FIRST PUNTA MITA GOURMET & GOLF CLASSIC EVENT TO TAKE PLACE IN RIVIERA NAYARIT, APRIL 28-MAY 1

Riviera Nayarit, Mexico (March 16, 2011) – The first Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic event will take place April 28 – May 1 in Mexico’s most exclusive beach community, Punta Mita, along the shores of Riviera Nayarit. The Riviera Nayarit Convention & Visitors Bureau, main sponsor for this event, joins the host hotels, The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and the Four Seasons Punta Mita, as well as DINE – developer of Punta Mita, and American Airlines, as official sponsors of this prestigious event that combines the sophisticated worlds of culinary excellence and world-class golf.

The Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic will feature gourmet meals and cooking courses taught by distinguished chefs, a series of wine and tequila tastings, festive gatherings at the luxurious St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and Four Seasons Punta Mita, and “The Punta Mita Cup”, a two-day golf tournament on Jack Nicklaus’ two signature courses Bahia and Pacifico.

Enjoy this exciting event April 28 – May 1 with the Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic package, available at both host hotels. The package includes three nights accommodations in the room category of your choice, daily breakfast, roundtrip airport transfers, opening cocktail, guest chef lunches and dinners, wine and tequila tastings, cooking classes, and participation in the Punta Mita Cup and play on Jack Nicklaus’ signature courses. Rates begin at $1,180 per person for a three night stay based on double occupancy. For the St. Regis Punta Mita, reservations can be made by calling 877-250-8871 or via email. Reservations at the Four Seasons Punta Mita can be made by calling +52 329 291 6019 or via email.

Famed sommeliers, tequila masters and winemakers such as Charlie Arturaola of Miami-based Grappolo Blu, considered one of the nation’s top 10 palates by the American Sommelier Association and Laura Catena, president of Bodega Catena Zapata, author and daughter of Argentina’s most celebrated winemaker, Nicolas Catena, Anthony Dias Blue from The Tasting Panel, Hans Backhof from renowned Mexican winery Monte Xanic, Argentinean sommelier Edgardo Schiller and local Ricardo Espindula, along with tequila master Arturo Lomeli, will further excite guests’ palates with pours of some of the world’s finest wines and tequilas. The Four Seasons will welcome guest chefs and wines/tequila connoisseurs Richard Sandoval and Victor Casanova, chef of Culina Restaurante from the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, as well as Maria Laura Bevilaqcua, sommelier of Casa Madero, the oldest winery in the Americas located in Parras, Coahuila, Mexico; Christophe Gaercner, enologist for Macouzet Wines from Valle de Santo Tomas in Ensenada the northern Baja Peninsula, along with Arturo Lomeli founder and owner of “Clase Azul Tequila.”

Led by Sebastian Fontes, executive chef of the AAA Five Diamond St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and Sylvain Desbois, executive chef of the resort’s AAA Five Diamond Carolina Restaurant, a team of participating guest chefs from around the globe include one of Mexico’s gourmet ambassadors and most renowned chefs: Patricia Quintana of Izote and Enrique Olivera of the famed Pujol, both in Mexico City; Australian Andrew Ormsby of Ormsby Catering and Abraham Salum of Salum Restaurant, both in Dallas; Gaston Yelicich of Isla de Flores in Jose Ignacio/Uruguay; Paola Carosella of Arturito, Chef of the Year 2010 in San Paolo, Brazil; renowned local French chef Thierry Blouet of Café des Artistes Del Mar in Riviera Nayarit; Frederic Castan of The St. Regis Monarch Beach; Enrique Farjeat of The St. Regis Mexico City; and Phillipe Piel of Four Seasons Punta Mita, amongst others will enchant attendees with their creations.

Event highlights include the “Riviera Nayarit Welcome Fiesta” at Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort, the Gala Dinner featuring five of the guest chefs at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, as well as a day on the bay with Mondrian Yachts and sunset sailing with Vallarta Adventures. Non-golfers are invited to spend the day in a private cabana at the Tamai adult pool complex at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, where guests can enjoy an indulgent day in the sun or protected in a fully furnished cabana. The events will conclude with the American Airlines Farewell Brunch.

As a part of the four-day extravaganza, guests will play in the Punta Mita Cup on Friday in a team scramble format on the Pacifico golf course, and on Saturday in a two ball best ball format on the Bahia course with exciting prizes for the winning team, hole in one closest to the pin, longest drive, including collector’s items like limited edition tequila, hotel stays, and golf kart among other surprises. The Pacífico, with eight holes directly facing or playing alongside the Pacific Ocean, features the “Tail of the Whale,” an optional par-three hole and the world’s only natural island green. The Bahía, Nicklaus’ second championship course in Punta Mita, has six ocean holes and opened in late 2008.

“Punta Mita offers extraordinary golfing with two championship Jack Nicklaus courses, outstanding cuisine, personalized service and timeless luxury, all combined with beautiful scenery,” said Marc Murphy, managing director of the Riviera Nayarit Visitors and Convention Bureau. “The Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic is the perfect combination of a unique experience in Riviera Nayarit, and we invite guests to enjoy this incredible event in Punta Mita, one of the most privileged beach resorts in all of Mexico.”

With eight golf courses designed by Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Von Hagge and other illustrious names, Riviera Nayarit offers ideal year-round golfing weather, breathtaking views of ocean, bays and coves, a backdrop of tropical forests and rugged mountains, and plentiful varying landscapes ready to be molded into fairways and greens of exceptional challenge and beauty.

For more information on the events of the festival, please visit www.puntamitagourmetgolf.com.