Metropolitan Opera Star Launches ARIA Wine & CD

Rancho Mirage, Calif. — November 6th, 2007 — Award winning Tulip Hill Winery and Ms. Janet Hopkins, international soloist and Dramatic Soprano of the New York Metropolitan Opera, have collaborated on a first-of-its-kind wine and music project. The much anticipated ARIA wine and ARIA cd will be introduced on November 12th, 2007.

ARIA 2005 Cuvee was personally blended by Ms. Hopkins at Tulip Hill Winery. Working with celebrated wine maker Ed West to find the ideal balance, it is a rich and sumptuous blend of red varietals. ARIA is a wine as enjoyable on its own as it is with fine dining.

ARIA the music is a cd of well known Italian love song classics. Recorded by Ms. Hopkins at historic Capitol Records in Hollywood, the music of this cd is as rich as the wine it compliments. Well known standards such as O Sole Mio, Santa Lucia, and Quando Men Vo are but a few of the timeless musical treasures on the cd. Favorites from La Boheme, Turandot, and Madama Butterfly also round out the musical selections.

Ms. Hopkins honors Luciano Pavarotti as she performs Nessun Dorma, the Puccini classic so closely associated with the late tenor.

The music of ARIA features songs that are tales of love, romance and a devotion to homeland, Naples, Italy. Several songs romanticize the joy of being in Naples while others reflect on the sentimentality and longing for being there. Many of the songs of ARIA are traditional pieces sung by males. Ms. Hopkins has uniquely transformed these treasures into the timeless collection that is ARIA.

The ARIA project marks the first time that classical music and fine wine have been teamed together as a special offering, one in which the artist has been so personally involved. A special gift set of ARIA wine and cd will be available just in time for holiday shopping.

“When this project was first proposed to me, it just felt right,” notes Ms. Hopkins. “Blending my own wine and selecting just the right music to compliment it felt like a natural marriage of two halves, finally merging into the final blend that is Aria. The luscious depth of the wine lingers on the palate, as the rich melodies of these timeless classics linger in our hearts. I am thrilled to be a part of the birth of both wine and song. Teaming up with Tulip Hill winery is a luxury. Their wines are world class. Both music and wine are classics.”

“Anyone who enjoys great music and exceptional red wine will be an ARIA fan,” says Kristi Brown, President of Tulip Hill Winery. “We are honored to be a part of Ms. Hopkins ARIA creation.

Her voice is one for the ages,” she notes. “Blended red wines are a popular trend for a reason. When a blend is as fabulous as ARIA, wine lovers truly benefit. ARIA the wine broadens the appeal of fine red wine, and ARIA the music pleases an audience who loves truly exceptional talent.”

The ARIA Gift Box will be $59.95. Individual bottles of ARIA wine will be $36 while ARIA the cd will be $21.95. All will be available at the Tulip Hill Tasting Rooms in Rancho Mirage, CA and Nice CA. Visit the websites below for internet and phone order options.

Diva Janet Hopkins is a 16+ year veteran of the New York Metropolitan Opera. She has thrilled audiences on stages around the world in solo performances as well as numerous tours with The Met, all to great critical acclaim. Ms. Hopkins is recognized as one of the most gifted sopranos of the modern age. She divides her time between Southern California and New York. For more information about The Diva, visit www.JanetEHopkins.com

Tulip Hill Winery is an award winning, boutique winery, producing some of California’s finest wines. Owned and operated by Budge Brown and his daughter Kristi Brown, Tulip Hill is an industry leader in craftsmanship and attention to detail. With over 50 years experience in farming in California, Budge Brown has vineyards in the Napa area in Pope Valley and in the Tracy Hills appellation. The Tulip Hill name came from Budge Brown’s fascination with the tulip flower. Historically one of the world’s most highly prized and expensive flowers, Brown chose the tulip as a symbol of the quality and rarity of his wines. The Browns plant over 40,000 tulip bulbs imported from Holland each year at their winery in Nice, California and at their Tulip Hill Pope Valley Vineyard. For more information, visit www.TulipHillWinery.com or call 760.325.4448