As I was driving along today I heard that it was George Harrison’s birthday, and that although he often celebrated his birthday on February 24, in truth he was born a few minutes after midnight on the 25th.  Kind of cool — I’m pretty sure I’d celebrate both days…or the whole week as I do anyway!

I always loved George in the Beatles — always the ‘quiet one’ but oh so cool on guitar.  And I love how he got a song or two per album — and those songs were always so excellent.  I think he brought a great dimension to the band.  And of course his solo career and his work with others (Traveling Wilburys) was fantastic.

And to tie this back to Humanitas and Drink Charitably, some of you will remember that Harrison was a principal organizer of the Concert for Bangledesh — an amazing fund-raising concert in 1971 (and to me, the model for similar concerts such as Band-Aid that followed), and a truly wonderful album.

George Harrison was a bit of a rennaissance man as well.  Musician, producer, philanthropist…he was also a film producer and collaborated with the Monty Python gang amongst others.  I can’t remember, but I’m pretty sure he was involved with Life of Brian, and I know he was behind Time Bandits — fun stuff.  I guess to me, the quiet Beatle, was maybe the most diverse…and…well, complete.  I mean, didn’t he even do the ‘Basketball Jones’ thing with Cheech & Chong?  How cool is that?

Unfortunately, George Harrison died all too young.  But he sure left a wonderful legacy.  And it does prompt one of my favorite questions – if George Harrison were a wine, what would he be?  Clearly complex, decidedly layered, yet friendly, approachable and with a nice sense of humor…in a quiet way.  Any thoughts? I wonder if George was into wine…my guess is yes. 

“Give me hope, help me cope
With this heavy load.”

Regardless, George Harrison was cool.  If he were a wine, I’d savor him.  And I’d drink charitably!

In these times of economic uncertainty, I think everyone is a little cautious and fearful of what is going to happen next.  And regardless of politics, it is clear that both the government & the private sector need a little introspection.  Both seem to be living beyond their means.  So what can you do?  

Drink wine, that’s what!

I know that sounds silly, but here is my thought.  Despite the current economy, the U.S. is still by magnitudes the wealthiest & most productive nation on Earth.  Our GDP hovers around $14 Trillion.  Heck, the top 20 corporations in the country have combined revenues of $2.9 Trillion alone.  My calculator simply doesn’t have that many placeholders!

Now imagine if every company in the world dedicated just 1% of their net revenues to help others get back on their feet through direct charitable donation.  The organization 1% for the Planet suggests that this is something to consider — and that ‘profits to charity’ is a little too squishy (profits can hide $$’s, they suggest) so they endorse companies that give %’s of the top line — the revenue line — one that can’t be disputed.

Now take those GDP numbers (or even just the numbers of the top 20 corporations) and multiply it by 1%.  The number is enormous…and given directly to charity rather than to the government to re-allocate to welfare programs, it would greatly lighten the burden of the government and directly help millions in need.

The goal of Humanitas used to be to give 100% of my profits to charity — but I’ve embraced the message of giving directly from my revenue line and am working off of giving 7% of my revenues to charity.  Anyone familiar with the wine biz knows that profits are slim — despite appearances, it is not a high margin business by a long shot and most wineries are struggling to have any profits.  Our ‘7% Solution’ is simply a way of setting our sights high…achieving them…and doing something to make the world a better place — one sip at a time.

Now take a look at your own company and imagine if it gave just 1% of it’s revenues to charity.  Or 5% or 7%…or more.  Most likely it is a big number.  I know I can’t expect everyone to do this — but just imagine if they did.  What a great solution!  Let me know your thoughts…and as always…drink charitably!

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