Dr. Curtis Ellison Wins Wine Industry Integrity Award; ''French Paradox'' Researcher Recognized by Industry Panel

Business Wire, Sept 3, 2002

Business Editors/Wine Writers

LODI, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2002

Dr. R. Curtis Ellison of Boston, Mass. has been named this year's winner of the Wine Industry Integrity Award, the Lodi Woodbridge Winegrape Commission announced today. The award will be presented at a special dinner to be held at Wine and Roses Inn in Lodi, Calif. on Monday, Oct. 28, 2002. Created in 1998, the award honors those individuals who have conducted their careers with integrity while making significant contributions to the world of wine.

Am eminent panel annually selects the honoree. This year's panel was chaired by wine writer Gerald D. Boyd, Santa Rosa, Calif. and included Dan Berger, wine writer, Santa Rosa, Calif.; James Trezise, Executive Director, New York Wine and Grape Foundation, Penn Yan, N.Y.; Michaela Rodeno, CEO, St. Supery Winery, Rutherford, Calif.; Larry Stone, MS, Rubicon Restaurant, San Francisco, Calif.; Patrick Gleeson, Executive Director, American Vineyard Foundation, Napa, Calif.; and David Lake, MW, Pacific Northwest Winemaking Operations, Canandaigua Wine Company, Woodinville, Wash.

Previous honorees of the award are Patrick Campbell, Laurel Glen Winery, Glen Ellen, Calif. (1998); Robert Young, Robert Young Vineyards, Healdsburg, Calif. (1999); Dr. Walter Clore, Washington State University (2000); and Robert Mondavi, Robert Mondavi Winery, Oakville, Calif. (2001).

According to the panel, Dr. Ellison was chosen for his extensive research and writings that demonstrate the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. Dr. Ellison has also been instrumental in presenting his findings to members of government, the medical community, the press and the public.

Dr. Ellison is best known for his research on what is known as "The French Paradox." This refers to the fact that the French have a high-fat diet and other risk factors, yet have very low rates of coronary heart disease. A large part of this protection is believed to relate to the regular consumption of wine.

Dr. Ellison and Dr. Serge Renaud of Lyon, France, were the key scientists interviewed in the "French Paradox" segment of the highly rated, CBS television network program "60 Minutes" in November 1991. Red wine sales in America increased by 40% immediately thereafter. Dr. Ellison also appeared on a follow-up "60 Minutes" segment in November 1995, emphasizing again how moderate alcohol consumption improves health.

He has also worked with the Oldways Foundation, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the European office of the World Health Organization in the development of the "Mediterranean Diet Pyramid," a new set of dietary guidelines for Americans. The guidelines suggest the use of more grains, vegetables, fruit, olive oil and wine in the everyday diet. These new recommendations are making Americans increasingly aware that a largely plant-based diet, along with moderate wine consumption and regular exercise, are the key components for a particularly healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Ellison has been Chief of the Evans Section of Preventative Medicine and Epidemiology and Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Boston University School of Medicine since 1989. He is trained in internal medicine, cardiology and epidemiology.

Dr. Ellison serves as a senior researcher on The Framingham Study, a longitudinal study of risk factors for heart disease and other diseases of aging among 10,000 people in Framingham, Mass. That study has followed people for more than 50 years. He is also principal investigator of research studies dealing with factors in early life that determine dietary and physical activity habits, and the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in determining risk of hypertension and heart disease in families.

In July 1994, Dr. Ellison established the Institute on Lifestyle and Health at Boston University School of Medicine, of which he is the director. The Institute focuses research on various aspects of lifestyle, especially the moderate consumption of wine and other alcohol, that relate to the risk of heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases.

For more information and tickets to the wine industry integrity award dinner honoring Dr. Ellison, contact the Lodi Woodbridge Winegrape Commission in Lodi, Calif., or call 209/367-4727.