Heart of Maui Wine Project supports hospitality workers impacted by Maui fires : Maui Now

A charitable wine collaboration between Napa Valley winemaker Bobby Moy and Lahaina resident, sommelier and California winemaker Christina Sports will help support hospitality workers in Maui that have been directly affected by the wildfires on August 8.

The Heart of Maui Wine Project will release two wines specifically produced to provide relief funds to those in need. This new benefit project will donate 100% of all net proceeds to the Kōkua Restaurant and Hospitality Fund, a certified nonprofit which gives funds directly to the hospitality workers who have been impacted by the fires.

The Project is launching a red blend of Grenache and Petit Sirah and a Chardonnay, both handcrafted by Moy and Sports.

“Much of my family is Hawaiian and live across the islands, so it hurts to be so far away and feel like I can’t help on the ground.” says Moy, owner of CHIRON Wines and co-collaborator for Heart of Maui. “Making this wine and partnering with Abaluche and Kokua will have the most immediate impact for the victims.”

The project is considered an ‘art series’, as each wine produced will have a unique label featuring artwork of Lahaina artist Jim Kingwell, whose impressionist paintings of Lahaina Town have been cherished for over 30 years. The painting featured for the Lahaina Cuvée is titled ‘Village By The Sea’, an original piece which was in Kingwell’s studio on Front Street and was lost in the fire.

“I wanted to find a way to give back to my community and to help those in my extended hospitality ‘ohana that are the heartbeat of the island and are hurting,” said Sports, owner of Abaluche Wine Company, and proprietor of the nearly opened Abaluche Wine and Provisions wine and spirits shop that was scheduled to open Labor Day weekend in the Old Lahaina Center on Front Street. “This is a project that is very emotional and important for me and I hope those that bring a bottle to their table at home feel a sense of community and togetherness when sharing it with friends and family.”

Current releases from the Heart of Maui Wine Project:

• 2022 “Lahaina Cuvée” Red Blend from California: Grenache from Lodi and Petit Sirah from Dunnigan Hills

• 2022 “Waiola Chardonnay” from the Coombsville AVA in Napa Valley

• Labels feature artwork by Lahaina artist Jim Kingwell. $1 from every bottle sold will go back to the artist.

The Heart of Maui Wine Project selections are currently available to purchase via website, at $40 per bottle. A 2023 Rose of Grenache is tentatively planned to be released next spring.

For more information on the Heart of Maui Wine Project, the Lahaina Cuvée, the Waiola Chardonnay and the vision of the winemakers and co-founders, visit: www.heartofmaui.org.