the winery, Sea said.