COVID-19 health care workers receive wine gifts from Santa Barbara County Vintners
SOLVANG, Calif. - What started out as a small "thank you" donation of one case of wine, turned into one of the fastest and more generous gifts of gratitude ever seen from Santa Barbara County vintners.
Michael Speakman, the CEO and owner of Westerly Wines in the Santa Ynez Valley said he got a call at his home in Orange County for one case to go to UCLA Medical as part of a specific request.
His son got involved and "drew on every bottle of wine, little hearts and put a couple of nice notes in there."
Then a sweeping donation plan emerged.
Coordinator Patsy Holbrook said she was asked to see if a much larger donation, specifically of 5,000 bottles, could be put together. "I said I can try. I said, 'let me call Mike.' I called Mike and he said, 'I think I can do it.'"
Speakman pulled together half of the requested donation with just a few calls. Within three days, "we had over 500 cases donated."
The Santa Barbara wine community poured itself into the project without hesitation.
Drops-offs will occur at medical facilities from Santa Barbara to San Diego County.
"They are giving it to the frontline first responders, nurses, doctors and all the people on the frontline of this virus," said Speakman.
Some of the winemakers were on board from the very beginning, others heard about the cause, came by and started dropping off cases at the "command post" in front of David Cecchini's Cecco Italian Ristorante.
The work stations were set up under pop-ups in the street with light rain falling.
"We had people dropping off wine left and right. Twenty cases, 10 cases, five cases, one case. It's pretty remarkable and amazing how our wine community came together in a fast way. They are all excited and happy to help out," said Speakman.
The delivery vans started in Orange County and U-Haul, hearing of the cause, joined in.
Speakman said, "U-Haul donated all these vans, which is pretty awesome."
Each bottle was personally handled and tagged with a message of thanks from the wine community of the Santa Ynez Valley. Vintners also invited those receiving the wine to come up when the crisis is over.
Winemakers at all levels are part of the shipment. The packers were local wine industry partners and close friends.
The final total came to 550 cases.
For more information, go to: Santa Barbara County Vintners or Westerly Wines.
(Previous coverage)
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Santa Barbara Wine Country is recognizing local health care workers with free bottles of wine.
Over 50 vinters and winemakers from throughout the county have contributed toward the goal of donating 500 cases to doctors, nurses and other medical staff in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
The movement was started by Michael Speakman, owner of Westerly Wines.
He reached out to multiple hospitals and fellow vintners with the idea and quickly received strong support.
Each bottle will come with a care package and thank you note for their efforts.
The following hospitals will receive wine donations and the list is expected to grow:
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation
Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation
UCLA Health (multiple locations and clinics throughout Los Angeles)
St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo
Kaiser Permanente Orange County
Anaheim Medical Center
Mission Hospital Mission Viejo
The Cottage Hospital Foundations clarified that donations it received will be used by the Foundation for fundraising events, and will not be given to individual health care workers.
