Cuvaison Wines To Donate Wine Club Proceeds To Restaurant Workers

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Napa Valley's Cuvaison Estate Wines announced Wednesday that it is donating $5 from the proceeds of every upcoming May wine club shipment to the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation, a nationwide nonprofit organization.

The coronavirus crisis left restaurant workers across the United States unemployed overnight. During this unprecedented time, RWCF's COVID-19 relief efforts include: providing direct relief to workers; supporting other nonprofits serving restaurant employees in crisis; and providing zero-interest loans to restaurants so they can get back up and running.

Cuvaison Estate Wines, which encompasses Cuvaison winery in Los Carneros and Brandlin Vineyard on Mount Veeder, said in a news release it will present its contribution to RWCF at the end of May.

"The abrupt closure of restaurants across America has devastated our friends in the restaurant industry," Cuvaison Estate Wines President and CEO Dan Zepponi said. "While we are still able to share our wines with our customers through our wine clubs and online sales, restaurants don’t have these options, and their workers are being hit particularly hard. These people are our partners, our brand ambassadors and our friends, and they need our help now more than ever."

Patch was not able to reach anyone with Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation; its website indicates it has been overwhelmed with emails and calls.

Phillip Arenas is a Californian who has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years but has been out of work since March 15. Arenas said he heard about the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation from a friend of his.

"I think it's great that organizations like that exist because it's times like this that those kinds of contributions are vital," Arenas told Patch.

According to Arenas, it's the bartenders and waiters who are suffering the most from the current virus epidemic.

"Ironically, this group makes just over the income level needed to qualify for all types of assistance," Arenas said. "The federal stimulus package will help greatly but it's basically just a 1-month Band-Aid on a yearlong shotgun wound."

Arenas said the restaurant industry can be great for people who are young and still following their dreams because of its flexibility.

"But that flexibility means fluctuation in money," Arenas said. "When the economy suffers, the industry gets hit the hardest. I might not stay in the industry after this whole mess, and that may not be my choice to make."