People

HARVEST attracts the East End’s top talents in winemaking and culinary arts, and benefits treasured regional causes. Below, get to the know some of the people and organizations behind HARVEST.

2012 MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
CHAIR, THE HONORARY COMMITTEE

Bonnie Grice is an award-winning broadcaster, producer, host and interviewer. A two-time Gracie Allen Award winner, Bonnie is producer and host of “The Song is You,” a weekly radio show that explores the impact of music in our lives, distributed across the country in over 50 NPR radio markets. The show invites guests to dip into their I-pods and their memory banks to pick their top 10 favorite songs. It’s fun, informal and revealing, and some of the guests include CBS News Host Harry Smith, authors Jackie Collins and Frank McCourt, singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb, among many others. Locally Bonnie hosts the popular morning show “Eclectic Cafe” on Long Island’s NPR station, WPPB 88.3 FM, Peconic Public Broadcasting.

EVENT CHAIR

Roman Roth is winemaker at Wölffer Estate Vineyards and owns The Grapes of Roth. Born in Rottweil, Germany, he began his winemaking career in his mother land, and has worked in the premier regions of the wine-making world, including California, Australia and, since 1992, the East End of Long Island. He is Executive Vice President and a founding member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance and Vice President of the Board of the Long Island Wine Council.

ORGANIZERS

The Long Island Merlot Alliance, a nonprofit trade association, was formed in 2005 and is dedicated to advancing the quality in the production of merlot wines and merlot-based blends. We believe merlot is the signature grape of the region. It is the most widely planted grape, consistently performs well in our terroir and, because it’s so often used with other varietals, enriches most red wines of our region.

 The Long Island Wine Council is an industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for Long Island as a premium wine-producing region. Its role is to provide a coordinated effort for the promotion and development of the region’s wine industry. The Council was founded in 1989 and currently has 48 full members.

BENEFICIARIES

East End Hospice is a New York State-certified hospice serving the Eastern Suffolk County townships of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, Southampton, and East Hampton. Hospice services are only partially reimbursed by government programs and private insurances. Operating on a yearly deficit of $1,000,000, East End Hospice relies heavily on donations. Eighty-five (85) cents of each and every dollar raised by hospice goes directly to patient care.  No one is denied hospice care or services regardless of ability to pay.

Group for the East End protects and restores the environment of eastern Long Island through education, citizen action and professional advocacy. The organization inspires people to embrace a conservation ethic. The Group was established in 1972 as Group for America’s South Fork.

The Peconic Land Trust was established in 1983 to ensure the protection of Long Island’s working farms, natural lands, and heritage. Since its inception, the Trust has worked diligently with landowners, communities, and municipalities to protect more than 10,000 acres of land, conserving more working farms on Long Island than any other private conservation organization, and securing millions of dollars from the public and private sector for land protection.