UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G (Amendment No. __) Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934* Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc. ---------------------------------------- (Name of Issuer) Common Stock, $.001 par value ----------------------------- (Title of Class of Securities) 05356X403 --------- (CUSIP Number) December 31, 2006 ----------------- (Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement) Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed: [ ] Rule 13d-1(b) [ ] Rule 13d-1(c) [X] Rule 13d-1(d) *The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page. The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes). ------------------------------------ ---------------------- CUSIP No. 05356X403 13G Page 2 of 10 Pages ------------------------------------ ---------------------- ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 NAME OF REPORTING PERSON I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON Touradji Capital Management, LP ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP* (a) [ ] (b) |X| ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 SEC USE ONLY ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware --------------------- ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 6 SHARED VOTING POWER NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED 3,727,364 BY EACH REPORTING ----- ---------------------------------------------------- PERSON WITH 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 3,727,364 ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 3,727,364 ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 8.9% ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON* IA, PN ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ ---------------------- CUSIP No. 05356X403 13G Page 3 of 10 Pages ------------------------------------ ---------------------- ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 NAME OF REPORTING PERSON I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON Touradji Global Resources Master Fund, Ltd. ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP* (a) [ ] (b) |X| ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 SEC USE ONLY ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Cayman Islands --------------------- ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 6 SHARED VOTING POWER NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED 3,489,286 BY EACH REPORTING ----- ---------------------------------------------------- PERSON WITH 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 3,489,286 ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 3,489,286 ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 8.3% ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON* CO ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ ---------------------- CUSIP No. 05356X403 13G Page 4 of 10 Pages ------------------------------------ ---------------------- ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 NAME OF REPORTING PERSON I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON Paul Touradji ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP* (a) [ ] (b) |X| ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 SEC USE ONLY ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION United States --------------------- ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 6 SHARED VOTING POWER NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED 3,727,364 BY EACH REPORTING ----- ---------------------------------------------------- PERSON WITH 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 ----- ---------------------------------------------------- 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 3,727,364 ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 3,727,364 ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 8.9% ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON* IN ---------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 1(a) Name of Issuer: -------------- Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc. (the "Company"). Item 1(b) Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices: ----------------------------------------------- 1300 South 2nd Street, Pekin, Illinois 61554 Items 2(a) and 2(b) Name of Person Filing and Address of Business Office: ---------------------------------------------------- This Schedule 13G is filed by and on behalf of (a) Touradji Capital Management, LP ("TCM"), (b) Touradji Global Resources Master Fund, Ltd. ("Global Resources"), and (c) Mr. Paul Touradji ("Mr. Touradji"), with respect to shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company ("Common Stock"). TCM and Mr. Touradji are filing this Schedule 13G to report indirect beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock (the "Shares") which are directly beneficially owned by Global Resources and another investment fund (together with Global Resources, the "Funds"). TCM serves as the Investment Manager to the Funds. Mr. Touradji is a partner of TCM and the portfolio manager of the Funds. By virtue of the foregoing relationships, TCM and Mr. Touradji may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the Shares with the Funds. TCM, Global Resources, and Mr. Touradji are hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the "Reporting Persons." Any disclosures herein with respect to persons other than the Reporting Persons are made on information and belief after making inquiry to the appropriate party. The business address of TCM and Paul Touradji is 101 Park Avenue, 48th Floor, New York, NY 10178. The business address of Global Resources is c/o Spectrum Global Fund Administration (Cayman) Anchorage Center, Second Floor, P.O. Box 10243 APO, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, BWI. Item 2(c) Citizenship: ----------- TCM is a Delaware limited partnership. Global Resources is a Cayman Islands company. Mr. Touradji is a United States citizen. Item 2(d) Title of Class of Securities: ---------------------------- Common stock, par value $0.001 per share -5- Item 2(e) CUSIP Number: ------------ 05356X403 Item 3 If this statement is filed pursuant to ss.ss.240.13d-1(b) or ------------------------------------------------------------ 240.13d2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a: -------------------------------------------------------- A. [ ] Broker or dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act, B. [ ] Bank as defined in Section 3(a)(6) of the Act, C. [ ] Insurance Company as defined in Section 3(a)(19) of the Act, D. [ ] Investment Company registered under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, E. [ ] Investment Adviser in accordance with Rule 13d-1 (b)(1)(ii)(E), F. [ ] Employee Benefit Plan or Endowment Fund in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F), G. [ ] Parent Holding Company or control person in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G), H. [ ] Savings Association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, I. [ ] Church Plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, J. [ ] Group, in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J). Item 4 Ownership: ---------- A. Touradji Capital Management, LP ------------------------------- (a) Amount beneficially owned: 3,727,364 Shares. (b) Percent of Class: 8.9%. The percentages used herein and in the rest of this Schedule 13G are calculated based upon a total of 41,832,276 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of November 9, 2006, as reported on the Issuer's Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2006. (c) (i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: 3,727,364 (iii) Sole power to dispose of or direct the disposition: -0- (iv) Shared power to dispose of or direct the disposition of: 3,727,364 B. Touradji Global Resources Master Fund, Ltd. ------------------------------------------- (a) Amount beneficially owned: 3,489,286 Shares. -6- (b) Percent of Class: 8.3%. (c) (i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: 3,489,286 (iii) Sole power to dispose of or direct the disposition: -0- (iv) Shared power to dispose of or direct the disposition of: 3,489,286 C. Paul Touradji ------------- (a) Amount beneficially owned: 3,727,364 Shares. (b) Percent of Class: 8.9%. (c) (i) Sole power to vote or direct the vote: -0- (ii) Shared power to vote or direct the vote: 3,727,364 (iii) Sole power to dispose of or direct the disposition: -0- (iv) Shared power to dispose of or direct the disposition of: 3,727,364 Item 5 Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class: -------------------------------------------- If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following: [ ] Item 6 Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another -------------------------------------------------------- Person: ------ Other than as set forth herein, no other person has the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or proceeds from the sale of, in excess of 5% of the total outstanding Common Stock. Item 7 Identification and Classification of the ---------------------------------------- Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being -------------------------------------------- Reported on By the Parent Holding Company: ------------------------------------------ Not applicable Item 8 Identification and Classification of Members --------------------------------------------- of the Group: ------------ Not applicable Item 9 Notice of Dissolution of Group: ------------------------------ Not applicable -7- Item 10 Certification: ------------- Each of the Reporting Persons hereby makes the following certification: By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect. [THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK] -8- SIGNATURE After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. Dated: February 14, 2007 TOURADJI CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LP By: Touradji Capital GP, LLC, its general partner By: Paul Touradji, Managing Member By: /s/ Thomas S. Dwan ------------------------------- Name: Thomas S. Dwan Title: Attorney-in-fact TOURADJI GLOBAL RESOURCES MASTER FUND, LTD. By: Paul Touradji, Director By: /s/ Thomas S. Dwan ------------------------------- Name: Thomas S. Dwan Title: Attorney-in-fact PAUL TOURADJI By: /s/ Thomas S. Dwan ------------------------------- Name: Thomas S. Dwan Title: Attorney-in-fact [SIGNATURE PAGE TO SCHEDULE 13G WITH RESPECT TO AVENTINE RENEWABLE ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.] -9- EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit 99.1: Joint Filing Agreement, dated February 14, 2007, by and among Touradji Capital Management, LP, Touradji Global Resources Master Fund, Ltd. and Mr. Paul Touradji.