Doing Good. Drinking Well.

If any community understands the importance of well-intentioned people wanting to assist in a variety of worthy projects, it would be us. We’re the poster child for that.

The outpouring of generosity from every corner of the world toward our plight after Katrina was astounding. We received so much from so many, and I know we showed our appreciation, which made both the givers and the receivers feel better about themselves and one another. That’s the point of stepping up and helping neighbors. Everyone earns a Gold Star.

Thankfully, there are still many projects happening in our midst that are making a difference in our community and in the lives of our neighbors. As we have traveled a difficult and bumpy road, literally and figuratively, to this stage of recovery from the failure of the levees –– and now the results of BP’s corporate shortcomings, some who came to our aid have seen other needs-unmet aspects in our community and are addressing crucial issues with resources we easily appreciate.

The hospitality community, at the local, national and international levels, has been at the forefront of support, and three projects happening right now continue to define what true friendship really means.  Joyfully, you can support these efforts in a most delightful way.

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Susie Selby of Selby Wines in Sonoma, Calif., loves Louisiana. She was horrified as the BP debacle began and then unfolded, affecting every resident of the Gulf Coast.

"I originally fell in love with Louisiana because of the people and their enthusiasm for food, wine, music and fun," Selby says. "Now I have a whole new admiration for the area as its residents strive to get their lives back on track after enduring another disaster. Their determination is truly unmatched.”

Nice words were not enough for Ms. Selby. She set aside quantities of her wine, relabeled them Clean Coast Wines and is donating proceeds from retail and restaurant sales to benefit our area’s recovery from the oil disaster and to support coastal restoration. These donated funds will be in the capable hands of the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

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Four wines are included in the program: pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. None of the wines retails for more than $15 a bottle. All are Susie’s wines, so rest assured they are very good –– of fine quality from Sonoma, except for the cabernet sauvignon, which is sourced from the North Coast area.

And there is no stop-date for Selby’s support. She very clearly sees that the redevelopment of our coast is not a short-term effort, and so Clean Coast Wines are going to continue to be produced, and monies raised are going to be placed where they need to go.  

Keeping with the wine theme, a family from El Dorado, Ark., with strong ties to New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is creating wine in Central California with grapes that originated in France’s Rhône Valley and in Burgundy. How’s that for an economics lesson in world money matters?

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The monies raised are devoted to the education of the children of New Orleans in agriculture, nutrition and the culinary arts. It’s big-bang-for-the- buck time on the bayou.

The Murphy family of Murphy Oil fame has been a part of New Orleans society for a very long time. This current generation of Murphys was bitten by the wine bug, a vicious creature –– because once you are infected, the virus never lets you go.

Matt Murphy, a personable and devoted young man, went to California to investigate how he could be a part of the wine industry. At some point along the way, Matt met up with a talented winemaker from South Africa, Dieter Cronje, and the path to a new winery seemed very clear. “Presqu’ile” (press-keel) is a Creole term for “almost an island” and was the name of the Murphy family retreat near Henderson Point on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Katrina leveled the area, and with the devastation went pieces of the Murphy family history, not to mention numerous buildings. Matt thought that the family would appreciate the idyllic surroundings he was enjoying in the Santa Maria Valley, halfway between Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. It was here that he and Dieter were harvesting chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir grapes for their wines. And it is here that a new Murphy family retreat is being built alongside a new winery.

About this time, Matt and the family became enchanted with a program, Edible Schoolyard, or ESYNOLA, back in New Orleans at the Samuel J. Green Charter School on Valence Street in Uptown. Nationally, the Edible Schoolyard project actually began in northern California as a labor of love of the great chef Alice Waters, who devoted resources from her restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, to teach inner-city youth about agriculture and nutrition.

The ESYNOLA project has seen the planting of a sizeable organic garden behind the Green school building. The children get their hands dirty; nurture the crops; harvest; prepare meals with the supervision of a staff chef; and learn about fresh ingredients, nutrition and good taste, which is something most of them have not experienced simultaneously in their lives.

Presqu’ile wines made an initial large donation to the project and will remain a supporter. Settle back for just a moment, and ponder the impact such a program is having on these young lives.

The wines themselves are simply wonderful. Presqu’ile’s hallmarks are lower alcohol levels; a fully evolved, varietally correct fruit expression; and long, pleasant finishes. The sauvignon blanc in particular is a style that is leaner, cleaner and bolder than most sauvignon blancs from the New World.

Proving that it is good to have friends, this week Emeril Lagasse brings his Carnivale du Vin back to New Orleans for what promises to be a star-studded affair, raising funds for the Chef’s Foundation. More than $10 million have been raised since 2005, which has been distributed to a wide variety of charities and projects.

Each year a group of culinary, wine and entertainment luminaries gathers in New Orleans, proving that a great time can support great community work. Wine Spectator has rated Carnivale du Vin as one of the country’s Top 10 charity wine events. More than 700 tickets have already been sold for a dinner and auction this weekend, and the event is completely sold out.

On the culinary side, Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Kevin Rathbun, Norman Van Akin and Gale Gand will be paired with wine talents Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, Bob Cabral of Williams-Selyem, Larry Stone of Rubicon Estates, Dick Grace of Grace Family Vineyards, Miguel Roquette of Quinta do Crasto, and there will be a strong participation by G.H. Mumm.

Stars like these do not come together lightly, and chef Emeril is to be congratulated for not just the hard work of staging such a grand affair but also for raising money to do important work here and in other areas of the country.

Having a good time, enjoying amazing food and drinking great wine are not mutually exclusive pursuits. You can contribute to the success of these projects. Enjoy Clean Coast wines from Susie Selby. Include a bottle of Presqu’ile in your next wine experience. Dine at one of chef Emeril’s three New Orleans restaurants.

Enjoy it all, support important programs, and feel better about yourself. What’s not to love about that? 

The Wine Show with Tim McNally can be heard every Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. on WIST-AM 690.

                   
 

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