Gary Madden, General Manager of Lieb Cellars, holds a bottle of the new Merlot Blanc at the company's event in support of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. Also pictured is Linda Winicki of the Fund.

The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Inc., has teamed up with Lieb Cellars of Mattituck, N.Y., to support research at Stony Brook University Medical Center investigating the causes, prevention, and treatment of breast cancer. Lieb Cellars will donate a portion of its 2009 sales of Merlot Blanc, a white merlot wine created by the company in 2008, to the Fund. Approximately 300 people attended a kick-off of the promotion during an event at the company’s vineyard in Cutchogue on March 8.

“Our new partnership with Lieb Cellars, and their generous donation, will go a long way in supporting our many research projects,” says Linda Winicki, Director of Development at the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. “This research includes – but is not limited to – studies of the genetic, molecular, cellular and environmental factors involved in the development and progression of breast cancer.”

Dozens of scientists and cancer specialists at SBUMC have received support for their work through the Fund. To date, the Fund has awarded nearly 60 research grants totaling in excess of $3 million to medical research.

The Lieb 2008 Merlot Blanc was created as a unique wine with a charitable mission. The wine is created using a process similar to fine champagne. Made from the red Merlot grape, the fruit is harvested early in the season and delicately crushed to extract a highly concentrated juice. This juice has no contact to the red skins of the grape, thus resulting in a light colored wine.

Founded in 1992, Lieb Cellars produces more than 7,000 cases of wine annually. The company’s wines are self distributed within New York State.

The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Inc., supports both new and established researchers at Stony Brook University Medical Center. The Fund’s efforts translate directly to research grants investigating the causes, prevention, and treatment of breast cancer.