News Briefs California
Wineries, brewery donate for fire relief
Napa, Calif.—Wineries and a Sonoma County brewery made significant contributions to relief efforts supporting victims of the North Bay wildfires in October. Benovia Winery in the Russia River Valley donated more than $300,000 to Redwood Credit Union North Bay Fire Relief Fund, Sonoma County Winegrowers Foundation’s Wildfire Housing Support Fund and Sonoma County Community Foundation Resilience Fund. The winery’s $100,000 pledge to matching donations generated $199,000. The winery also waived tasting room fees for more than a month after the fires and donated an additional $15,000.
Russian River Brewery has raised $900,000 for relief efforts through a raffle for consumers to win chance to be one of the first to get the brewery’s special release Pliny the Younger ale this month, and by selling a special beer called “Sonoma Pride.”
The charitable foundation of Alpha Omega winery in Napa Valley raised $100,000 by selling tickets for a benefit event at the winery in July. The funds will go to the Napa Valley Community Foundation’s disaster relief fund and the Rutherford Volunteer Fire Department.