NEW TASTES: Sporty wines for charity
By J.M. HIRSCH, AP Food Editor Wednesday, April 16, 2008Raise your glass for a good cause. And your favorite athlete.
In an unusual and surprisingly successful blend of sports and retail philanthropy, a wine company is launching its second vintage of athlete-endorsed wines that raise money for charity.
Since 2007, Boston-based Charity Wines raised more than $400,000 for various causes through sales of eight wines bearing the images of athletes such as Manny Ramirez, Curt Shilling, Cam Neely and Dan Marino.
This year, the company will introduce several dozen new baseball-themed wines, including Santana's Select Merlot (New York's Johan Santana), Cabernet Glavingnon (Atlanta's Tom Glavine) and Vintage Papi (Boston's David Ortiz).
The players make no money from the wines. Instead, each bottle sold generates a $1.25 donation to the players' chosen charities. Sales of Vintage Papi, for example, raise money for The David Ortiz Children's Fund, which offers medical care for children in the Dominican Republic and New England.
The 2007 wines were produced in Chile. This year's wines are being made in California.
NEW TASTES: Charity Wines are available starting at $13.99 from http://www.charitywines.com
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