Wines with soul, wines for a good cause
A selection of wines to please the palate while helping to make the world a better place
Wines with soul, wines for a good cause
The world of wine shares an awareness of the challenges facing our planet, our society and the environment. For this reason, it is not unusual to find proposals and activities for wine-lovers to do their bit to help those who need it most or to work towards protecting the environment and wildlife. More and more wineries donate all or a part of the profits from one of their wines to a specific social or environmental cause they feel close to. Buying their wines, we do not just enjoy an excellent drink but we also contribute to making the world just that little bit better for everyone.
El Microscopi, by the Bodega Alemany i Corrió winery in Penedès, is a red wine created to raise funds to buy microscopes for the Cancer Research department at the Universitari Vall d'Hebrón Hospital in Barcelona.
El Veïnat, a splendid red wine produced in DO Montsant by Viñedos Singulares, pays homage to all the locals ('veïnat' meaning neighbourhood in Catalan) who helped to make the wine possible. In addition, for every sale of the Magnum 2018 version they donate €1 to an association which provides company for elderly people living alone.
Gallinas y Focas is made in Mallorca by Amadip Esment (an organization working with people with an intellectual disability) and the Bodega 4 Kilos winery. The wine's name and label were both designed by the people Amadip Esment help.
Ratpenat and Volaina are two great ideas from Celler Credo designed to help the environment. A part of the sales of Ratpenat goes to supporting research into the important role bats play in our ecosystems, while money raised with Volaina helps to research and protect the world of butterflies.
The Olivera cooperative in Lleida works to integrate people with mental disabilities or mental health problems into their workforce, hiring and promoting workers and giving them responsibilities within the olive oil and wine producing cooperative.
The La Vinyeta winery from Empordà produces two wines named after monkeys (monos), Mono Blanc and Mono Negre, to collaborate with the Fundació Mona's work rescuing and rehabilitating monkeys – the images of two of which are used every year for the new vintages' labels.
María de Remírez de Ganuza is the top wine from Samaniego in Rioja. Made since 2003 as a homage to the deceased daughter of Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, all the money raised from its sales goes to different charities – for the first two years, the Spanish Cancer Association, and the following two years saw funds go to the Spanish charity for Down Syndrome.
Our final suggestion in this list of wines which help out a good cause, is Clon de la Familia, by Bodegas Emilio Moro, profits go to helping people gain access to water in parts of the world suffering from major shortages, as well as education and integration projects for young people at risk of social exclusion or marginalization.