Los Angeles Wildfire Wine Relief

Ways to send assistance to those in need, through buying wine and direct donations.

Yet another wildfire has just begun on the outskirts of Los Angeles (the Hughes Fire) though we’re also well on our way to being on the other end of the horrible multi-fire event of the previous 2 weeks.

During this time, in this aftermath, I wanted to post about the few things that most everyone can do to lend a hand. For those in need, for wineries that have been affected, and the best part here is that you can even buy wine for yourself as part of some of these assists. (Go on, you know that caught your attention!)

Here’s the thus-far list of “Wildfire Wine Relief”.

• Diniz Cellars is donating 22% of proceeds from sales on their website to the LAFD Foundation. Diniz is an importer and DTC seller of Portuguese wines, founded by Sandra Gomes Rocha (who, hey, was in my WSET 3 class last year!) If you love Portugese wines, and want to buy them from a passionate up-and-coming importer, plus help send money to the LAFD, this is a great way to do so.

• Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio in Malibu, CA suffered a complete loss in the Palisades Fire. Lital Abrahams has started a GoFundMe to pay all staff for the projected 3 months they would otherwise be unemployed! They’re 72% of the way there already (roughly $15K of their $20K goal) so please donate what you can to keep wine day workers - already a not-rich lot - at least collecting their basic salary while the winery is down and out.

• Over at

  Andrea J.
  ’s
  Mas Vino Please
  she highlights a number of ways to support those affected by the Altadena Fire, including (taken directly from her post):

  • Altadena Bev - pillars of both the wine and Altadena communities, Kate and Adam have supported so many of us. Their shop is currently closed due to evacuation requirements but they are selling their famous Altadena hats & crewnecks.

  • Kristin O of Nomadica - the founder of Nomadica Canned Wine also lost her home in the Palisades Fire. You can support her and her husband here.

  • Silverlake Wine - their sister shop West Altadena Wine is currently closed but they are selling Eric Junker Posters for fire relief efforts.

  • Pasadena Wine Shop - the founder and owner, unfortunately lost her home in the Eaton Fire. A great way to support her is by shopping with her or supporting her GFM. She also has a selection of donated wines for sale and is giving 100% of the sale price to California Fire Foundation.

  • DIRECT FUNDRAISING FOR VICTIMS OF LA FIRES - 5pmLucky has compiled a working list of families, folks and businesses who need our support. “All links directly support real people, real neighbors, that I know or you know or your friend knows.” - 5pmLucky.

Read Andrea’s full post here, which also gives a brief and beautiful history of Altadena wine country:

The Story of Wine in Altadena.

• And lastly, for anyone directly affected (or if you know of anyone who is) here’s the calendar for LA Fire Disaster Support Distribution Events. It’s open to anyone in need of support whether they’ve lost their homes, their jobs, or schools. There will be clothes, food, bottled water, personal care products, diapers, formula and other goods for people who could use the help. World Central Kitchen will be on site providing meals, and there are other organizations who will be present to provide support. If anyone here, or anyone you know could use some supplies, please let them know about. Doors will be open Thursday, Friday, and Sunday of this week.

• You can also donate directly to The Santa Monica Community College Disaster Support Fund which has been established to support SMC students, faculty, and staff who have been impacted by the fires across Los Angeles County. This fund will help provide temporary housing, food, water, clothing, transportation, medical supplies, school materials, and emergency funding to support immediate needs. 100% of donations go to victims of the fires.

If I’ve missed anything (and no doubt I have - the number of GoFundMe’s, Relief Funds, and donation events have been wonderfully full blown these past two weeks!) do not hesitate to sound off about them in the comments!