Vineyards find new way to help workers
Two Texas vineyards have started programs to benefit those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
• William Chris Vineyards, a winery based in Hye in the heart of Texas Hill Country, launched the Wanderer Series Relief Project with a new red wine blend benefiting the Southern Smoke Foundation.
“We’re not nurses or doctors, but it’s really rewarding to be able to help those hurting with your craft,” said co-owner Chris Brundrett. “Especially the folks who have helped tell our story for the past decade.”
Southern Smoke, spearheaded by Houston chef Chris Shepherd, has raised more than $1 million for restaurant workers who are struggling due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Wanderer wine costs $20, with all proceeds going to Southern Smoke. It’s available for purchase on the winery’s website, as well as retailers including H-E-B, Kroger, Whole Foods, Twin Liquors and more.
It’s made from 95 percent Cinsault and 5 percent Mourvèdre grapes, all from vineyards in the Texas High Plains. The William Chris winemaking team blended it in collaboration with Austin-based Master Sommelier Craig Collins. Brundrett describes the wine as fresh and made for Texas cuisine.
“Barbacoa tacos and chilled Wanderer Relief Wine will part the heavens during this shelter in place,” he said.
William Chris Vineyards also has suffered from the corona virus related shutdowns. The now-closed taproom is typically responsible for 90 percent of the winery’s revenue. The team is hosting virtual wine tastings on Facebook Live several times a week and is still selling wines directto-consumer through its website.
“We’re blessed to have a great team and wonderful fans to come together during this pandemic,” Brundrett said.
• Messina Hof, a winery with locations in Bryan, Fredericksburg and Grapevine, has announced Bottle of Thanks, a program that allows people to purchase a bottle of Messina Hof wine and send it to medical workers.
The Bottle of Thanks program came about as a way for us to express our gratitude and honor those medical workers who have sacrificed so much for us during this time,” said Messina Hof co-owner Karen Bonarrigo.
All of the winery’s 50plus wines are included in the initiative. Customers can place an order by filling out a form on Messina Hof ’s website or by calling any of the three locations. They can choose to send the wine to a specific person in the medical field. Alternatively, Messina Hof will send the bottle to a frontline worker at the local hospitals the winery has partnered with.
Messina Hof will cover the cost of ground shipping or local delivery (within 15 miles) and include a thank you note with the sender’s name acknowledging their efforts in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“A core value that Messina Hof holds true is that we are blessed to be a blessing to others,” Bonarrigo said. “We see our Bottle of Thanks program as a vehicle to allow others to be the same.”