Cheers! -100 Charities Chosen for GG’s Wine Giveaway
24 March 2011 at 2:49 pm
One hundred charities across Australia have been named as the recipients of a bottle of vintage Penfolds Grange Hermitage wine from Government House in Canberra to assist them to raise funds.
Each bottle will be signed by the Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, with the aim of increasing their value for fundraising purposes.
The lucky recipients come from all areas of the Not for Profit sector. From the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Royal Life Saving Society of Australia and the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal to the lesser known charities such as the Pyjama Foundation, Barkuma and Yalari.
The Official Secretary to the Governor-General, Stephen Brady says the response to the request for expressions of interest was overwhelming, with 340 organisations submitting applications for the signed bottles.
He says the organisations were chosen following a ‘blind draw’, and the Governor General is delighted that they will be able to use the wine for fund raising purposes within the broader community.
The Governor General announced in February that 100 bottles of Grange Hermitage which were surplus to Government House requirements would be offered to Australian registered Not for Profit charities.
Stephen Brady says an assessment by a respected wine expert indicated that some of the wines needed to be consumed within the next few years, while others should be retained because of their longevity and historic value.
He says the cellar has grown over many years to incorporate some very fine bottles of wine, collected since the 1980’s during the terms of previous governors – general.
Government House has decided to retain a small number of signature vintages to be served at significant national occasions, and a heritage selection will be cellared for use by future governors-general.
The selected bottles of Grange Hermitage include every vintage between 1985 and 1990, and the 1992 vintage. The 1985 vintage is the oldest wine in the collection.
A list of the organisations selected to receive bottles of wine can be found at http://www.gg.gov.au/res/file/The%20Table%20of%20Charities%20wine%20draw%2024_03.pdf
