A family, and a wine, with real heart
Portion of proceeds from wine sale going to heart charities
Ajoyful family is a beautiful sight. That was my first thought when I met the Grooms. I’d been invited to have lunch with them at Magnum and Steins restaurant in St. John’s.
All three: mom Lisa, dad Daryl and 14-year-old son, Colby, had warm, welcoming, broad smiles. Lisa Groom was tanned and wearing a navy-and-white-striped top. Daryl and Colby, also tanned, wore bright blue shirts. Daryl’s was a tennis shirt while Colby wore a T-shirt with the words: Elements: wind, water, fire and earth stamped across the front.
Being a young man with a penchant for cutting to the chase, or getting to the core of something, having the basic elements written across his chest seemed appropriate.
The Grooms have homes on two continents, Australia and North America. Daryl is a wine-maker — originally from Australia — who makes wines in South Australia’s Barossa Valley and Napa, Calif. They’re warmclimate people and look it. Lucky for them, our weather during their brief St. John’s stay was very California-like.
The purpose of this bi-continental family’s visit was to promote a very special wine called Colby Red. (Yes, it’s named after Colby Groom.) One reason the wine is special is because 50 cents from each bottle purchased goes to a heart charity somewhere in the world.
Colby Red wine sold in Canada benefits the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Colby Groom is the other reason Colby Red is special. He came up with the idea to make Colby Red to give back to heart charities. Colby was born with a heart defect that required two operations to correct. The first operation failed, the second involved removing damaged tissue and replacing it with an artificial device.
The time between operations was grim and joyless for the entire Groom family (including Colby’s siblings).
Since Colby’s successful surgery, joy is present once again in the Groom family. Their attitude and outlook is bright and positive.
Serious project
Daryl Groom, who’s been making wine for 30 years, bought into the idea as soon as he realized Colby was serious about the project. Father and son — as well as other family members — dedicated themselves to producing a wine they “could be proud of ” for a cause that affected their family deeply.
The colour and profile of Colby Red was based on grapes available at the time. Eventually, Colby Red ended up being a very pleasant blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot and Petite Sirah grapes. I liked the wine’s mellowness and robust fruit flavour. It went well with the slices of elk served at Magnum and Steins. Colby Red would also make a good pairing with other meats, and even salmon.
In the early days of the project, the Grooms were confident they could raise several thousands of dollars for the American Heart Association. Daryl Groom knew he made good wine and Lisa Groom, who has worked in the wine business most of her life, knew she could sell it. But neither parent could have predicted how effective young Colby would be in motivating people to support the cause.
Having spent an hour or so with the Grooms, I got to see Colby’s magic at work. He’s one of the most articulate, well-read 14-year-olds I’ve ever met. At one point I engaged him in a discussion of the War of 1812, cockily thinking I’d be bound to know more about the Canadian triumph (actually a stalemate) than some California kid. Needless to say, the kid took me out as readily as USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) dispatched HMS Guerriere in their famous encounter of 1812.
Into action
When Colby and his family attend Heart Balls, the galas held across America to raise funds for the American Heart Association, it’s Colby who is sent into action. First he speaks to the crowd, working them as skilfully, and maybe more sincerely, as a TV evangelist, a modern Billy Graham. Then he goes into the audience to accept on-the-spot donations, have his picture taken with donors, and sign bottles of Colby Red.
According to Lisa and Daryl Groom, “Colby puts on quite a show.”
There’s something equally valuable that the Grooms, especially Colby, have been able to do as a result of their high profile in the U.S.A. They’re more than willing to meet or speak directly with families coping with heart disease, especially in children.
Lisa and Daryl communicate with parents, while Colby, on numerous occasions, has spoken with or taken calls from young people facing heart surgery or dealing with heart problems.
By all accounts their conversations with other families in the same boat as they were, have made life a lot easier for those families.
Now Colby Red, the Grooms, and the project have moved outside the confines of the United States. Heart charities around the world will soon benefit from what Colby Groom and his family have started. In partnership with the global wine company, Treasury Wine Estates, Colby Red is now being distributed in Newfoundland and Labrador and other parts of Canada.
According to Daryl Groom, Colby Red just launched in Switzerland; it’s already in Australia, and other countries are lining up to support Colby in his goal to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for heart health.
We wish Colby and his family the best of luck.
For regular updates on “One Chef One Critic,” my Telegram Dining Out column and the latest developments on the local culinary scene please follow me on Twitter @karl_wells.