Irish humanitarian organization Concern Worldwide and Lot18, an online wine retailer, have partnered this month for a unique and drinkable fundraising effort – a limited-edition Concern label wine. For each bottle sold, more than $4 per bottle, 20% of the proceeds, will go directly to Concern.
The partnership was developed by Kevin Fortuna, CEO of Lot18 and a long-time board member of Concern. Fortuna has also pledged a guaranteed a $10,000 minimum donation will be made to Concern.
Since its founding in 1968 by John and Kay O’Loughlin-Kennedy, largely in response to the famine in the Nigerian province of Biafra, Concern has provided relief and development programs to more than 7 million people across 29 countries. The organization’s 3,000 fieldworkers focus primarily on community-based solutions to treat problems like malnutrition, maternal and child healthcare, disease prevention, sanitation, and, when disasters occur, recovery efforts.
Fortuna has seen first-hand the type of work Concern does, traveling most recently to Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake.
“The idea came about because Lot18, which is a winery, does its own custom labels, and we thought a Concern wine would be a great way to pay tribute to the great work of concern and support the charity,” he says.
As for the wine, a 2013 Monterey County red blend, he says, “we picked a fantastic red wine that has already gotten great feedback from customers.”
Lot18’s Concern label page describes it as “A surprising burst of jammy black fruit kicks off this delicious and intriguing wine, followed by well-integrated flavors of Bing cherry, chocolate, and Earl Grey,” adding that it is “Full-bodied, with a pleasantly tannic finish,” that will “pair well with anything from a plate of stinky cheeses to herb-roasted chicken.”
Fortuna also notes that if this year’s run goes well, they plan to make an annual fundraiser with more vintages and bottles produced. For their initial run, about 10,000 bottles were produced.
Currently, orders can be placed for two, four, six (a half case) bottles, or a full case. ♦
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