Jan. 18, 2007

For the second straight year, Ben Arnold Beverage Company has donated proceeds from the sales of Spurrier Vineyard Cock N’ Fire Cabernet to the University of South Carolina golf programs. On Dec. 16, Ben Arnold President and CEO Bill Tovell presented a check in the amount of $80,000 to Carolina Athletics Director Eric Hyman. The money will be split between the Gamecock golf programs and Coach Spurrier’s football program.

First sold in 2005, the Spurrier-label wine was the brainchild of USC head men’s golf coach Puggy Blackmon and Lloyd Wilber, Vice-President of the Premiere Division for Ben Arnold Beverage Company, who also serves as the Chairman of the Gamecock Gallery, USC golf’s booster group. Ben Arnold Company donated more than $80,000 to the South Carolina golf programs last year, money that was used to renovate an on-campus short game facility for the golf teams.

“Bill (Tovell) and Lloyd (Wilber) of the Ben Arnold Company have been longtime supporters of USC golf,” Blackmon said. “They have gone beyond the call of duty. For the second year in a row, the sales of the Cock N’ Fire Cabernet have been tremendous. Ben Arnold has raised over $165,000 for the golf programs and athletics.”

Wilber and Tovell are both pleased with the success of the wine and the opportunity to contribute to Gamecock Athletics.

“Once again, Cock N’ Fire Cabernet has been tremendously successful in 2006. The success is due in large to the creativity of Coach Blackmon and the unselfish support of Coach Spurrier,” Wilber noted. “We at Ben Arnold Beverage feel privileged to have this association not only with them, but with the entire athletic program.”

“The success of Cock N’ Fire Cabernet has been huge!” Tovell said. “I, personally, have been very proud to be involved with the coaches and staff of the University of South Carolina, especially the generosity that was demonstrated by Coach Spurrier in allowing us to use his name for this good cause. All of our associates are thrilled to have been able to contribute towards the teams’ future success. Like USC Football, Cock N’ Fire Cabernet is scoring better every year!”

The 2006 collector’s edition of Cock N’ Fire Cabernet is on shelves around the state of South Carolina now.