Senior center to taste benefits of fund-raiser

Mary A. Castillo

Fine wine and fast cars might help raise a little money for the

Costa Mesa Senior Center. The Orange County Marketplace will host a

wine-tasting event and silent auction to benefit the center from 7 to

9 p.m. Friday at the Automotive Road of Dreams Museum in the Orange

County Fairgrounds.

“We try to always give back to the city,” said Ryan Miller,

spokesman for the Orange County Marketplace. “This is the best fit to

help the senior center raise money because they give so much to the

community.”

“Fine Wine, Fast Cars and Smooth Cigars” will also be a homecoming

of sorts for the Martins, formerly of Newport Beach, who will

introduce their award-winning wines.

“All of our wines are handcrafted, and the production is done by

only three people, my husband, my father-in-law and myself,” said

Debbie Martin, co-proprietor of the Martin Family Vineyards. “We even

crush the grapes ourselves.”

Among the distinctions awarded to Martin Family Vineyards, the

2001 Petite Syrah earned the gold medal at this year’s Sonoma County

Harvest Fair, and “Wine and Spirits Magazine” gave the 1999 Napa

Valley Cabernet a score of 91 .

Winemaker Michael Martin will host a special barrel tasting before

the event, at 6 p.m.

Attendees will also be able to sample cigars provided by the

Paradise Cigar Co. and view an exhibition of 40 rare antique cars,

including a 1923 Pierce Arrow owned by silent film star Charlie

Chaplin.