SAN FRANCISCO ( February, 2006 ) Many restaurants put considerable thought and expense into their wine programs, but few go to the extra effort to craft their very own wines Americano Restaurant & Bar has done just that with the help of San Francisco-based community winery Crushpad. Americano will release the Dreamer 2004 Las Madres Vineyard Syrah from Mendocino in late September 2006, followed by two additional single vineyard Dreamer 2005 Syrahs Thompson and Whitehawk from Santa Barbara county in September 2007. In an effort to provide guests with the definitive restaurant wine experience, Americanos general manager and executive chef were involved in every aspect of the winemaking process from sourcing the grapes to selecting the length of fermentation and barrel types to blending and label design. Chef Paul Arenstam and I are both very passionate about wine and Crushpad gave us the unique opportunity to craft wines that perfectly complement the style of cuisine we serve at Americano, explains Morgan Plant, general manager of Americano. This is more than just putting our name on a winerys third or fourth label wine; we have invested considerable time and money into this project and are proud to offer these premium wines to our customers. Each of the three customized wines will complement Americanos menu of rustic-Italian influenced Northern California cuisine in distinct ways. The 2005 Thompson Syrah is delicate, restrained, and complex to complement subtle dishes, where the 2005 Whitehawk Syrah will be bolder and more fruit forward, pairing well with flavorful dishes. The restaurants first release, the 2004 Las Madres Vineyard Syrah features dark fruit, mild French oak expression of vanilla and cardamom, and medium acidity. This timeless, year-round charmer will balance with the flavorful and rustic style of Americanos cuisine and will complement a wide variety of dishes including Pumpkin and Pancetta Bakers Pie with Roasted Sugar Pie Pumpkin Crema, Beet Greens, Crispy Pancetta and Caramelized Onions and Roasted Venison Saddle with Celery Root Gratin, Baby Mustard Greens and Meyer Lemon Mustarda. We saw this as a great opportunity to position Americano as not only a serious restaurant for food, but as a serious restaurant for wine, said Executive Chef Paul Arenstam. We think our customers, who are as passionate about food and wine as we are, will appreciate the extra effort weve gone to in order to create a perfectly tailored dining experience. Americano Restaurant & Bar is located at 8 Mission Street at Hotel Vitale. All major credit cards are accepted. Breakfast hours are Monday through Friday from 6: 30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Brunch is available on weekends from 7: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch hours are Monday through Friday from 11: 30 a.m. to 2: 30 p.m. Dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday from 5: 30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5: 30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The bar is open daily from 11: 30 a.m. to last call. For more information, please visit www.americanorestaurant.com. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling ( 415 ) 278-3700, or by visiting www.opentable.com.................................................................................................................................................................................... About Joie de Vivre: Based in San Francisco, Joie de Vivre Hospitality ( www.jdvhospitality.com ) is a creative collection of lifestyle businesses. As the largest hotel operator in the state of California ( 2005 projected sales are $120 million ), the Joie de Vivre portfolio encompasses 35 hospitality businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 28 boutique hotels. These properties represent a total of over 2, 800 rooms and include five distinctive restaurants and bars. The company also owns and operates San Franciscos largest day spa, the Kabuki Springs & Spa, which includes Americas largest Japanese-style communal bath facility. Each prop