The Racer's Group has created a new promotional program combining the talents of the Porsche sports car team with Adobe Road Winery, the Sonoma-based wine producer owned by TRG founder Kevin Buckler and his wife Debra.
From Sept. 24-27, the two companies will host four exclusive events in New York City for the connoisseur that will showcase a unique lifestyle marketing play. In addition, TRG/Adobe will host a private sommelier tasting with some of the top wine experts in NYC.
"Taste of the Race" events
On Monday, Sept. 24, Splashlight Studios, one of Manhattan's top photo studios where photographers from some of the premier fashion magazines shoot regularly, will unveil a unique photo gallery premiere in its SoHo location. This invitation‐only event will target the fashion and photography crowd who will see for the first time auto and racing photography shot by founder Benoit Lagarde.
"I've always wanted to do this," said Lagarde who hails originally from Fontainebleau, France. "I've always loved cars, beautiful cars, and have had the chance to shoot them all over the world at car shows, private showings and at races. I've never really done much with them other than enjoy them with friends and family, but I think it's now time to share some of the very excellent images and cars that I have shot and assembled over the years. And, yes, there are a few special shots of TRG's Porsches."
TRG will have one of its Porsche 911 GT Race cars on site and available for photographers and publications that may want to use it as a backdrop for fashion or lifestyle settings (weather permitting). Adobe Road will be the exclusive wine provider at the premier and feature several of its award‐winning wines.
On Tuesday, Sept. 25, it's off to the world's largest Porsche Design Store, also in SoHo. The red‐carpet event will again feature the Adobe Road wines from one of northern California's hottest boutique wineries that have recently seen 92+ scores from The Wine Spectator magazine for four of its most recent releases. The in‐store event will showcase Porsche Design's new Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Collection where “iconic style meets industrial flair.” There will be a unique fund‐raising capacity around many of the store's iconic designs as well as “one of a kind” auction offerings. One such item will be a celebrity‐autographed race car hood from one of TRG's actual Porsches that raced in competition. It will arrive a few weeks prior to the event and be on display at the store. The evening of the event, a TRG Porsche will be on display in the store itself.
Wednesday, Sept. 26 will feature an ultra‐exclusive Adobe Road wine dinner at Morton's The Steakhouse in Manhattan. TRG and Morton's have developed a partner program where it showcases the winery and racing program in many cities around North America. Typically, five select wines are served with the four‐course meal created by Morton's acclaimed chefs. Featured at Morton's Manhattan is Chef Elias Iglesias. Buckler will introduce all the wines between pairings and spend the evening discussing many of the amazing details of launching and operating a small boutique winery as well as a lively discussion regarding some of his international racing successes.
The final event Thursday, Sept. 27 will be at Del Frisco's, another of the country's most highly acclaimed steakhouses. The evening, held in concert with a precision‐acclaimed premiere timepiece and jewelry brand presentation will showcase the award‐winning Adobe Road wines along with the talents of chef Elvis Inniss.
Buckler will regale guests with stories of the prized wines being served and some of the team's most famous wins at Le Mans, Daytona and other iconic races. Also attending is TRG champion race driver Spencer Pumpelly, who will add his stories to the evening's festivities and will attend other events that week, as well.
The private sommelier tasting will take place Monday, Sept. 24 in the afternoon at George Forgeois' Cercle Rouge restaurant in Tribeca. Many of New York's top sommeliers will be invited to experience Adobe Road's award-winning wines, including its marquee Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon, which recently received a 94‐point score from Wine Spectator.
Says Buckler, “The ability to take one of the most successful Porsche sports car racing teams in North America over the last 20 years and showcase it along with the amazing wines from our award‐winning winery in a really cool lifestyle combination is going to be captivating, exciting and fun!
"It is something I've wanted to do for a long time and I am now really looking forward to it. We always see people light up when we bring our two sizzling brands together. For the city that never sleeps, we are bringing our ‘team that never sleeps!' We are so excited to bring our story to this fabulous city.”
The Racer's Group started 20 years ago in Monterey, but moved to Sonoma and Infineon Raceway in 1995. The winery began a few years later, literally as a group of friends making one barrel a year.
“When I moved back to California after selling my business in the Midwest,” Buckler relates, “I had one mission and that was to pursue my two passions, racing and wine, and to figure out how to make a business out of both. We have been very fortunate to have both companies develop off each other's success. Then again, it may be the
unique dynamic between the two that has created that success. We are in uncharted territory with this powerful lifestyle combination and seeing it grow and develop is amazing.”
Not only has Buckler made a business out of each, but TRG is considered one of the most successful Porsche sports car race team in North America over the last 20 years, while Adobe Road Winery has become one of the darlings of Northern California with accolade after accolade from wine experts such as Jim Laube of Wine Spectator. Laube's reviews placed four recent Adobe Road releases near the top of the charts with a 94‐point score for its Beckstoffer Napa Valley Cabernet, a 93‐point score for its Bavarian Lion Cabernet and Kemp Vineyard Syrah, and a 92‐point score for its Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay.