Angels save small grape growers

This is a really amazing story about some small grape growers who were in serious trouble before Sam Plunkett and our Angels came to the rescue.

If you’re an Angel, you should feel proud because this rescue wouldn’t be possible without you!

It started with a very sad post with some devastating news…

Angel-funded winemaker Sam Plunkett called us with some grave news. Winsome & Snow, a husband-and-wife grape growing team that had worked with Sam for more than 20 years, lost about 15 acres (over 60% of their Cabernet) to fire in just one afternoon.

The grapes were just one week away from being picked…

That’s an entire year of toiling in the vines, months and months of tender love and care – and 60% of it goes up in smoke in just a couple hours on one tragic afternoon.

Sam wanted to save these small grape growers

Now, Sam being Sam… immediately set about helping those around him. He posted this message on his wall:

Feeling blue for my buddies…

I got the call yesterday that there was a fire reported on a vineyard at Warrenbayne. Friends, Winsome and Snow have a vineyard at Warrenbayne. We make wine for their Baddaginnie Run brand, and their fruit also goes into The Victorian Cabernet. I called Snow, and regrettably the fire was at their place. Called in today. Winsome in particular is really knocked. Sad for the vineyard. Embarrassed that a fire started on their place. And also emotional about all the help they are getting from neighbours and friends.

These are top notch grape growers, and they have a long history with Sam (their grapes go into The Victorian wine he makes). He’s not the kind of guy who will let one freak accident ruin his dear friends and hard workers at Winsome and Snow.

So Sam convinced us to do something a little crazy

He said we should pay a bit more for the fruit in the parts of the vineyard that had survived to help these folks make it through the vintage.

You see, this upfront money is enough to get Sam’s friends back on their feet. It’s enough to allow them to stay in business and continue making top notch fruit for years and years to come.

“A ‘blessing from your Angels’ such as this would really help our close knit family here at Baddaginnie Run to get back on our feet” – Winsome and Snow.

Sam’s got a big heart and he believes in supporting his community. And when push comes to shove, his community supports him right back.

Now we understand why Sam always has access to the very best local growers and gets their grapes at the best prices, often less than what the growers would get on the open market.

Growers love working with Sam and Angel funding because they share Sam’s values (and our values!)

This one time, we’ll be paying Winsome and Snow more than market value for their fruit. Because it’s the right thing to do and, in the long run, this is why the best growers will always work with Sam and look for other winemakers who work with Angel funding. And that’s why our Angels will get the best wine made from the best fruit every vintage.

I hope you enjoy being a part of something so big, so joyful, and so amazing. I sure do.