BeCause

Where’s My Wine?

April 04, 2018
Of all the classes of non-profit fundraising auction travel packages that we offer, one in particular stands out; donors really, really love trips that involve wineries.

It makes sense, too. Finding out more about a favorite wine (or discovering a new one) is like a lifetime souvenir from a trip. And it’s good for the non-profit, as well; every time that donor enjoys a sip of that “souvenir,” the memory will include the charity that helped set it up.

We love all the wine region trips in the catalog, but we understand that associating the region with the wine can be confusing. So, we’re taking a look at five destinations and talking about which vino is most associated with each area.

Napa Valley, one of the most popular destinations in our catalog, is likely the epicenter for American wine (even though places like Santa Barbara and the Willamette Valley may protest). And within that epicenter, the cabernet sauvignon grape may be king. Though the valley’s diversity in varietals is strong, the “cab sav” accounts for 40 percent of total production and 55 percent of crop value, according to the Napa Valley Welcome Center.

Some regions are so intertwined with their local wine that the latter takes the name of the former. So it is in the Champagne appellation of France, where the titular wine varietal has become a must-have celebration accoutrement around the world. Primarily made from a blend of three different grapes (pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay), champagne can only be made from grapes grown in this home area – if you’ve bought a “champagne” from another country, it is technically a sparkling wine.

In the Bordeaux region of France, winemakers have perfected the art of the blend. With some notable exceptions, the wines that come from Bordeaux tend to have a mix of grapes involved, depending on the winery. Those in the Left Bank (west of the Gironde estuary) tend to feature cabernet sauvignon, while those on the Right Bank love merlot and cabernet franc. If your donors can’t come up with one particular favorite varietal, then this might be the best region for them.

For pinot noir, there may be no better place on the planet than France’s Burgundy region. With an output tiny when compared to Bordeaux, these wines are often a bit more expensive, but the best expressions of the challenging, fragile grape are likely found here. Any bottle marked “Grand Cru” from here is likely to be both pricy and delicious.

The sangiovese grapes that help create chianti wine come from Tuscany. The region has its own “zone” within the larger Tuscan region, and it’s the largest of all the varietals. Maybe best known for being “that wine that comes in a wicker basket,” chianti is one of the most popular wines in America, meaning that your donors have likely paired one with great Italian food.

These wine regions are some of the most popular in our entire catalog. If you want to talk to us about how to incorporate a travel package into your non-profit fundraising auction, reach out to us.