Chef Al Brown has just launched his first wine range, Tipping Point, which is supporting six organisations that are working hard to make a difference.
That’s another great excuse to drink wine we say!
It’s a particularly good opportunity during lockdown to do good at happy hour while helping one of these great Kiwi not-for-profits – The Bumble Bee Charitable Trust, Sea Cleaners, Kea Conservation Trust, The Hauraki Gulf Conservation Trust, Wilding Free Mackenzie and Te Tira Whakamātaki.
Brown has collaborated with Constellation Brands for Tipping Point, and each varietal – Chardonnay, Rosé, Syrah from the Hawke’s Bay Field Blend and Methode Traditionnelle Bubbly from Marlborough and a Pinot Noir from Central Otago – supports a different not-for-profit, with each receiving an upfront $10,000 donation to get the ball rolling.
“Most of us want to look after our environment and give back where we can so it’s pretty cool to know that every bottle of Tipping Point you purchase is going towards a good cause,” says Brown.
The bottle also has a distinctive shape, designed to match Brown’s love of informality.
“There is a strange formality around drinking wine and selecting the perfect bottle. I wanted to remove this completely from Tipping Point. Anyone can drink these wines, any time. At the end of the day, it’s just that, a very drinkable drop and each varietal fits well with our relaxed Kiwi spirit,” he says.
Meanwhile, choose your drop and cause:
The Woodsman Pinot Noir from Central Otago goes towards the Wilding Free MacKenzie Trust to help restore the land through education and giving wilding trees the chop.
The Working Bee Chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay goes towards the NZ Bumblebee Conservation Trust to help promote the conservation and long-term future of bumblebees in New Zealand.
The Opportunist Syrah from Hawke’s Bay goes towards helping the Kea Conservation Trust to preserve and protect kea and ensure they have a sustainable future.
The Beachcomber Rose from Hawke’s Bay goes towards helping Sea Cleaners to educate and co-ordinate volunteers to remove rubbish from our marine environment.
The Sparkling Ocean Bubbly Marlborough NV goes towards the Hauraki Gulf Conservation Trust to help protect and restore the natural elements in the Gulf.
The Common Good Field Blend from Marlborough goes towards helping Te Tira Whakamātaki protect the whenua and wai, and all that live in and on them, through education and research.
