Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project(TM) Hosts Online Shoe Auction to

Benefit the Surfrider Foundation

MODESTO, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- As the holiday season approaches, what better time to put your best foot forward and give back to the causes and organizations you care about? The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project is hosting an online charity auction of shoes belonging to beach-loving celebrities in an effort to raise awareness and generate funds to support the Surfrider Foundation -- a grassroots, not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches.

(PHOTO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081202/NY49285 )

To create the collection, Barefoot Wine asked actors, athletes and musicians to help "heel" America's beaches by kicking off their shoes and donating them in support of more "barefoot-friendly" beaches. Notable surfing enthusiasts going barefoot for the cause include: actors Matthew McConaughey, Cameron Diaz, Sophia Bush and Andrew Keegan, athletes Kelly Slater and Lisa Andersen, Host of E!'s Daily Ten and the X-Games Sal Masekela and musicians Jack Johnson, G. Love (of G. Love and Special Sauce), Matt Costa, Nick Hexum (of 311) and Tristan Prettyman.

The autographed shoes will be listed on eBay's Giving Works, which empowers people to buy and sell for a cause. The charity auction will begin at 4:00pm PST on Tuesday, December 2 and end on Friday, December 12. Visit www.eBay.com/BarefootWine to view the collection of shoes and place your bids.

"Barefoot Wine is committed to helping make beaches 'barefoot-friendly' through the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project," said Jeremy Soine for Barefoot Wine. "We're donating 100% of the proceeds from this charity auction to support the Surfrider Foundation's ongoing efforts to keep our world's beaches healthy for generations to come."

"This charity auction is an additional step towards improving the state of our coastlines," said Matt McClain, Director of Marketing and Communications for Surfrider Foundation. "We're stoked and grateful to see some of our long-time celebrity supporters kicking off their shoes and going 'barefoot' for the Surfrider Foundation."

Barefoot, the award-winning California wine, has been an active supporter of various not-for-profit organizations for over 20 years. Since its inauguration in 2007, the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project has donated $250,000 to the Surfrider Foundation in support of its mission to improve coastal water quality, promote free and open beach access, preserve coastal ecosystems and protect public beaches around the world.

Barefoot's award-winning California wines are attractively priced and can be found in playful, colorful cases and bottles bearing the iconic footprint label. Barefoot's still wine portfolio ($7 for 750-ml bottles, $12 for 1.5-liter bottles) includes nine unique offerings: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel, NEW Moscato, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Zinfandel. Barefoot also offers five delicious sparkling wines: Barefoot Bubbly Brut Cuvee, Barefoot Bubbly Premium Extra Dry and the NEW Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio Champagne, Barefoot Bubbly Chardonnay Champagne and Barefoot Bubbly White Zinfandel Champagne. All of these award-winning sparkling wines retail for $10. For more information about Barefoot Wine, visit www.barefootwine.com.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of our world's oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 60 chapters across the United States and Puerto Rico, with international affiliates in Australia, Europe, Japan and Brazil. For more information on the Surfrider Foundation go to www.surfrider.org.

SOURCE Barefoot Wine