AN Edinburgh-based social enterprise wine maker that donates all its profits back to charity has handed over £1500 to Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).
Our Fathers, which was conceived by Giles Cooke, has already donated £3000 to UK charities.
Following the death of his parents, the Master of Wine decided to take on something individual to celebrate their lives and give something back.
Founder of Our Fathers, Giles Cooke, said: “I wanted to do something really personal and I have definitely managed that – though in hindsight I maybe should have just run a marathon!
“I’ve dedicated my life to making wine so producing Our Fathers is something that has meant a lot on a number of levels.
“The result is a wine that I’m proud and delighted to have produced. The reviews have been excellent as well so hopefully we will see as many people as possible trying it out and helping to raise money for some amazing causes.”
As a result, the finished product is a self-evidently artisan wine which has given back to causes close to its founder’s heart. Even the evocative label was conceived and designed by Cooke and Edinburgh-based designer Mark Doherty.
Sarah Nicholson, corporate partnerships manager at SAMH, said: “On behalf of everyone at SAMH thank you so much to Our Fathers for donating £1500 to support Scotland’s mental health.
“This generous donation will go a long way to help SAMH raise awareness, promote good mental health, campaign for and support those in Scotland affected by poor mental health.”
Our Fathers is a small, artisan wine producer whose production is based in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Its grapes are grown in the Barossa Valley, synonymous with red wine for more than 150 years.
They make their product in a minimal, sustainable fashion – hand-picking, minimal additions and no filtration or fining.
Along with being the founder, Cooke is a master of wine and a wine development director of Our Fathers. He was raised in Edinburgh and returned to live in the capital in 1994.
Giles added: “The name ‘Our Fathers’ of course refers to my personal story, but more than that to the history of the vineyards from which we source the grapes wine we have made.
“It would have been easy to produce a wine and raised money based purely on the backstory but I was eager that Our Fathers would be a wine that people really enjoyed drinking and one that I would be happy to recommend.”
The resulting wine has been described by Masters of Wine as “one of the best Barossa Shiraz” with overt wild berry and violet aromas, a lush soft palate with beautifully ripe tannins and a fine long finish.
Money raised will be split between SAMH and St Columba’s Hospice, as well as the British Heart Foundation.
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