Let's lift a glass to charity, shall we?
Published: Wed, Jul. 29, 2009 02:00AM
Before North Raleigh resident Trudy Price became a wine advisor for Wines for Humanity, she had never tasted a red wine she liked. When she drank wine, she drank only white, but she knew she was missing out on a whole spectrum of tastes.
"Now that I'm trying all these new wines, I like more and more," she said.
Price is a high school English teacher, not a sommelier. But she has learned a great deal about wine, including how to appreciate reds, since volunteering to lead wine tastings for Wines for Humanity. A national organization based in Elk Grove Village, Ill., it sells wines through in-home tastings and donates a portion of the sales to helping the homeless locally.
From 7 to 12 percent of the cost of each bottle sold goes to a local charity. The host also receives a dollar amount based on how much wine is sold at the event.
The host can apply that amount as a discount on a Wines for Humanity purchase or donate it to the charity. In Wake County, the money goes to Urban Ministries. Price says that since Wines for Humanity began operating in Wake County, the organization has raised $4,500 for Urban Ministries.
The volunteer wine advisors aren't experts, but they know enough about the wines they are presenting to help small groups enjoy an evening of exploratory tasting. Price works closely with fellow Wines for Humanity advisor Christine Worsham.
Worsham put on a tasting recently for her Bunco group to celebrate a friend's birthday. About a dozen women gathered on the screened porch of her North Raleigh home around dinnertime. They chatted about kids and vacation plans, and everyone raved about the creamy spinach dip as they nibbled on crackers and chips.
Worsham began the tasting with a Vouvray. The wine was light with strong acidity balanced against creaminess and hints of fruit. As she poured, Worsham offered instruction on how to assess wines through sight, smell and taste.
The familiar setting and the fact that their instructor was a friend put the group at ease. By the time she poured her third wine, a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, the women were easily offering up descriptions of the wine's nose and comparing reactions among themselves.
Anton Steinhart, a 30-year veteran of the wine business, began the company as a philanthropic project in 2007. Wines for Humanity has 90 wine advisors in Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Indiana, Florida and North Carolina.
The company follows a formula similar to those of other in-home sales operations. A host pays Wines for Humanity $50 to put on a tasting in his or her home for as many as 14 guests. The host also provides the setting and cheese and crackers or other munchies.
The wine advisor brings seven bottles of wine, which are worth about $20 each. The advisor leads the tasting and guests can place orders for any of the wines they like, but no money changes hands at the tasting.
After the tasting, the advisor faxes the order forms to the Wines for Humanity distributor and a salesperson follows up on the orders. All the wines featured are available only through Wines for Humanity.
Before each tasting, the wine advisor works with the host to choose a list of wines that will appeal to the guests.
"We definitely want everybody to have at least one wine that they really like," Price said.
amber@amberwrites.com