Mountain Mayhem: The Great Match – a meeting of the senses

Catherine Store Wine & Liquor paired up with local nonprofit Mountain Regional Housing to present “The Great Match 2005 – A Meeting of the Senses.” The second annual wine tasting took place on Friday, April 22, at the exclusive Roaring Fork Club in Basalt. Coupled with microbrew tastings and appetizers from local restaurants and caterers, the benefit appealed to many a palate. Approximately 250 guests enjoyed the off-season event, which also featured an impressive list of auction items ranging from rare wines to guided fly-fishing tours to personal portraits and more.Rhonda Black of Catherine Store Wine & Liquor coordinated more than 50 wines and microbrews for the evening. Sandy Hargrave provided the popular chocolate fountain, which commanded quite a crowd, as did an olive and cheese bar. Dessert Sky Creative Catering passed Ahi tuna nachos, Zheng Restaurant presented spring rolls, and the Cantina supplied chips, salsa, guacamole and an “out of this world ceviche,” said Marcy Kneiper of Creative Weddings & Celebrations.In just its first year of new ownership, Catherine Store Wine & Liquor has donated more than $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations. Through The Great Match, they helped raise money for Mountain Regional Housing’s nonprofit development and housing services. Mountain Regional Housing is a local nonprofit provider of downpayment assistance through its $400,000 Revolving Loan Fund and Homebuyer Education Workshops. Offered for free in both English and Spanish each month, the workshops educate interested buyers in homeownership. Mountain Regional Housing is also a nonprofit developer with special access to grant funds and low interest loans for building new homes from Aspen to Parachute. Over the years, they have developed 26 rental units at Aspen’s Ullr Commons lodge conversion, as well as helped create the deed restrictions of 60 Victorian homes at Thompson Corner in River Valley Ranch. Under the guidance of executive director Susan Shirley, Mountain Regional Housing is currently involved in three projects that will provide up to 48 new rental and ownership units in the Roaring Fork Valley. They also co-sponsored 29 rental units to be built in Rifle this year. In addition to Catherine Store Wine & Liquor and the Roaring Fork Club, local sponsors of The Great Match included Alpine Bank Mortgage Division, Rainy Day Designs, Creative Celebrations Event Planning, Cleveland Cottages of Carbondale – developed by Prince Creek Construction, Land Title Guarantee Company, Timberline Bank, Vectra Bank, The Property Shop – Marianne Ackerman and Kathy Westley, Community Banks of Colorado – Adrienne Rowberry and Rio Vista Services. To learn more about Mountain Regional Housing, contact Susan Shirley at 963-9606 or visit http://www.housingcommunity.org