Going to the Dogs

Yesterday we held a Release Party for Abrazo, the wine we designed as a fund raiser for the Cascades Humane Society.

The weather was gorgeous -- we figured we'd earned it after the Raspberry Festival.

We weren't sure what to expect as far as turnout, but it was a very nice party. Not crazy busy, just a nice turnout.

The best turnout was by the dogs. I'd estimate that we saw at least two dozen yesterday!

Abrazo was designed to fit into a hole in the tasting list. We really needed a red wine that fit between the dry reds and Staccato, a semi-sweet red blend. It's perfect, just slightly off dry (basically, not perfectly dry).It's a hearty red with a velvety mouth feel. I think it'll be a hit.

A Hug for the Animals

Over the 5 years we've been a winery, some of the nicest collaborations we've been a part of have involved local charities.

Early on, when we realized that we weren't legally allowed to donate wine, we figured out innovative ways to give to charities without giving away wine. The most notable way was to produce a wine specifically for that cause, and then donate part of the proceeds of the sale of the wine directly to the nonprofit organization.

Our first venture was A Thousand Cranes, a blend of white wine and apple wine that benefited Hospice of Michigan. Next came CraneBerry to benefit the Michigan Audubon Society. We're currently working with the Washtenaw Land Trust on a wine that will benefit their land conservation efforts in the area of the Waterloo Recreation Area (we're perched right on the edge of it).

Those wines were (and are) limited edition wines. We make a certain number of cases and when they're gone, they're gone.

We've also developed an on-going donation -- 50 cents of the purchase of Blushing Crane is donated to our neighbors and fellow Crane lovers, the Haehnle Bird Sanctuary.

Now we're about to release a second wine that will provide an on-going donation to a local charity. A portion of the sale of Abrazo, a new off-dry red wine, will be donated to the Cascades Humane Society.

Abrazo, Spanish for "hug," is a soft red wine with just a touch of sweetness and a lovely full mouth feel. A gorgeous photo on the label, taken by local photographer Elizabeth Walker, features Rusty, Holly's wonderful puppy who was rescued from the county pound by the Humane Society on his last day.

Abrazo will be released on Sunday, September 28 at a release party. Stay tuned to the website for more details.