I love my dog and I love my wine. That’s my life. It’s also the motto of a relatively new venture that falls into the “why didn’t I think of that?�? category.
The Dog Lovers Wine Club (www.dogloverswineclub.com) is an inspired idea from Carivintas Winery that lets you buy California wines and in the process support animal shelters and rescue organizations. The current “Two Buck Mutt�? offer gets your first month’s membership for just two dollars.
A click of the “affiliates�? icon provides a list of organizations benefiting from the club, including the Humane Society of the United States and breed rescues across the country. You can select the organization to benefit from your membership. The “about us�? page gives you an idea of the wineries that participate (most from Santa Barbara County).
As is usually the case, the most fun is shopping. The wine labels are all dogs — paintings of shepherds, goldens, collies, Boston terriers, a mutt or two and even a cat. The wines are named after the animals on the label: Sisters Sangiovese, Petunia Cabernet, and so on. My favorite is the Ripley Syrah, featuring a big goofy golden retriever with a mouthful of baseballs. I haven’t tasted the wines yet, but the labels alone will be fun for parties. Prices vary; you can get a three-pack for $100.
Don’t see your favorite Bichon or other breed in a label? Have them make one for you — the artists will create a photo or painting label of your pet from an emailed photo. Label art also is available as Giclees or prints.
Artists create a new label each month. Several winemakers rotate the task of creating one or more wines for the collection. So far, participating wineries include Bedford Thompson, East Valley Vineyards, Balletto Vineyards and more.
Carivintas Winery created the program in 2007 and now has plans to expand its participating winemakers to other areas of California and abroad.
Before ordering, become familiar with the wine shipping laws in your state as several do not allow them. And for last-minute holiday shoppers, gift certificates are available.