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Wine Tastes Better with a Why

Fort Collins' Longest Standing and Most Charitable Wine Tasting

On the lengthy list of things you might do benefiting charity, drinking fine wines from around the world may not often come up as a possibility. Disabled Resource Services’ annual Wine Fest fundraiser has been changing that for Northern Colorado residents. While they were unable to do it last year, the organization’s ambitious and delicious fundraising event is back on August 6th for it’s next installment, nearing forty years, and grants it’s participants a rare opportunity to not only sample a multitude of wines and beers, but also to discuss them with the vintners, brewers and distributors whose expertise brings them to our homes and glasses.

We’ll talk more about the wine soon. But first, a little about Disabled Resource Services or DRS. Larimer and Jackson counties here in Northern Colorado are home to more than thirty thousand people with disabilities, many are un or underemployed and living in poverty. Often this is due to difficulty finding work, particularly jobs that are able to provide the accommodations that would be necessary for them to perform at their best. Many also lack an interpersonal support system that could enable their success. The goal of DRS, as a center for independent living, is to provide resources and guidance for people that enable them to lead more productive, self-directed, and independent lives. The majority of their staff and board is composed of people with a disability as well.

As Joan LaBelle, DRS’ Executive Director and a person with a disability herself puts it, “A person with a disability is best suited to advise a person with a disability.”

For  non-profit organizations such as DRS, fundraising is a huge part of reaching and assisting their target community. Working with people of any age or disability, they set goals, advocate, provide referrals, and even independent living training to reduce the stress of life and improve people's daily experiences in a world that often fails to consider the needs of people with disabilities.

“We do things with people instead of for people,” Dave Swinehart, DRS’ Director of Development and Marketing, says of their approach, “empowering people to take control of their lives.”

One of the more successful programs piloted by DRS is their durable medical equipment locker. The goal is to make various medical equipment that can often be cost prohibitive to a person with limited income more accessible to our community, thereby improving the ability of people with disabilities to live more independently than they might otherwise.

Wine Fest is DRS’ biggest fundraising event and provides a large portion of their annual budget. That being said, they pull out all of the stops. With unlimited wine and other drinks available for tasting, hors d'oeuvres a plenty, raffles and a silent auction for a multitude of luxurious prizes, this is not an event to be missed. Hosted at the Hilton Fort Collins, participants can even rent a room in a block reserved specifically for the event. With more than 150 participating wineries and over 500 wines available to sample, a room may not be a bad idea. Still, if you prefer the comfort of home after a few hundred sips, DRS has partnered with its sponsors to provide LYFT rides home to anyone in need. After all, making sure everyone arrives at home safely is an important part of hosting excellent and long-standing parties. They’ve also had an app developed to help people keep track of their favorites through the difficult-to-trace vines of taste testing.

VIP ticket buyers will not be disappointed to be sure. Early access to the event means more time for food, wine, and conversation with the experts. Additionally they will have access to a private hospitality room where they can take a load off and rest between rounds and, perhaps most appealingly, a larger wine glass.

“It’s a cocktail party with a purpose,” Swinehart says of the event, “It’s a way for people to celebrate the opening of society again for a worthy cause.”

Not to be left out of blending their wines with a quality cause, local wineries also take part in the Wine Fest fundraiser. One of those is Laporte’s Ten Bears Winery. Bill Conkling, the founder and vintner behind the winery's delicious boutique wines has been participating for thirteen years now and says he enjoys getting to share his wines and knowledge in the name of a good cause and benefit to his community. He’ll bring several bottles of a variety of his wines to share with Wine Fest visitors and has two very important tips for first timers to the event. Arrive early, and don’t be afraid to ask for small pours or dump out overly generous ones. There is quite a bit of wine to sample after all, if you have too much too early, you’ll definitely miss out on more than you might otherwise.

“We usually bring out our best stuff,” Conklin says of Ten Bears’ participation in the fundraiser, “our port, cabernet sauvignon, merlot.”

Conklin also mentioned he plans to bring his Cameron Pass White, a new release made from a hybrid grape called Aromella. This aromatic cross between American and traditional European wine grape varieties gives the new wine a taste that is truly distinct and delicious.

Whether you prefer white or red varieties, or perhaps just love benefitting your community, Wine Fest has something for everyone. You might find your new favorite wine or win big in the silent auction, but you’ll absolutely help to provide assistance for some of our communities most vulnerable residents.

After last year's event having to be cancelled, the tickets this year are selling quicker than they ever have in the past and the DRS team is seeing their goals not only realized but exceeded. The more the merrier is their motto for this event of course and tickets can be purchased at winefestfc.org

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