At the June 9, 2019 gathering, we all loved the 2013 MacPhail Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast of California and the 2017 Failla Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon. We also enjoyed the Ercavio Rosé of Tempranillo from Spain (a steal at $9.95/bottle at Star Grocery in Berkeley) and the 2018 Donkey & Goat Isabel’s Cuvée Grenache Rosé (unfiltered and unfixed giving it that cloudy, luscious color), which I helped bottle at the Berkeley winery in May 2019.

We also discussed the results of the survey we deployed after the kickoff event. We polled Wine for Change invitees to assess each person’s:

Level of Wine Knowledge
Interest in Wine for Change Activities
Level of Political Activism
Preferred format for Wine for Change events

The people have spoken and it is clear:

Most respondents are wine lovers but not wine scholars
People want wine themes (varietals, regions) and vendor presentations (and are willing to pony up some cash to enable it)
Most respondents requested a structured political discussion (45%) but many wanted to keep it organic (36%) with the balance wanting a combination of the two: call it loosely structured
People want to discuss politics (as opposed to just enjoying the wine)

If you didn’t have a chance to provide your feedback in the survey, please use the comments below or reach out to me directly with your suggestions. We are still beta-testing our format and gathering steam.

We also discussed the issues on our minds that week including but not limited to the revolting words and deeds of the president; homelessness throughout the Bay Area and Los Angeles; and concerns about climate change and protecting the oceans. While there is tremendous value in venting our concerns and feeling empathy and understanding, we are going to select a single topic for future Wine for Change events to keep focus and create calls to action.

Next up, on July 21, 2019, we’re going to focus on Pinot varietals and discuss www.Indivisible.org - an organization with a mission “to cultivate a grassroots movement … to elect progressive leaders, realize bold progressive policies, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda.” Indivisible offers specific and simple actions people can take each week. In the mean time, don’t forget to tune into the Democratic debate on June 26 and 27, 2019. Here’s a handy little Debate Watch Guide by our friends at Indivisible. Until next time…