Award winners apparently go hand in hand. No consumer has been able to distinguish the $5.99 Walnut Crest Merlot from a pool of 49 more expensive wines in the past three challenges the wine maker has hosted. And then came along Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden.

The wine company teamed with the nine-year-old nonprofit Dream Foundation for a Celebrity Million Dollar Wine Challenge last Thursday at the W Hotel in New York City. Harden guessed right and scored $1 million for the charitable organization that grants wishes to terminally ill adults ages 18 to 65. The wine prices ranged from $1 more than Walnut Crest Merlot to up to four times more.

Walnut Crest is the No. 2 Chilean wine in the U.S. and is consistently rated a “Best Buy” by wine critics. Three people correctly identified Walnut Crest’s Cabernet in 13 mini-challenges at the event, each raising an additional $25 for the Dream Foundation.

“I am not a wine connoisseur, I am a fledging student,” Harden said, sharing that while practicing leading up to the challenge, her husband had to correct her usage of “after bite” for “finish.” Harden, who serves a celebrity spokesperson for the Dream Foundation, won a 2000 Oscar for her performance in Pollock. Dan Aykroyd and Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) joined her at the event, which was attended by approximately 150 people.

Award winners apparently go hand in hand. No consumer has been able to distinguish the $5.99 Walnut Crest Merlot from a pool of 49 more expensive wines in the past three challenges the wine maker has hosted. And then came along Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden.

The wine company teamed with the nine-year-old nonprofit Dream Foundation for a Celebrity Million Dollar Wine Challenge last Thursday at the W Hotel in New York City. Harden guessed right and scored $1 million for the charitable organization that grants wishes to terminally ill adults ages 18 to 65. The wine prices ranged from $1 more than Walnut Crest Merlot to up to four times more.

Walnut Crest is the No. 2 Chilean wine in the U.S. and is consistently rated a “Best Buy” by wine critics. Three people correctly identified Walnut Crest’s Cabernet in 13 mini-challenges at the event, each raising an additional $25 for the Dream Foundation.

“I am not a wine connoisseur, I am a fledging student,” Harden said, sharing that while practicing leading up to the challenge, her husband had to correct her usage of “after bite” for “finish.” Harden, who serves a celebrity spokesperson for the Dream Foundation, won a 2000 Oscar for her performance in Pollock. Dan Aykroyd and Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) joined her at the event, which was attended by approximately 150 people.

Award winners apparently go hand in hand. No consumer has been able to distinguish the $5.99 Walnut Crest Merlot from a pool of 49 more expensive wines in the past three challenges the wine maker has hosted. And then came along Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden.

The wine company teamed with the nine-year-old nonprofit Dream Foundation for a Celebrity Million Dollar Wine Challenge last Thursday at the W Hotel in New York City. Harden guessed right and scored $1 million for the charitable organization that grants wishes to terminally ill adults ages 18 to 65. The wine prices ranged from $1 more than Walnut Crest Merlot to up to four times more.

Walnut Crest is the No. 2 Chilean wine in the U.S. and is consistently rated a “Best Buy” by wine critics. Three people correctly identified Walnut Crest’s Cabernet in 13 mini-challenges at the event, each raising an additional $25 for the Dream Foundation.

“I am not a wine connoisseur, I am a fledging student,” Harden said, sharing that while practicing leading up to the challenge, her husband had to correct her usage of “after bite” for “finish.” Harden, who serves a celebrity spokesperson for the Dream Foundation, won a 2000 Oscar for her performance in Pollock. Dan Aykroyd and Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) joined her at the event, which was attended by approximately 150 people.