Wines With a Cause: Subungulate Painters and the ‘Effervescing Elephant
Effervescing Elephant
I get excited about sparkling wine. Sure, it’s great for celebrations – but sparkling wine is fascinating to me because of the complex process that goes into every bottle. Because of the unique story and rich history of this particular product, I’ll drink it on a Monday night while watching football.
Masquerade Wine Company winemaker Bill Kimmerly shares my fascination with sparkling wine, but he also has a unique passion – his winery is working with the Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project (AEACP), an organization dedicated to saving the diminishing number of Asian elephants on our planet.
Bill created a distinctive sparkling wine, the “Effervescing Elephant”, specifically for the AEACP. The artwork on the label was painted by an 11-year old male elephant and the original work is showcased in Masquerade Wine Company’s tasting room located in Prosser, WA. 10% of the proceeds from this wine go directly towards this incredible cause.
I had the opportunity to meet Bill and his wife Jennifer at their Prosser, WA tasting room. My designated driver (and boyfriend) Zeb waited patiently as Bill walked me through a tasting of very impressive Masquerade wines, starting with the 2007 Effervescing Elephant, made from the traditional Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) and finishing with their limited production (only 330 cases) 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Once I got home, I popped open a bottle of the Effervescing Elephant and checked out the Asian Elephant and Conservation Project’s website. I have to say that I spent a good half-hour watching videos of elephants playing, interacting with each other, and painting incredible things – flowers, scenery, even other elephants!
Bill and Jennifer first came across elephant art at Nordstrom’s, of all places! Bill had visited Africa when he was a teenager, and this captivating artwork reminded Bill of the thrill of watching elephants in their natural habitat. He approached the AEACP Executive Director, David Ferris, with the idea for the “Effervescing Elephant” and the rest is history.
“Breezy Feelings” by JoJo
When I asked Bill what made this particular wine so special to him, his answer didn’t surprise me. After all, I am the girl who sips bubbly on a weeknight.
[This wine] gives me an opportunity to trumpet the idea of thinking about champagne and sparkling wine as an everyday wine. That is one of the things that struck me when I first visited Champagne. These are the wines they make there, and it is predominantly what they drink there. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t happen to be a birthday, anniversary, or holiday. It always blows me away how many people in the US never really consider this when they think of sparkling wine.
It blows my mind too, Bill. Let’s work to change that.
The “Effervescing Elephant” is available for sale at AmericanWinery.com and through the Masquerade Wine Company tasting room. For more information about the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project, visit their website.
Also, be sure to check out Masquerade Wine Company’s Straight from the Source video, complete with footage from their visit to New York for the AEACP’s “Trunk Show” fashion event!
