On behalf of everyone at Palate Press: The online wine magazine and Brother Can You Spare a Bottle, it is my pleasure and honor to thank you, the wine community, for your amazing generosity supporting the Wine for Haiti project. Your response has been absolutely stunning.
Contributions of wine continue to flow in—from wineries, wine lovers, wine stores, and every corner of the wine world. And bidding has, in many cases, exceeded the retail value of the offer, a clear sign that people understand the good they’re doing with their money.
The deep heart of both contributors and bidders has not gone unnoticed. Gary Vaynerchuk gave the effort a shout out and a link. We heard from Jancis Robinson, who herself generously contributed ten Purple Pages memberships to the auction:
I’m so pleased to see that the wine world has responded swiftly and generously to the unimaginable current challenges faced by Haitians (although it seems very odd to be writing this while listening to a news bulletin about bankers’ bonuses). Very many thanks and congratulations to the organizers of this thoroughly worthwhile online auction.
And Decanter wrote:
The international wine community has been working together to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake tragedy.
Wine experts Jancis Robinson MW, Matthew Jukes, and Gary Vaynerchuk have been active in using social media to promote the Wines for Haiti fundraising project, started by US wine network, Palate Press.
The campaign has drawn in support from social networking sites across the globe to encourage people to donate something special from their cellar to be auctioned online.
Right now the wine industry is suffering. Prices are dropping and purchases of anything above the bottom two shelves of the grocery store are nearly non-existent. The same winemakers getting hammered by that economy—people who are wondering whether to pull up vines, or pleading with bankers for what used to be standard loans just to get through the growing season—are the same people sending us treasures. And all to raise money for people suffering tragedy beyond our comprehension.
So many from the industry have contributed: wineries, winery employees, public relations staff, software publishers, authors, artists, and many others. And private wine lovers, too—people like you and me—gave up cellar treasures to aid the effort.
To many, wine may seem the elitist pursuit of the wealthy. I know better. Every contribution to Wine for Haiti came from somebody’s pocket, as well as their heart. “Thank you” barely reflects what I want to say to each and every one of you, because your efforts weren’t on our behalf, but on behalf of the people of Haiti. I honor you.
David Honig
Publisher
Palate Press: The online wine magazine