It has been a quiet week, mostly because my mind has been somewhere else. The Mediterranean to be exact. As many people around the world I have been shocked by the images in the news covering the migrant crisis in Europe. It has just felt silly trying to write about wine, and if it does not come from the heart it will just sound fake to the reader. The truth is that I have been sad. My feelings have been up and down. I have been in tears at one moment and full of energy and determination at others. I have thought about ways to help: old clothes I can donate, supplies I can buy and charities I can support. As many others I have wasted days, even years just thinking about helping and thus not helping at all. Now I have had enough and it is time to stop considering what % of charity money goes to the actual person in need (the truth is that I will never know) and to pick up my wallet and give. I have bread on my table today and bread on my table tomorrow; I can cut a few restaurant nights here and there and walk past that bottle of Selosse in the store for now and forever. I will lose nothing. What I cannot win back is those lives that have been lost at sea. That is tragic and permanent…what if that was my family out there?
So it is time for the Winecurious to give. Give like we’ve never given before. Give to those who know exactly how to help. I have spent days looking at charities and considering where I want our aid to go. SOS Children’s Villages is an organization that arranges a safe and caring home for children who are victims of crisis and war. Doing my homework I found out that the company’s board are all working for free and 85% of the donations go directly to the children and only 15% into administration. That sounds reasonable, and I have a weak spot when it comes to children. I want them to feel welcome and loved, and to know that there are people around Europe who care that they have a safe place to live, even if it means sharing our own country and benefits. SOS Children’s Villages is also present in other areas making sure children never have to take that dangerous boat trip over the sea. Sounds mushy, but who cares, this is how I genuinely feel.
So what will we do to help? We will give money to SOS Children’s Villages catastrophe fund! The Winecurious will make a donation and on top of that we will include all the profit that we get from our coming order window. So if you want to be a part of our charity, come to our tasting in Stockholm on the 12th of September and order some fall wines with a conscience. RSVP to info@thewinecurious.com by the 10th of September and we will send you the address and details. Alternatively you can of course support the charity directly or any other charity helping with the crisis.
Tonight I will raise a toast to all those who have found in themselves the will to help (it won’t be Selosse but a nice cava will taste even better tonight). Towards a brave new world and a brighter future!
The Winecurious 