As dog lovers many of us have a passion for wine. Discovering that many wineries and/or winemakers are dog lovers who have found a way to either incorporate their love of their dogs into their wines or give a portion of their proceeds on the sale of their wines to animal rescues. One such winery is Huber, a small boutique winery in the Santa Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara Wine Country and a short distance from Los Angeles.
Norm and Traudl Huber are the most delightful couple, who live with an Australian Shepherd named Heidi. One of the three oldest vineyards in the region that was planted in 1987 with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a German varietal called Dornfelder. The Huber’s first vintage under the Huber label was in 2000. Prior to that they sold and still sell their grapes to various wineries in the area.
The Huber’s are the only winery to make Dornfelder in California. There are two styles of Dornfelder but one is of special interest to dog lovers and that is the 2006 Charlotte’s Reserve, Barrel-Select Dornfelder. Named for Charlotte, a canine companion of the Huber’s until 2007 when she passed over the rainbow bridge. This wine was created to memorialize this wonderful companion who brought so much joy to the Huber’s and to help other dogs find their forever homes. They choose what they consider the two finest barrels of their Dornfelder wine. This wine is aged for 11 months in oak barrels. The Huber’s donate 10% of the price of each bottle to the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society.
Due to the fact that the Dornfelder is a very dark rich wine, in fact it is almost black in color, beware of your smile after drinking this wine. You will have to try the wine to find out the secret of your smile or at least have someone take a picture so you can see.
Charlotte’s Reserve has a very special label featuring an artist’s rendition of Charlotte.
In addition to the Charlotte’s Reserve, the Huber’s make 3 jellies where the entire proceeds go to the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society. The flavors are lemon, Dornfelder and Jalapeño.
The Huber’s also sponsor a yearly fundraiser for the Santa Ynez Humane Society.
For More Info and To Purchase:
Huber Vineyards and Cellars
4892 Hapgood Road
Lompoc, CA 93436
805.736.3854
info@hubercellars.com
Tasting Hours: Friday and Saturday from 11 AM – 4 PM
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