Debuting, from Longball Cellars, are charity wines for Boston baseball pitching aces Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester. The players do not profit a single dime. Instead, 100% of their proceeds will raise big league dollars for charity:
• Clay Buchholz: ChardonClay benefits the Jimmy Fund
• Jon Lester: CabernAce benefits Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The 2011 wines are produced by acclaimed the Selby Winery located in Healdsburg, California. Both wines are expected to retail for about $14 a bottle, and will be available beginning in May 2011 across Red Sox Nation. For wine connoisseurs and Sox fans out of region, wines can be purchased online at
www.charitywines.com.
To date, Red Sox player wines sales have raised more than $670,000 for various charities. In 2011, the 9th and 10th Boston ballplayers suit up for a wine label to support their cause. Charity Wines debuted in Boston in 2007 with releases from Manny Ramirez (Manny Being Merlot), Curt Schilling (Schilling Schardonnay) and Tim Wakefield (CaberKnuckle). Charity Wines returned in 2008 with releases from David Ortiz (Vintage Papi), Jason Varitek (Captain’s Cabernet) and Kevin Youkilis (SauvignYoouuk Blanc). After a year hiatus in 2009, Charity Wines returned in 2010 with vino from Jacoby Ellsbury (ZinfandEllsbury) and Josh Beckett (Chardon-K).
Wine Tasting & Launch Party
Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester will host a private launch party for members of the media and the wine industry. NESN Red Sox Reporter Heidi Watney will emcee.
• When: Thursday, May 5, 2011 at approximately 5PM (immediately following
the Red Sox day-game)
• Where: Foundation Room, House of Blues – 36 Lansdowne Street Boston, MA
Those who attend will be able to taste the wine for the first time, and have an opportunity to speak with Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester. The Jimmy Fund and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will also have booths so that more information can be learned about their commitment to the communities they serve.
Boston Magazine will distribute their baseball issue, with Clay and Jon on the cover!
About Charity Wines
After personal tragedies involving friends and family with cancer and heart disease, Andrew Graff started Charity Wines, a philanthropic division of his Massachusetts based company, VinLozano Imports Inc. With the goal of pairing fine wine with great charities, the Longball Cellars brand was born. Nationwide, more than 30 professional athletes across baseball, football and hockey have teamed up with Charity Wines to raise funds for great causes. Combined with Benefit Wines, their newest program designed to fit charities of any size, over $1.6 million has been raised to date. Visit charitywines.com and benefitwines.com.
About the Charities
The Jimmy Fund
Clay Buchholz can be untouchable, proven by the no-hitter he tossed in just his second big league start. Yet, he reaches back and connects with those in need across the community. Buchholz is a Co-Captain of the Jimmy Fund, an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, and a portion of proceeds from ChardonClay support the Jimmy Fund in the fight against cancer at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping to raise the chances of survival for children and adults with cancer locally and around the world. Cheers. Learn more at www.jimmyfund.org. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Jon Lester knows the importance of overcoming barriers in life and on the diamond. Less than two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, he pitched the biggest game of his life, helping his ballclub win a world championship. That’s why proceeds from Jon Lester‘s CabernAce support Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the development of targeted immunotherapies. This pitch helps researchers maximize the body’s own ability to strike out disease so lymphoma patients can win their own games in life. Learn more at www.fhcrc.org.
About the Foundation Room & International House of Blues Foundation
House of Blues Foundation Room is a semi-private member’s club for professional and personal entertaining. Members enjoy cocktails and fine dining in private dining rooms, secluded Prayer Rooms and alcoves surrounded by exotic Indian and Middle Eastern influenced décor, antiquities, and sculptures. The Foundation Room supports The International House of Blues Foundation Room (IHOBF) dedicated to bringing together people of diverse backgrounds in an atmosphere that encourages mutual respect and understanding of culture, history, art, and music of the blues to schools and community organization in Boston.
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