Grant Taylor’s plan. The founder of Valli Wine says it’s all fellow winemaker Jen Parr’s fault. She wanted to make a Pinot Noir in memory of her beloved rescue dog Missy, who used to follow her through the vineyards during harvest. Grant was “lukewarm about the idea at best”, but that didn’t put Jen off. “She suggested some of the proceeds could go to a charity, and perhaps that charity could be Pound Paws – an underfunded, volunteer Oamaru-based dog rescue centre where my wife and I had found the most amazing dog only a few months earlier,” Grant says. “I was no longer lukewarm. I was 100% behind the idea.”
“We love learning more about what dogs are capable of and continue to find deserving charities.” Grant Taylor
They commissioned Christchurch-based artist Charles Hannah to create a pencil portrait of Missy that would sit well on a wine label. It was supposed to be a one-off, but Charles has now immortalised several more illustrious canines for Valli’s dog charity range. There are Pinot Noirs called Hogan (named for a Labrador who detects ovarian cancer); Zeffer (a New Zealand Land Search and Rescue dog); Levi (New Zealand’s first bowel cancer detection dog); and Thiefy (Grant’s own rescue dog). There’s also a Chardonnay called Mawson (a Rakiura, Stewart Island predator detection dog).
“Knowing what we did made such a difference and getting to really know the people behind charities made me want to do it again – and again and again. I reckon Jen knew this was never going to be a ‘one off ’, though she won’t admit it.”
“We love learning more about what dogs are capable of and continue to find deserving charities. So, as long as I am here, there will always be a Valli wine with a dog on the label.”
This article was first published in New Zealand Winegrower magazine issue 155 and is republished with permission.
