[ad_1]
William Chris Vineyards is helping feed Texans with their latest release, Wanderer Series Wines … [+]
Regina Pyne
Following the successful launch of the Wanderer Series Relief Project last year, William Chris Vineyards continues to give back with their latest release – a new wine, collaboration and philanthropy.
“While life is normalizing for many of us, there are many Texans and people across the country who are still really struggling to get back on their feet,” says Ali Schmidt, sommelier, wine director and manager at Emmer and Rye in Austin.
Schmidt and Chris Brundrett, co-founders of William Chris Vineyards, have teamed up for the second release of the Wanderer Series – a red blend that benefits Feeding Texas, a statewide network that oversees 21 food banks in 254 counties.
As the state’s largest hunger relief organization, working with 4,000 local partners to feed more than five million Texans annually, over 90% of the proceeds from the Wanderer Series Relief Project II are distributed through Feeding Texas to local food banks across the state, with an additional one small portion going towards food education services for local food banking communities.
Ali Schmidt, sommelier, wine director and manager of Emmer and Rye in Austin, partner of Chris … [+]
Regina Pyne
“Feeding Texas is such a great organization. Ali and I fell in love with the idea of not only feeding Texas, but also helping food banks with nutrition education, ”says Brundrett. “It’s one thing to give someone a box of sweet potatoes. It is another to teach why yams are important and interesting to prepare and why a family will benefit from eating vegetables instead of pop tarts. ”
Last year’s project was the brainchild of Craig Collins, an Austin-based master sommelier, and Brundrett. For the second release, Brundrett was inspired by Collins to expand, believing that a new sommelier and philanthropy would maximize awareness of the project every year.
Schmidt was an obvious choice to work with. William Chris Vineyards worked with Emmer and Rye on a previous wine project, and Schmidt was Collins’ mentor. When approached, she “jumped” the opportunity to be a part of the second publication. “A lot of the work in the wine world is solemn and fun, but it was tough during the global pandemic. This is an amazing way to do something super fun and give something back. ”
William Chris Vineyards Wanderer Series Relief Project Red Blend.
Regina Pyne
The Wanderer Series Relief Project II is a red wine blend made from 92% Cinsault and 8% Carignan, with a twist. Half of the Cinsault comes from Phillips Vineyard 2019, while the remaining half is from Lost Draw Vineyard 2020, both of which are located in the Texas High Plains. The result is a fruity wine with juicy strawberry notes and a firm structure.
This versatile, food-friendly wine was developed for patio and picnic enjoyment on a hot summer evening in Texas and is served with a slight coolness. Schmidt recommends lighting the grill for spicy sausage, salmon, portobello mushrooms, hot dogs, corn on the cob, pork tenderloin with cherry jalapeño relish and pasta salad.
The key to the success of the project is the generous support from industrial partners. The Victory Wine Group takes care of sales, the Canales and Company design shop from Austin designed the label and Berlin Glass supplied the bottles.
“We worked on this label in the early days of the pandemic, when nothing was certain and things felt bleak, and based our design on bright lights and colors that represent a bright spark in a world. We are grateful for the chance to work on a project with such a worthy goal, ”said Jose Canales, CEO and Creative Director of Canales and Company.
Community service is vital to the DNA of William Chris Vineyard. Brundrett wants to set an example for employees, customers, colleagues and partners that winemaking doesn’t end with selling on purpose.
“The Wanderer Series Relief Project is about something bigger than ourselves. We all need to make the world a better place,” he says. “This is a great opportunity for our customers to get involved and, when they buy a bottle of William Chris wine, know that we support so many farmers in Texas and provide a great place to work for people but also support our community. “
The Wanderer Series Relief Project II is $ 24 and can be purchased directly from the William Chris Vineyards website (currently located in 38 states) or from participating Central Market, HEB, Kroger, and Whole Foods stores in Texas. The first 100 boxes purchased through William Chris Vineyard’s website will receive two Yeti wine mugs.
[ad_2]
