The following piece appeared in Players Club:
Swig for the Fences: Boston Red Sox release wines for charity
By Matt Robinson
Despite its Puritannical roots, Boston is a pretty charitable town. Most of them’s that got are willing to part with it for the sake of them’s that not, even if they are far away or dealing with issues the giver can only dream (or nightmare) of.
Fortunately, this giving thing goes from freelance writers to mega-millionaire athletes.
So it may be no surprise to learn that three of our beloved Red Sox are the first professional athletes to authorize the use of their names and images on a trio of wines the proceeds of which will benefit their favorite charities.Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield have teamed up with Charity Wines (the a philanthropic division of VinLozano Imports Inc.) and the sports marketing firm Charity Hop to launch this unique offering.
The idea evolved when John Corcoran, president of Charity Wines saw the Charity Hop website, emailed us, and said we were exactly what they were looking for.
“We selected the players by going after the best and most popular players in the Boston market,” says Charity Hop co-founder Brett Rudy, “and never taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
Through their dedication and hard work, Rudy and his colleagues have been able to put together a first-of-its-kind combination of wine, sports like that which requires a bow string, and philanthropy.
“Wine, sports and philanthropy is a perfect mix,” Rudy says. “If people can raise money by drinking what they love, while participating in a sport they are passionate for, I can’t think of a better mix!”
For every bottle of Manny Being Merlot, Schilling Schardonnay, and CaberKnuckle, $1.25 will be donated to the Miami youth home CHARLEE House (www.charleeshouse.org), Curt’s Pitch for ALS (www.curtspitchforals.org), and Pitching in for KIDS (www.pitchinginforkids.org).
“We have been incredibly involved with the charities,” Rudy says, noting that Charity Hop has been working with Curt Schilling since 2004, when they developed the 100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular, another fundraiser for ALS research.
Even before the wines officially hit stores, over 250,000 cases were sold!
“We believe the fans will buy just as many bottles as memorabilia, to both taste and display,” says Rudy, noting that all three wines received “extra base hit” rankings from noted oenophile Dr. Vino.
“The wines are actually good,” agrees Adam Sogoloff, district manager for Commonwealth Wine & Spirits, Inc. who are distributing the wines. “People really like them!”
In addition to being quality products, the wines also have the added cache of the team’s popularity and the philanthropic element behind them.
“We knew it was a great idea right away,” says Sogoloff, noting that Commonwealth pre-sold over 13,000 cases even before the wine was actually available (relative to about 9,000 cases for pre-sales of national brands). “The popularity of the team and the players made it a no-brainer, especially as it helps the community.”
So who says Boston is a tight town? Certainly not when our Sox come into play! After all, we’ve given them our blood, sweat, and cheers for nearly 100 years. Surely, we can add a little wine to that!
www.CharityWines.com
