There’s a new reason to feel good about raising a glass of Napa Valley cabernet. One Hope Wine, which recently opened a flagship winery in Rutherford, is on a mission to make a positive impact in the world, one bottle at a time.
One Hope may be one of many Napa wineries producing cabernet sauvignon, but it’s doing things a little differently than its neighboring wineries. The company is set up as a social enterprise, with part of the proceeds from wine sales going toward charitable causes. It launched in 2007 and started off producing three varietals.
“Chardonnay supported breast cancer research and awareness, cabernet sauvignon supported children with autism and merlot supported AIDS treatment and prevention,” said co-founder Brandon Hall in an interview with Forbes.
Since 2007, One Hope has donated more than $7 million to local and international nonprofits, the company stated. A sampling of donations for 2020 include $50,000 to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization, $22,000 to Napa County-based Ole Health and more than $300,000 raised at the winery’s harvest party for Charity Water, a nonprofit that brings clean drinking water to people in developing countries.
In addition to purchasing One Hope wines, wine-lovers can support a good cause by hosting private wine tastings (One Hope donates 10% of event purchases to “the host’s cause of choice”) and by becoming a “Cause Entrepreneur” (cause entrepreneurs sell One Hope wines and earn a 20-25% commission on all personal sales; like with all One Hope wines, part of the proceeds go toward charitable causes).
“Our product is hope. It’s more than just wine,” said CEO and co-founder Jake Kloberdanz.
2021 marked a major milestone for One Hope with the recent opening of its new winery. Designed by renowned architect Howard Backen, it is situated on St. Helena Highway, opposite Cakebread Cellars and next to Robert Mondavi Winery.
The new facility is striking and invites visitors to explore the winemaking process, with some games added in for extra fun. The crush pad boasts views of Mount Saint John in the Mayacamas Mountains, with the paved area doing double duty as two pickleball courts. Large, sliding barn-style doors lead the way into a bright and airy fermentation room where a monitor displays a time lapse (with some 50,000 photos) detailing the winery’s construction. The neighboring barrel room has a ping pong table and there are plans to add a virtual golf simulator to this space.
“Having fun and letting people experience the places of winemaking is really, really important,” said Kloberdanz.
One Hope wines cover a range of varietals and price points. There’s Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, of course, but there’s also Russian River pinot noir and Sonoma Coast chardonnay, as well as a Malbec from Argentina and more than a dozen sparkling wines. Many of the wines have 90-plus point ratings from an assortment of wine competitions and critics; prices range from $25 to more than $100 for a bottle.
Winemaker Mari Wells Coyle honed her skills at wineries such as Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards in Sonoma, Merry Edwards Winery in Sebastopol and Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga before joining One Hope in 2017.
“What drew me to One Hope was really wines that were going to make an impact,” she said.
Seated tastings paired with seasonal bites ($150 per person) are limited and by reservation only. Priority is given to the winery’s Collective Members, so plan well in advance to secure a tasting. The tasting experience lasts about 90 minutes. 8301 St. Helena Highway, Napa, onehopewine.com
Click through the above gallery for a peek at the new One Hope winery in Napa Valley.