Vineyards Combine Charity and Wine for Animal Lovers

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-07-19 10:30:00 UTC
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If you've seen stories like the one about the burro who suffered at McFadden Vineyard or how Yellow Tail wine caved to pressure from agribusiness and backed out of their donation pledge to the Humane Society of the United States, then you might be wondering if it's possible to be a wine lover and an animal lover.

The good news is that most wineries are actually pretty animal-friendly to one degree or another, especially if you're talking about dogs. Check out Winery Dogs Publishing, whose books feature the canine companions of winemakers and their lives at the vineyards. San Francisco Magazine online wrote: "Canine envy Warning: do not read this book if you're a metropolitan dog owner who feels guilty about your pup's apartment-bound lifestyle. Because the subjects of the wildly popular Winery Dogs of Napa Valley prove that the good life in wine country isn't reserved for two-legged animals."

But there is one winery that stand out as leader of the pack when it comes to supporting animal welfare, and they'll even give your dog a taste of life at the vineyard.

You may be familiar with Carivintas through their Dog Lover's Wine Club. Each bottle of wine has a colorful artistic label with, as you might guess, a dog on it. There's even a wine club package that includes treats for your dog.You can also order custom labels with your own pooch or go for the Vicktory Dogs Wine Collection, which features pictures of pit bulls with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Best Friends Animal Society and their campaigns to stop dog fighting. Carivintas has donated more than $42,000 to Best Friends and also supports other animal welfare organizations with their wine sales.

The winery itself is dog-friendly, too. At the Carivintas tasting room in Solvang, California, dogs get to lounge on bone-shaped cushions and eat gourmet cookies while their human companions sip wine.

Carivintas isn't the only winery that will welcome your dog. From New York to Washington, dogs are welcomed at a number of vineyards — not always in the tasting room, but many have beautiful patios, so call ahead for their pet policies. From Paw Nation, here's a list of 13 wineries to explore with your dog. Many of these wineries also have fundraising events throughout the summer that benefit local humane organizations.

So, if you were hoping to visit wine country this summer, you may not need to call the pet sitters. And you can toast to a good cause while you're there.

Photo credit: basykes

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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