Wine Culture Magazine

Between March 23 and April 17, Township 7 Vineyards is donating $10 to the BC Hospitality Foundation for every case of wine they sell. Supplied photo

Many of B.C.’s wineries are shipping their products directly to consumers this spring—often for free—which is a much-needed relief for a housebound, and thirsty, province. (See the list here.) But a handful are going beyond merely quenching our thirst by answering an even greater need during the COVID-19 outbreak.

For instance, starting Monday, March 23, through April 17, Township 7 Vineyards & Winery will donate $10 to the BC Hospitality Foundation from every case of wine (minimum four bottles) they sell.

“We’re balancing the health of our business and the health of our employees and customers, and trying to move forward,” says Mike Raffan, the winery’s general manager. “All of us at Township 7 have had careers in restaurants. When it came to what charity to support, as former restaurant employees, it was an easy choice. It’s a lifeline to so many people. It’s a perfect fit.”

The BC Hospitality Foundation is a registered charity that raises funds to provide assistance to hospitality industry workers in financial crisis due to an extraordinary health condition, and donations like this well help them immensely. (The organization is also providing health, wellness and other useful links for hospitality workers during this uncertain time.)

“We are all so torn up about what to do to help our fellow hospitality workers, friends and family,” says BCHF executive director Dana Lee Harris. “Seeing companies step up to help the industry at a time like this is uplifting. Because of support like this, the BCHF can continue to do its important and rewarding work.”

Initiatives like this will keep people working, too, at a time when so many are losing their jobs.

“We’ll contribute $2,000 or $3,000 and we’ll have a bunch of people employed to package things up,” Raffan says. “You feel helpless, but as of this morning, I felt like I did something.”

Order your wine at www.township7.com and enter the code support10 at checkout; note that there is a four-bottle minimum and delivery is free.

But Township 7 isn’t the only winery doing this.

Starting Friday, March 20, Rust Wine Co. is donating $5 a bottle for every magnum of their delicious 2019 Gamay Noir—or $30 for a six-pack—to the BCHF, up to $5,000. Order through www.rustwine.com; note that delivery is free.

And Foxtrot Vineyards is donating 10 per cent of their online sales to aid restaurant workers who are experiencing a threat to their livelihood as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are a small winery, but we want to do our part to support our loyal partners in the industry, and particularly those workers who may be laid off or see their incomes severely reduced,” says Nathan Todd, Foxtrot’s president and general manager. “We hope that, by enjoying a glass of wine, our customers will be able not only to lift their own spirits in these difficult and unprecedented times, but to help those who are suffering economically as well. We hope that other local businesses will join us in the effort to provide aid to those who need it during this crisis.”

Foxtrot provides free shipping on orders of six bottles or more to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Order online at www.Foxtrotwine.com.

Follow us on Instagram