(May 22, 2020; Snohomish, WA.)—Paul Golitzin, president and director of winemaking for Quilceda Creek Vintners, one of the oldest family-owned wineries in the state of Washington, announced today that the winery has donated $365,000 to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF). The funds will assist disenfranchised restaurant employees who have lost work as a result of closures pertaining to COVID-19.
Quilceda Creek only sells allocated quantities of its wines to its private mailing list, but for a special ten-day #QuilcedaCares campaign that lasted April 24-May 3, the Golitzin family dove into their private cellar and offered highly sought-after library wines to the public for this fundraising campaign. Beginning with the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley and the 2016 Palengat Proprietary Red, the wines sold out within a few days and the family quickly returned to their library to offer the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley in order to continue to raise funds. The donation from Quilceda Creek included 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the wines, plus additional donations generously made during the campaign.
“It was very humbling to witness the outpouring of support, and a true honor to read the messages of personal connections to the restaurant industry we received from our customers. Because of them, we were able to make a huge difference and a direct impact on the lives of restaurant workers across the country. I give our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated,” says Paul.
With the funds Quilceda Creek raised, the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund will give $500 checks to more than 730 displaced restaurant workers.
“Our support does not stop there,” says General Manager Scott Lloyd. “On May 25, The United Sommeliers Foundation Wine Auction will offer a magnificent selection of large-format bottles through a rolling charitable auction produced by Acker Wines. To this we’ve donated double-magnums (3L) of our 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, our 2017 Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and our 2017 Palengat Proprietary Red Wine.” https://www.
About Restaurant Employee Relief Fund
The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (“RERF”) was created to help restaurant industry employees experiencing extraordinary hardship in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Through this Fund, grants will be made to restaurant industry employees who have been impacted by COVID-19, including a decrease in wages or loss of employment. This Fund is operated by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) whose mission is to attract, empower and advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workers. Grants from the RERF are reviewed and verified by the (NRAEF).
For more information about RERF, go to rerf.us
About Quilceda Creek
Quilceda Creek was established in 1978 by Alex and Jeannette Golitzin. The winery’s first vintage was in 1979, making Quilceda Creek one of the oldest, family owned and controlled wineries in the state of Washington. Alex Golitzin’s inspiration to start the winery was nurtured through many visits to the Napa Valley in his youth, where he spent time with his maternal uncle, André Tchelistcheff, the legendary Napa Valley winemaker known as the “Dean of American Winemaking.” Paul Golitzin joined his father as winemaker in 1992 and now directs all aspects of vineyard management and winemaking. With a gifted palate and a no-compromise commitment to quality, Paul focused the winery’s attention on its greatest assets: the vineyards of the Columbia Valley. Quilceda Creek wines are an expression of five vineyards; Champoux, Galitzine, Lake Wallula, Palengat and Wallula Vineyards. Paul’s vision catapulted the wines to a new level of excellence, resulting in some of the highest reviews and awards of any winery in the United States, including six 100-point scores from the Wine Advocate and one 100-point score from Decanter, three top 10 wines of the year in Wine Spectator, and Wine Enthusiast’s best Cabernet of the Year.
For more information about Quilceda Creek, please visit quilcedacreek.com
