Our Wine
HOPE WINE was created to help raise money and spread awareness for numerous causes that affect millions of people around the world. We were hard pressed to find a product that warrants the HOPE brand more than wine because so often wine is shared with family and friends that we love and care about.
Although we donate 50% of our profits to great causes there is no drop off in the quality and value of our wine. Our wines have been appreciated by a wide range of drinkers; from novice drinkers to sommeliers. Each varietal was designed and blended to be easy drinking, and approachable with a clean finish.
HOPE WINE is the perfect choice for any occasion. Share a bottle with your family or friends during dinner; pour it at your next party or give it as a gift. Open up a bottle HOPE today!
Our Wine Maker
David Elliott, Winemaker, Graton, Custom Label
David joined Sonoma Wine Company winemaking team in early 2005. David's 25-year wine career was originally fueled by his passion for travel and learning about other cultures. His travel to wine regions all over the world has given him a truly global perspective on winemaking and experience working with many different varietals, terroir, vintages and price points. He worked his first crush in 1975, at Veedercrest Vineyards in Napa Valley. From there, he traveled to Burgundy where he worked in the vineyard of importer Becky Wasserman, cutting his teeth on the great Crus of the region. Traveling extensively for the next 18 years, Elliott worked several crushes a year. In fact, for 12 years he "never saw spring," as he alternated hemispheres to work the grape harvest every autumn.
Honing his skills at Carneros Creek, Navarro Vineyards, and Clos du Bois in California, Matua Valley Wines (New Zealand), Petaluma Wines and Rothbury Estate (Australia), Chateau Senegac and Chateau Brandeau in Bordeaux, Elliott worked with winemakers around the world, including Frances Mahoney, Brian Crose and Margaret Davenport.
Most recently, David held the title of Winemaker at Lancaster Estate for the past 8 years and was in charge of both winemaking and production. Lancaster Estate, the flagship winery owned by Ted Simpkins, head of Southern Wine & Spirits California distributorship, produces award-winning luxury Cabernet from estate vineyards in Sonoma's Alexander Valley.
Our Winery
We are very proud to work with our partner Winery; Sonoma Wine Company. Sonoma Wine Company provides contract wine production, including custom crush, winemaking, bottling, control label development, and storage of barrel, tank and finished goods. Sonoma Wine Company is also committed to reducing its footprint on the environment and local community through resource conservation, solid waste management and state of the art waste water treatment technology. Here are a few quick facts about Sonoma Wine Company’s Facilities and Sustainable Business Practices:
Sonoma Wine Company’s Facilities
- 3 million cases bottled per year
- 14,000 cases/day from 3 bottling lines
- 3 million gallons of wine stored in tank or barrel
- 750,000+ case goods storage
- 45,000+ barrel cellar
- 30+ clients and 75+ labels produced from popular premium to luxury category
- Sustainable business practices
Sustainable Business Practices
Our sustainable business practices include membership in the Sonoma County Green Business program and the Wine Institute's Sustainable Winegrowing Program. In 2005 we joined the local non-profit, Climate Protection Campaign and took an inventory of our company's green house gas emissions. At the EPA Climate Leaders meeting in 2006, we pledged a 15% reduction in GHG by 2010.
- Member of the Sonoma County Green Business Program
- Sustainable Winegrowing programs
- Climate Protection Campaign, EPA Climate Leaders
- Pledged 15% reduction in CO2 by 2010
- Recognized by PG&E as a leader in energy conservation (2005)
- Solid Waste Recycling
- Water and energy saving measures integrated into winery long term plans
- Comissioned Artstart Wall Mural
- Distillation Technology to treat wastewater
CHARDONNAY
Our Chardonnay displays textbook varietal characteristics, with golden straw color, golden apple and citrus flavors, medium body, and a crisp yet smooth finish. With its smooth texture and crisp acidity, the wine is an excellent choice for before dinner, and pairs magnificently with a wide array of appetizers. It moves into a meal with ease, matching well with grilled or broiled fish and seafood as well as poultry dishes.
Grapes for our 2006 Chardonnay were chosen from across California's best coastal growing regions, known for producing Chardonnay with excellent acidity and balanced flavors, including select Central Coast appellations, Mendocino County and Sonoma County.
HOPE WINE & Breast Cancer
While our Chardonnay pairs well with Seafood and poultry, it pairs even better with Breast Cancer awareness. Women buy two bottles of Chardonnay for every one bottle of all other varietals combined. Because Women are the most active supporters in the Breast Cancer community, it makes sense to pair the pink ribbon with the most popular varietal for Women. The demographic of women that are the most generous towards charitable organizations (35-60 years old) also tend to choose Chardonnay as their varietal of choice disproportionately to the entire gender in general. To learn more about Breast Cancer and our charitable partners, please click here.
AWARDS
Bronze Medal - 2007 Taster's Guild Wine Lover's Consumer Competition
MERLOT
Our Merlot is a rich garnet color, with flavors of black cherries, plums, and figs, with a soft, smooth finish. With its crisp acidity and ripe fruit flavors, this wine is an easy match with a wide range of main courses, including meats, pasta and vegetarian dishes.
Grapes for our 2005 Merlot were selected from among the best coastal growing regions in California, mainly from Central Coast, Sonoma County, and Lodi appellations. In these areas, warm sunny days provide optimum grape ripening, while Pacific Ocean fog create cool nights and maintain the acidity in the grapes, resulting in a balanced Merlot full of flavor.
Merlot & AIDS
Merlot is one of the most popular varietals in the world. It has been one of the Cornerstone grapes for making wine for hundreds of years. AIDS is arguably the biggest epidemic in the world, taking the lives of over 25 Million people in the last 25 years. We thought the Merlot paired well with the fight against AIDS because AIDS has been such a consistent threat to millions of people over the years, and Merlot has consistently been one of marquee varietals for numerous decades.
AWARDS
Silver Medal – 2007 Long Beach Grand Cru Wine Competition
Bronze Medal - 2007 Taster's Guild Wine Lover's Consumer Competition
CABERNET
Our Cabernet is a dark crimson color, with ripe berry and plum aromas, accented by toasty oak and vanilla. On the palate, dark fruit flavors are balanced by silky tannins and a lingering finish. The wine is full-bodied and complex, displaying classic Cabernet structure and finesse. A memorable pairing would include roasted and grilled meats such as leg of lamb, prime rib, or porterhouse steak.
Grapes for our 2004 Cabernet were chosen from across California's best coastal growing regions, known for producing Cabernet with rich, concentrated fruit flavors and balanced complexity.
CABERNET & AUTISM
Generally Cabernet is the varietal of choice for the male wine drinker. Naturally, it makes sense to pair Cabernet with Autism because recent statistics show that four in every five children diagnosed with Autism are boys. In addition, Autism tends to be one of the few causes that have an equal amount of male supporters as female supporters. Autism affects 1 in every 150 children, and for each child that has autism there is a father who wants to help in the fight against Autism and more than likely enjoys a glass of Cabernet.
AWARDS
Silver Medal - 2007 Taster's Guild Wine Lover's Consumer Competition
