by Ross Allen, Owner

Wednesday was a banner day at 2Hawk. At sunrise, we were harvesting Chardonnay and Tempranillo. Throughout the day, I fielded media interviews about the 9-1-1 wine release, and at 4 pm, I headed to the tasting room to join the winery’s celebration of National First Responders Day. The event honored first responders and opened sales of the new 9-1-1 red blend.

We had a record-setting day—mostly from sales of the new 9-1-1 red blend we produced in honor of first responders. I saw a lot of first-time visitors, and nearly every first responder agency in the Valley was represented. It was rewarding to see them here with their families enjoying the beautiful autumn afternoon, especially knowing 50 percent of proceeds from the 9-1-1 wine go to a new fund supporting projects and equipment purchases for first responder agencies in Jackson County.

Many people wanted to know what inspired us to make this wine and start the fund. Jen and I were looking for a way to show support of the community that so heartily welcomed us when we purchased the winery in 2014. The idea of supporting first responders came up, and the 9-1-1 wine seemed a natural choice.

My 17-year background in law enforcement had given Jen and me a deep appreciation for the men and women who put themselves in peril to keep the rest of us safe. The new 9-1-1 Fund will support projects and equipment purchases for first responder agencies in Jackson County. We will donate more than half the proceeds from the 9-1-1 wine’s first release. We made a pallet of this wine—56 cases. We expect to have $10,000 to give away, and if it’s successful, we will make more next year.

The 9-1-1 wine is for sale at the 2Hawk tasting room and on our e-commerce site under Red Wines.

To request an application for the 9-1-1 Fund, email info@2hawk.wine. The application period is October 1 to December 1, 2017.