Good people doing great things with wine, Charity Case Wine on the WineGuyMike™Radio Show©

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Each week on the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© I have the pleasure of hosting guests who are always special in their own unique way.  Whether these individuals are great winemakers or farmers who grow the finest grapes, these individuals are almost always game changers in some way, shape, or form no matter what they do in the world.  This week’s show was no different and in fact I found this story to be extraordinary.   The organization that I’m sharing with you this week is very special; this is a story about good people doing great things with wine.  In this “wine case” I’m talking about Charity Case Wine.  www.CharityCaseFoundation.org

Pat Woodbridge was my special guest this week.  Pat is the mother of Jayson Woodbridge, our friend who is Proprietor/Winemaker of Layer Cake Wines and famous for his cult wines Cherry Pie and Hundred Acre.  Pat was charged with the mission of assembling all the paperwork and legal documents in order to form this foundation – a process which took the better part of a year.  Pat was kind enough to take time out to be a guest on the WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© and share the Charity Case Wine story with you and I.

Charity Case Foundation was formed in 2008, during a difficult rainy vintage in Napa wine country.  When fruit is picked after rain, there is more moisture in the soil, which results in the plants absorbing the water into the grapes.  In order to correct the dilution, winemakers will remove juice from the fermenters to concentrate the remaining solids before fermentation begins.  This is called Saignee (French for ‘to bleed’).  In 2008, there was a lot of it around.

Jayson Woodbridge and Helen Mawson of Hundred Acre, Layer Cake, and Cherry Pie wines contacted other vintners in the Napa Valley area to see if they would donate the juice in order to create a wine which could be sold for the long term support of Napa Valley Charities.  The response was overwhelming with dozens of vintners contributing almost more than could be handled.  The Charity Case wine label was designed and the non-profit wine with all volunteer help from Napa Valley was launched.  In 2008 and 2009, a Napa Valley Rose blend was created from several varieties of red grapes from in and around Saint Helena.  In 2009 the group found exceptional Sauvignon Blanc grapes in St. Helena that needed a home.  In 2010, a group in Napa Valley donated 10 tons of Chardonnay and this Charity Case Wine will be released very soon.

Once Pat had everything in place, she joined forces with Helen Mawson, Jayson’s partner and fellow winemaker, Sheila Dougherty, a veteran of charity work and manager of the Wolfe Center, a treatment center for teens with addiction problems.  The fourth member of the troop is Peggy Garcia, executive assistant for Jayson, who heartily threw herself into the fold.  The four of them have worked tirelessly for Charity Case Foundation.  All services are volunteered, and all net proceeds go to the charities.  WineGuyMike™ Radio Show© friend Laura Kirkham and her Laura Kirkham Agency joined the group in October of 2010, offering pro bono public relations assistance to tell the Charity Case story.

The Charity Case Foundation is devoted to raising funds through the sale of small-production, specially crafted wines to support local non-profit organizations, providing services to children in need and their families.  The Foundation’s motivating philosophy is to get all monies raised to those in need, without dollars spent on marketing, bureaucracy or other hidden expenses, which take away from getting the donations - in their entirety - to those who actually need them. 

The wines, labels, bottles, corks storage, shipping and marketing efforts for The Charity Case Foundation are done entirely by volunteers.  Charity Case has no salaried employees, meaning that all of the proceeds go directly to the charities.  Who are this year’s recipients of proceeds in their entirety raised by The Charity Case Foundation?

The Wolfe Center is a community based Drug And Alcohol Program for teens and families in Napa County.  //www.wolfecenter.org/programs.html

Cope Family Center is the first stop for families in crisis.  //copefamilycenter.org/

Aldea Children and Family Services supports and empowers young people with serious social, mental, and behavioral difficulties to grow to be independent, productive adults.  //www.aldeainc.com/

Foster Kids Fund (FKF) is an all-volunteer non-profit community organization, dedicated to enriching the lives Napa County children in foster care.  //www.fosterkidsfund.org/about.html

The Charity Case Foundation is determined to provide raised donations to those in need in the way they should be given:  in their entirety.  www.charitycasewine.org

Before I get into the wines for today’s show I would like to give a shout out to all the Father’s out there and say Happy Father’s day to you.  I want to also share a personal thought with you today.  I strive to follow the example of the great folks at Charity Case Foundation and think about serving others, please join me in this mission.

Today’s Charity Case Wines

Charity Case Rosé 2008

Charity Case Rosé is a complex, elegant wine.  This wine has aromas of dried strawberry, rhubarb, and kaffir lime peel that fill the nose.  The palate will first taste flavors of cranberry, strawberry and red raspberries fill your mouth, then a long lingering finish of orange blossom and hints of delicate white pepper leave you wanting and needing more of this delicious wine.

Charity Case Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Charity Case barrel fermented 2009 Sauvignon Blanc is a luscious wine that has balance structure.  On the nose of this wine is a blend of ripe gooseberry, apricot and lemon zest.  The palate is viscous and full-bodied with hints of pineapple, melon and coconut, with a long, creamy finish.  This may be the Pina Colada of wine, yum!

I want to thank the Charity Case Foundation for all that they do.  Please join me and raise your glass in a toast to Pat Woodbridge and all the other good people involved in the Charity Case Wine and Foundation, Salute.

The Charity Case Wines receive The WineGuyMike™ Seal of Approval©