Sip for a Cure

The inaugural Corks and Kegs wine and beer tasting event on October 28 will support the ongoing research of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Jeff Kelley, general manager of the Hyatt Regency; Phyllis Kennedy, C&K committee member; and Tom Warburton, event emcee.

On Friday, October 28, the new Corks and Kegs event is your chance to sample dozens of excellent beers and wines paired with food from many of Tulsa’s premier restaurants, while at the same time supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Sooner Chapter and its ongoing work to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited genetic disease that ­frequently causes disability and early death. A defective gene causes the body to produce sticky mucus that builds up in the lungs and pancreas, leading to potentially deadly lung ­infections. Other symptoms of CF can include poor growth, infertility, digestion problems, sinus infections, and recurrent pneumonia.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit ­organization that receives no ­government funding, was ­founded in 1955 by a group of parents who wanted to find a cure for CF. At that time, most children suffering from CF did not live long enough to attend elementary school. Research ­conducted by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has helped to extend the average life expectancy of a person with CF from 5 years in 1955 to 37 years today.

For the past 32 years, Tulsa’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has held the annual All Sports Ball. That event is being replaced this year by the inaugural Corks and Kegs beer and wine tasting event. Local, national and ­international vintners and craft brewers will offer tastings paired with food from over a dozen Tulsa restaurants. The event will also feature an instant cellar ­basket raffle, live and silent auctions with one-of-a-kind items, and entertainment by Oklahoma City band Banana Seat.

“This is the first beer and wine tasting event in the state,” says Thom Crowe, development manager for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Sooner Chapter. “It’s going to be a great event, with a lot of fantastic donated auction items, including a celebrity ski trip and a trip to Puerto Vallarta.”

A recent breakthrough in the fight against CF is VX-770, an oral drug designed to repair the CF genetic defect in those with a specific mutation. Many people who have taken the drug – which is designed to treat the underlying cause of CF rather than just the symptoms – have shown remarkable improvement, Crowe says. “The ability to cure the mutation in certain cases is a huge step in fighting CF, but we still have a lot of work to do, and we still need help,” Crowe says.

Tickets for Corks and Kegs start at $125, with sponsorships ranging from $500 to $15,000.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation offers other fun opportunities to help throughout the year, including the Great Strides walk every May, the CF Golf Classic every May,  the Climb for Life stair climb every September, the Art and Architecture dinner every fall, and the Tulsa’s New Leaders reception every spring.

The inaugural Corks and Kegs event is Friday, October 28 at the Hyatt Regency (100 E. Second Street, downtown), beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more information on Corks and Kegs, or to buy tickets, visit www.corksandkegstulsa.com. For more information on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and its events, visit www.cff.org/chapters/tulsa.

Wineries

Beringer
Buehler
Carl Graff
Chateau St. Jean
Freixenet Cava – Spain
Girouard Vines
Gloria Ferrer
J. Lohr
Kitchen Sink
Oberon
Penfolds
PJ Valckenberg
Rosemount
Schloss Saarstein
Totally Random
Tapena

Breweries

Boulevard Brewing Company
Marshall Brewing Company
Mustang Brewing Company
St. Bernardus
Unibroue
Wells and Young's Brewing Company

Restaurants

Brady Tavern
The Brasserie
The Canebrake
The Chalkboard
Flemings
The French Hen
Hey Mambo
The Hyatt Regency
The Local Table
Mahogany
Polo Grill
Redrock Canyon Grill
Smoke on Cherry Street
Stonehorse Cafe
Ti Amo’s

For more information, contact

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Sooner Chapter

(918) 744-6354