HOPLAND, CA–(EMWNews – August 4, 2008) – Picturesque Topel Winery, located on Duncan

Peak south of Hopland, typically wins accolades for its premium handcrafted

wines. But recently it added another distinct honor to its list of

accomplishments — a Telly Award for excellence in videography.

A short video about Topel Winery won a bronze award in the Travel/Tourism

category of the Film/Video division at this year’s Telly Awards ceremony.

Produced by George Christie of Christie Consulting in Healdsburg, in

association with SIMZ Productions of Sacramento, the film focuses on the

artisan winery and the unique winemaking techniques of its

owners/winemakers, Mark and Donnis Topel. The video can be viewed online

at www.topelwines.com.

“We originally planned to use the video as a marketing tool for our efforts

in China, but the photography was so beautiful and the story was so special

that we made an English version,” said Mark Topel. “We’re delighted the

judges enjoyed it as much as we did.”

The award-winning film will be a vital marketing element in the new Topel

Tasting Room, which will have its grand opening on September 6th and 7th.

The tasting room is located at 125 Matheson Street in Healdsburg, just

steps off the Healdsburg Plaza.

The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional and cable television

commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions,

and work created for the Internet. The Topel film was among 14,000 entries

from all 50 states and five continents in this year’s competition.

Topel Winery is a small, artisan producer of handcrafted premium wines,

located on Duncan Peak, just south of Hopland, CA. Owners Mark and Donnis

Topel adhere to strict organic, biodynamic and sustainable agriculture

practices and believe in the minimalist approach to winemaking — using

indigenous yeasts and allowing the wine to evolve naturally.

www.topelwines.com