California Wine-Tasting Room Welcomes Dogs While Aiding Charity
Paul Ramos, a co-owner of the Carivintas Winery tasting room. Some of the profits are donated to animal-related causes and charities. Photographer: Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
The Carivintas Winery tasting room in Solvang, CA. The tasting room lets wine lovers bring in their dogs, offers treats and has a cushion for sleepy canines. Carivintas donates a portion of its profits to animal-related causes in the U.S. Photographer: Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
Treats Bowl
Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
The Carivintas Winery treats bowl. Dog owners can sip wine and feed treats to their pets at the tasting room which gives part of its profits to animal-related charities in the U.S.
The Carivintas Winery treats bowl. Dog owners can sip wine and feed treats to their pets at the tasting room which gives part of its profits to animal-related charities in the U.S. Photographer: Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
Carivintas Vicktory Dog Wine Club
Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
A wine bottle featuring a drawing of Georgia, one of the 22 dogs rescued in 2007 from NFL Quarterback Michael Vick's dog fighting ring. A percentage of sales of selections from Carivintas Vicktory Dog Wine Club goes to the Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society.
A wine bottle featuring a drawing of Georgia, one of the 22 dogs rescued in 2007 from NFL Quarterback Michael Vick's dog fighting ring. A percentage of sales of selections from Carivintas Vicktory Dog Wine Club goes to the Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society. Photographer: Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
While Paul Ramos spent years fixing Oracle Corp.’s database software programs, he harbored dreams of moving his passion for animals and wine to the center of his working life.
It turned out that his buddy Fleet Hamilton, a software consultant who started Carivintas Winery LLC five years ago, wanted to open a tasting room that would benefit animal causes. Ramos, a lover of whippets, became a partner in the room when it opened last year.
“I was loathing corporate life and in an industry where no job I did felt truly complete,” the bearded Ramos, 40, said in an interview at the winery.
Hamilton started Carivintas -- the name melds the Latin words for wine and charity -- in Solvang, California, five years ago to combine wine sales and philanthropy. The winery gives 10 to 30 percent of gross sales from its subscription wine clubs to charities such as the Pets for Life program run by the Humane Society of the U.S.
Its tasting room stands in the center of Solvang, a faux- Danish village in Santa Barbara County that was featured in the 2004 movie “Sideways.” The room gives all profits from wine sales to animal causes; it has raised more than $42,000 for the Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society, which provides permanent shelter for abandoned and abused pets around the country.
“The goal is to make great wine, make a living and give back to the community,” Ramos said. “It’s turned out to be much larger than our community.”
‘Accident on the Floor’
In the dog-friendly, 800-square-foot wine-tasting room, dogs can rest on a bone-shaped cushion or munch on gourmet cookies while their masters sample a chardonnay or the vineyard’s syrah or malbec blends.
“My dog, Olivia, likes to meet people who come in with other dogs,” said frequent visitor Cheryl Belhasen, 52, who works at the nearby Lompoc Animal Shelter in Lompoc, California. “If your dog has an accident on the floor, the owners aren’t uptight about it so you don’t feel as though your dog is the first to make a mess.”
Ramos and Hamilton insist that the wine alone is worth a stop at Carivintas. The locals in Solvang and surrounding areas have made its 2006 malbec-tempranillo blend one of the best sellers, and its 2007 zinfandel and pinot noir are also popular.
Subscribers to one of the three Carivintas canine wine clubs get regular shipments. Wine sold through its Dog Lovers Wine Club features labels with dogs drawn by artists and information about the animals. Subscribers receive quarterly or monthly shipments, and those who order online can choose the charity that will benefit.
“We want people to talk about the labels,” said Hamilton, 47. “It’s a conversation starter, but also the wine needs to be the first thing that’s talked about. We want to be taken seriously as a winery.”
Vicktory Club
Those with a soft spot for abused dogs can join the Vicktory Dog Wine Club. Reds or whites can be purchased with the images of 22 dogs captured at the home of Michael Vick, the National Football League quarterback who pleaded guilty in 2007 to running an interstate dog-fighting business.
These wines sell for $30 a bottle or $360 a case. A percentage of the sales goes to Best Friends, which rescued the dogs from Vick’s house. The winery also offers a collection of Vicktory Dog coasters, prints and a book with photos of the dogs.
“It’s our duty to take care of dogs that need our help for their survival,” Ramos said. “It’s easy to just moan and complain and ask why don’t people do more, and I actually wanted to be that person that made a difference.”
To contact the writer on this story: Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@bloomberg.net.
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