Free booze – with an interesting catch
Never before have random acts of kindness stirred such emotion. Just last week, an interaction took place via a conversation on my Facebook page that warmed the heart.
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Never before have random acts of kindness stirred such emotion. Just last week, an interaction took place via a conversation on my Facebook page that warmed the heart.
It went like this: Local guitarist Sam Leske found himself jobless (and wine-less) in Mount Gambier with a long, thirsty self-isolation stint ahead of him.
Despite never having met Sam, Nicole Thorpe (from McLaren Vale’s Brash Higgins Wines) offered to send him a mixed six-pack of wine. “The cost to you will be to pay it forward to someone else when you can,” she wrote.
Sam was stoked when his package arrived. “I was literally blown away,” he says. “It’s a reminder of how little genuine kindness there is these days, especially from strangers.”
Kindness comes in many forms. For an avalanche of positive online feels, check out The Kindness Kombi on Instagram (@kindnesskombi). Wife and hubby duo Leanne and Keith Riddiford drive their green beast “Benji” through the streets of Adelaide with music blaring (think Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive) and their footage of socially isolated people dancing is a treat.
Then there’s the Cellardoor Challenge, which was launched by the folk at Junovate (a wine industry technology solutions company) to encourage wine lovers to buy wine online – direct from wineries after coronavirus regulations forced the closure of bricks and mortar cellar doors (for now).
The idea is simple. People are encouraged to post a video or photograph spruiking the wine they’re drinking and challenge three friends to do the same.
“It’s just a nice way to get people talking about wine, to support wineries and help them from a cash-flow point of view,” says digital and technology strategist and Junovate co-founder Judy Pridmore. The goal is to promote more than 1000 wines from 500 wineries in the next 180 days.
Victoria-based Judy kicked things off with a bottle of Schild Estate 2018 Barossa Valley Shiraz ($25) paired with spaghetti bolognaise. As value for money goes, it’s a ripper.
My contribution is the David Franz 2009 “Marg’s Blood” Semillon ($50). It’s Last Supper material.
Winemaker Dave Lehmann named the drop after his mother and, like Barossa powerhouse Marg Lehmann, this sem has aged with grace and power. As cellar door visits go, the intimate, rustic David Franz vibe is one I miss already.
Follow #cellardoorchallenge on Instagram and Facebook for updates (and to post your own wine video or pic) and purchase wine direct from your favourite producer’s website. They need us more than ever. cellardoorchallenge.com