SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED WINEMAKERS IN THE COUNTRY ARE TEACHING US HOW TO GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVE AND MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT
By Erin Ortiz
Few things unite the world, like wine. It transcends language, geography, and cultural differences and replaces them with joy, community, and love. Professional chefs and grandmas nationwide say that “the secret ingredient is always love” so often that we can no longer determine where the quote originated. But everything does taste better with love. And when you can make a positive impact on society, even better. Honor your values with three wineries and winemakers who sell their wine with a mission.
One Hope Winery, located in Napa Valley, embodies universal love. It is a for-profit winery with a purpose, founded in 2007 by former E.J. Gallo sales rep, Jake Kloberdan after a long-time friend’s diagnosis inspired him with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Since then, he and the seven other founding members have raised over nine million dollars for various charities. For every bottle purchased from this direct-to-consumer brand, 10 percent will be donated to a charity of your choice. You can spread the love by purchasing various award-winning varietals starting at $25 a bottle.
Longevity Winery not only delivers delicious wine but also serves as a shining example of being mission-driven. Phil Long, President of the Association of African American Vintners, knows about wisely investing his time and passion. In addition to his work with this group, he founded Longevity Wines with his late wife, Debra. This interracial couple started as humbly as the first plantings of a vineyard, creating their first Syrah in their garage in 2002.
This power couple was able to move their project forward as a team by 2008. It took ten years before they were named Livermore Vallley’s best winery of the year. Debra lived long enough to see the project come together before losing her battle with pancreatic cancer in 2019. If you want to get a little taste of their love in a bottle, the award-winning Pinot Blanc retails for an average of $26.
Remy Drabkin is producing killer wine in Willamette Valley. She knew her calling by age 8, and established Remy Wines in 2006, focusing on Italian varietals on the 12-hectare property. In 2020 she created Wine Country Pride, a queer-centric events organization that has since donated “over $30,000 to provide scholarships to LGBTQ+ youth and support local organizations that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.” In 2022 she created the world’s first queer wine fest to amplify queer voices in the wine community further. If you are looking to explore what love looks like with this trailblazing Oregon winery, the Three Wives Remy’s Red for $25 a bottle.
Give the gift of love to yourself and love to others. Everything tastes just a little bit better when the secret ingredient is love. Love isn’t just about hearts and flowers. It is an energy and kindness that spreads as you put it into the world or a bottle.