Leaving it all behind in 2020.
Including our clothes.
The Finger Lakes wine industry prides itself on our sense of community and good spirit. Perhaps it is a function of being the underdog for so long, but when a challenge rears up we are keen to meet the moment.
With that said, the CoVid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented hardship to our region and the hospitality industry that has been so supportive of our wines. What to do during a time of social distancing and the closure of the industry that we wish to support? We are winemakers after all, it is a niche skill during a public health and business crisis.
Vineyard pup Wyatt, bottom right, exempted.
If one thing is true of winemakers, however, we know how to make the best out of a bad vintage. And so we put on our thinking caps and came up with a… unique idea. A goofy idea. An idea that seemed outlandish, but hopefully would make someone smile in 2021 after a difficult 2020. And most importantly, an idea that could help us raise funds for local food banks and restaurant worker relief.
We decided to go all natural as winemakers. Or, should we say, au naturale.
And, naturally, we convinced twelve of our favorite sommeliers to work with us and pair each photo with a wine from the winery; tongue-in-cheek tasting note included.
Fifteen winemakers, twelve wineries, twelve sommeliers, and one dynamite creative team later, we have a 2021 Winemakers’ Pin-Up Calendar that we are now proud to present to you. From fun to flirty to fabulous, these images capture some of your favorite Finger Lakes winemakers in a new light, and certainly in a way you never expected to see them or their wine!
But most importantly, these images capture our winemaking community doing what it does best: coming together to help out our communities, friends, and neighbors.
So with that, we hope you enjoy revealing each month of this calendar as much as we enjoyed making it! We cannot wait to share the excitement, and to share 100% of the funds raised with local food access and restaurant relief programs.
And don’t forget… buy a few extras for holiday gifts!
Thanks to Our Sponsors:
