It is appropriate that my inaugural post on Drink Charitably, the Humanitas Winery blog, falls in October. October 1st is the birthday of my first child, a beautiful daughter, now 16 years old. It was a day unlike any other (as any parent will attest) – not only, obviously, because of the birth of my child (we now have three), but because it was also that day in 1992 that I decided I would leave my job in LA working for Nestle, and move to Napa to accept a position for Robert Mondavi.
Mr. Mondavi was bigger than life. Physically, he was a little guy, but if you were in a room with 200 people, even if you couldn’t see him, you knew he had arrived. He had a presence unlike any other I’ve ever witnessed. And for anyone who ever worked for him, you know his ‘mission’ by heart…because he repeated it over and over and over again…you couldn’t help but ’get it.’ The essence – wine is a part of the good life, and everyone deserves the good life. So let’s get busy making life better through wine.
In 1997, inspired by Mr. Mondavi’s mission and passion, as well as by the amazing example set by Paul Newman with his ‘Paul Newman’s Own’ products, I struck upon a crazy idea to take this mission to the next step. I dreamed of creating a winery that not only contributed to the good life, but was also dedicated to giving something back, and making life better for someone else. Basically, a better life…one sip at a time.
Finally, in August of 2001, I made the leap, Humanitas was born, and seven years later I’m still at it. Latin for philanthropy, human nature, kindness, and, well, humanity, Humanitas is dedicated to making stellar wines and giving back to the community through charitable donations, events and awareness.
You’ll read more about Humanitas in the future as ‘Drink Charitably!’ is the official blog of the winery. It is also the ‘unofficial’ blog for all things good in the wine business. So do me a favor and pause just a minute and reflect on the good things in your life. Now take a moment to really appreciate them — especially the people. For me, this is where my daughter/family, Mr. Mondavi, & Paul Newman come together — one taught me about the good life, and one taught me about just how good life can be, and one taught me how important it is to pass the the good life on to others.
If you have someone who inpires you or if you have a story about people helping others to have a good life, I’d love to hear it. Feel free to post that in a response below. And meanwhile, drink charitably!
Judd Wallenbrock - Humanitas Founder
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