Winemaker Partnership Kicks Off National Heart Month

HEALDSBURG, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- February is American Heart Month, and marks the perfect opportunity to share Colby Rex Groom's lofty goal for 2012: to reach $300,000 in total donations to charities that promote heart health from sales of Colby Red Wine.   The Groom family, in partnership with Treasury Wine Estates and Walgreen's stores, launched Colby Red Wine just one short year ago. They have raised more than $175,000 for heart charities across the US, to date. Colby Rex Groom, a surviving heart patient and now 14 years old, is an amazing kid dedicated to raising funds for cardiac research.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120201/AQ45916)

The success of Colby Red Wine is incredible.  Significant donations to several worthy heart charities including, American Heart Association, Napa Valley Heart Walk, Hearts for Hope, Ohio Children's Heart Foundation, Mended Little Hearts and many more heart focused charities across the US, have been made.  The Groom family; Colby, his mother Lisa and father Daryl, attended five American Heart Association Heart Balls in 2011, and through the telling of Colby's story on stage and special appeals on these evenings, Colby helped generate close to $750,000 in matching donations from attendees!  The list of charitable donations is growing by the day and can be found here in its entirety: http://www.colbyred.com/posfiles/donations.pdf

The story of how Colby Red Wine came to be is based on Colby's own heart story. When Colby was born, he was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect, or "hole," in his heart. By age two, the "hole" had healed, but doctors then found a defective heart valve. Colby had to undergo back-to-back open heart surgeries, at 8 and 9 years of age, to repair it. During the second surgery he received a St. Jude's valve developed by St. Jude Medical Foundation cardiac research. Colby is now healthy and happy, living a relatively normal life.

Growing up among vineyards in Sonoma, it was no surprise that Colby was interested in learning about viticulture and winemaking. His winemaker father Daryl was pleasantly surprised when he showed an interest in raising money for cardiac research. Combining his interest in winemaking with his desire to help others, Colby inspired the idea of creating a wine specifically to generate donations to heart-related charities – and Colby Red was born.

The grapes for the latest vintage, the 2010 Colby Red, come from select premium California vineyards from Treasury Wine Estates, who has partnered with the Groom family again this year to support the cause. The wine is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Merlot. Smooth and delicious, the wine retails for $12.99. Colby Red is expanding its wine distribution into broader U.S. retail markets and also is launching internationally in order to achieve the lofty 2012 goal. Colby Red wine is now available in Canada and Switzerland with plans to support heart charities in those countries as well. For more information contact Carrie Reed at [email protected] or 707-227-9553.

SOURCE Treasury Wine Estates