Some Kind of Miracle. . .

Tom Blair's I on San Diego

DRINK TO THIS: Certainly, sacramental wine is meant to be a religious experience. And true oenophiles can probably recite a list of wines that have come close to providing a heavenly experience. But this may be a first: Adam Haroz, a University of California, San Diego student who hails from Atlanta, has founded his own religious winery, Haroz Vintners, a business he says was established “to benefit the Christian community.” Founded with his father, Israeli native Pini Haroz, the winery produces a line of reds and whites they call The Grapes of Galilee. Young Adam, who found inspiration for the venture while traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, says he hopes to “provide a way to strengthen the bond between Israel and many other people who may feel disconnected through bringing wine from Galilee to the houses of the Christian community.” And while he makes no miraculous claims for his wines, Adam does appear to be offering something rather akin to a celebrity endorsement. Noting that his grapes are grown next to the Sea of Galilee, and watered by the Jordan River, he reminds us it was at a wedding in Galilee where, 2,000 years ago, Jesus turned water into wine.

SAN DIEGANS’ INK: What real estate bust? In 2005, actor Cliff Robertson sold off his La Jolla beach house, Casa de la Paz, to real estate developer Ron Baldwin and his wife, Amie. The Baldwins recently relisted it for $28 million, then dropped the price to $22.5 million. But it’s not exactly a fire sale. They paid Robertson only $14.5 million for the eight-bedroom compound two years ago . . . Incidentally, the Robertson house is considered an historical site, so it qualifies for a tax break . . . Now, if you’re worried about a tax break, you’re probably not in the market for this one: Super-broker Brian Guiltinan at Prudential California Realty has taken a listing for the most-expensive home ever on the market in San Diego County. It boasts 5.5 acres and about 400 feet of ocean frontage in Del Mar, and it sold seven years ago for $25 million. Current list price: $76 million. Oh, there’s a house on the property, too, but you might have other ideas for the grounds . . . Scripps Health president and CEO Chris Van Gorder has been named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s “100 Most-Powerful People in Healthcare” list for “engineering a $150 million turnaround” at the medical provider.

OF THE BEHOLDERS: Controversy continues to mount over the public statue of that rather effeminate-looking male surfer up in Cardiff. First, vandals stormed the statue, bedecking it with a skirt, bikini top and wrestling mask. Then, the Internet critics began wading into the fray on the blog called Fark. Among the wipeouts: “Hysterical. I predict many years of vandalism.” “They should use a ballerina outfit next.” And “Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze snort with disdain.” One dude even threw in an old Frankie Avalon album cover from Muscle Beach Party, insisting it was inspiration for the statue. And then there was this blog entry from a San Diego surfer: “I’m strangely aroused.”

THE POKING NOSE: A San Diego fan who watched George Hamilton in the recent road show production of Chicago here gave his performance high marks. But she gives him raves for his looks. At 68, after years of maintaining that perpetual chestnut-colored suntan, his skin is smooth as silk, she coos . . . Add one more top 10 to San Diego’s vast accumulation of honors: We’re now number 1 in organic farming, with more organic growers than any other county in the United States, according to the county agriculture department . . . Meanwhile, a Solana Beach outfit called Yo Zone is touting healthy vending machines for local schools. And they’ll install them for no charge. All the schools have to do is persuade kids to trade in Ding Dongs and Cheetos for Function drinks, Kashi bars, pita chips and something rather unappetizingly called “Pirate’s Booty.” . . . Organizers of last month’s Walk for Peace invited children as young as 3 to join in the Balboa Park march. “I suppose,” says Bari Barella, “that would be for those ready for something more profound than worrying about dry diapers.”

GIVERS: The University of California, San Diego’s fund-raising hit the stratosphere this summer, topping the $1 billion mark. The milestone also put the lie to the supposition young people don’t do philanthropy. Among the major gifts: $100,000 from real estate investor Marc Brutten to establish the UCSD Student Foundation; $2 million for scholarships and tutoring for inner-city youth through Reality Changers, launched by alum Chris Yanov; more than $1.1 million from alum Josh Billauer’s Life Rolls On foundation for spinal cord research (his brother, Jess, became a paraplegic from a surfing accident); $1 million from alum Gary Jacobs for the social sciences. Of the total 100,000 campaign donors, 28 percent were alumni.

ANOTHER TOP 10? The manila envelope from New York’s St. Martin’s Press arrived on my desk with an outsized sticker designed to get my attention. It did. “Your City Featured in NO SPEED LIMIT——The Highs and Lows of Meth,” it promised. Just can’t buy that kind of publicity.

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