Charity wines, wines with a heart

The year 2020 has, without doubt, completely changed our lives. The whole world is facing this extremely unusual experience, which has brought with it sadness and pain but has also brought out the best in people in the way we have sought to care for the most vulnerable.

The wine industry has proven that it is not just here for the happy times. Hundreds of charity wine projects have emerged through this global pandemic, but this is not a new thing. The winemaking community have always been committed to helping people.

Here are a small sample of wines with a heart, wines made in collaboration with projects that help the most disadvantaged. As well as being excellent quality and making us happy in life’s special moments, these wines also give us chance to help those who need it most to have a better quality of life.

5 wine projects with plenty of heart

1.- El microscopi, wine that cures

Alemany i Corrio is a leading winery in Penedès. They have been making El Microscopi since 2013, when Irene Alemany, oenologist and winery owner, was treated for cancer. Irene asked the doctors at the Oncology Institute at the Vall d’Hebron hospital, in Barcelona, if they had any needs and they said that they needed a microscope, which is where the wine gets its name.

They managed to buy the microscope but the project lives on. All sale profits go to cancer research projects at the Oncology Institute at the Vall d’Hebron hospital.

2.- Veïnat, a wine that looks after our elders

We have recently experienced firsthand what it is like to be stuck at home for a long time, and many of us have been fortunate enough to go through lockdown with someone else. However, there are elderly people who live alone in the city and who will continue to do so for a long period of time without any help.

The Viñedos Singulares winery came about through a collaboration between neighbours. Keen to support this charity project, they launched a special edition magnum bottle of the El Veïnat wine in collaboration with the Amics de la Gent Gran association, which supports the elderly who live alone to give them some company.

3.- Gallinas y Focas, a wine made with people in mind

The renowned 4 Kilos Vinícola Mallorca winery created the Gallinas y Focas wine in collaboration with amadip.esment, an organisation that works to give people with intellectual disabilities and their families a better quality of life. The name of this wine came from a brainstorming session of the group’s members, who chose chickens and seals (gallinas y focas) because chickens are fun and seals applaud. It was the same group who gave the labels a vintage design.

4.- L’Olivera, a full social integration programme, not just a wine

L’Olivera lies in Vallbona de les Monges, in the D.O. Costers del Segre in Catalonia. This is a cooperative that is leading the way by including people with different abilities in every part of the quality wine and oil making processes. They make products that reflect the land and the people and work to show us that there are no limits for integration, and that anything is possible if you put in the effort to make it happen. 

5.- Los monos de La Vinyeta, animal-friendly wines

When we think about vulnerable groups, it is not just people that we should include. Protecting animals is also crucial if we want to preserve the natural balance of our planet. Some animals also have a poor quality of life or are even in danger of extinction.

The La Vinyeta winery works in collaboration with the MONA foundation, a primate recovery centre, through its MONOvarietals, a Malvasia white wine and a Monastrell red, two very old Empordà varieties that each year are given a face and a name of two different primates from the shelter. The MONOS wines made by La Vinyeta are unique and charitable wines, sold in collectible bottles and at a very affordable price. They are also made without using any animal products, so they are vegan.

This is just a small sample of the spirit of solidarity within the winemaking world, and what better way to contribute to good causes!  Wines that you can buy, enjoy and share and that also contribute to making the world a better place. These are wines a big heart!