This February's Hot Spot Is In Your Living Room

This February's Hot Spot Is In Your Living Room

With Back-to-Back TV Milestones, Make Free Time More Than Wishful Thinking this Month

ST. HELENA, Calif., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- February may be the shortest month, but it certainly has the busiest pop culture calendar. With over ten major television events in sports, news and entertainment, there are plenty of opportunities for Americans to multitask their preferred social pursuits -- gathering friends or family together and watching television -- to make more out of limited free time. A recent survey commissioned by Beringer Founders' Estate wines and conducted by Harris Interactive(R) revealed that more than half of American workers who responded said they would like to spend any additional free time with family and friends (63%) and watching TV (47%) (1). Beringer Founders' Estate and partner organization Take Back Your Time's Living 5 to 9 program, together with a little multitasking, can help turn February's robust TV schedule into a month of low-stress get-togethers with friends and family.

The Living 5 to 9 program, available at http://www.living5to9.com/, is about working smarter and enhancing the free time spent out of the office, the 5:00 to 9:00. As more than half of American workers, 64 percent, currently multitask in the office, they have a unique opportunity to put that talent to good use at home this February. "Whether watching the game or the red carpet, busy consumers will be combining two favorite after-work activities -- watching TV and spending time with family and friends," said Maggie Zeman, spokesperson for Beringer Founders' Estate. "We want to provide Americans with the encouragement and tools they need to better manage their workday and create more time for themselves, family and friends. Wine is a simple way to elevate the everyday gathering and make occasions more special."

In fact, 63 percent of adults surveyed said they would be more likely to leave the office on time if they had personal obligations or social engagements after work. Additionally, roughly 80 percent (79%) of men and women say they typically watch TV or movies in their current spare time during the week; and an additional 17 percent said they also would like to enjoy a glass of wine at home if they had had more free time.

Visitors to the Living 5 to 9 Web site, http://www.living5to9.com/, will find tips ranging from working more productively and managing email overload to planning stress-free parties to help make the most of the time outside of work. The site contains recipes and wine pairing tips as well as clever, interactive productivity tools such as a productivity profiler and a customizable, downloadable "Time to Go Home" alarm. "You would be surprised how effective having a reminder that it's time to 'go home' is in getting you out of the office and into life!" added Zeman.

February Pop Culture Calendar
Superbowl XL: Feb. 6 Daytona 500: Feb. 19
Grammy Awards: Feb. 8 NBA All-Star Game: Feb. 19
Winter Olympics: Feb. 11 - 26 Academy Awards: Mar. 5
Westminster(R) Dog Show: Feb. 13 TV Sweeps: Feb. 2 - Mar. 1

About Beringer Founders' Estate

Beringer Founders' Estate wines combine Beringer's legacy of quality with everyday value. The flavorful and approachable style is a fitting tribute to founders Jacob and Frederick Beringer. Created through the teamwork of Beringer Vineyards' wine and food masters, the Founders' Estate wines marry seamlessly with a variety of culinary tastes. The wines are crafted from premium California grapes and are available nationwide.

Information about Beringer Founders' Estate's "Living 5 to 9" program can be found at http://www.living5to9.com/.

About Take Back Your Time

Partners with Beringer Founders' Estate on the Living 5 to 9 program, Take Back Your Time is a national organization addressing the issues of overwork, over-scheduling and time poverty. Offering a range of solutions from personal to cultural to workplace to policy, Take Back Your Time supports taking time for the things in life that really matter, like family and relationships, community, health, spiritual life, volunteering and the environment.

Survey Methodology

Harris Interactive(R) fielded the online survey on behalf of Beringer Founders' Estate between August 26 and August 30, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 1,264 employed (full time, part time or self-employed) U.S. adults 21 years of age or older. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity and propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. This online sample is not a probability sample.

About Harris Interactive(R)

Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/) is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, perhaps best known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering and engineering Internet-based research methods. The Rochester, New York-based global research company blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application, conducting proprietary and public research globally to help clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.

(1) U.S. adults aged 21+ who are employed full time, part time or

self-employed.

Source: Beringer Founders' Estate

CONTACT: Rebecca Fine, +1-707-963-8989 x 2008,
Rebecca.fine@am.fostersgroup.com, for Beringer Founders' Estate; or Hillary
Klein of Burson-Marsteller, +1-212-614-4170, Hillary_klein@nyc.bm.com

Web site: http://www.living5to9.com/
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/

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