Supporting our Rural Community
The Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers Association supports local non-profits through annual and ongoing initiatives. In 2020, the AVA raised close to $12,000 for local charities Yamhill-Carlton Together Cares, a non-profit serving children and families in need, and the Yamhill-Carlton Storehouse, a food pantry addressing food insecurity in our area.
The AVA also created and supports a one-of-a-kind viticulture education program at Yamhill-Carlton High School. With a working vineyard planted by students and local winemakers on the high school grounds in 2012, teachers on staff provide practical and technical knowledge year-round, focusing on botany, soil science, the economics of vineyard production, and more.
Ongoing Fundraising Initiatives
Through annual events and wine sales, the Winegrowers Association orchestrates fundraising initiatives that support the Yamhill-Carlton community.
In 2020, more than thirty wineries contributed their top Pinot Noir cuvées to create mixed cases and 6-packs of wine, raising funds for two charity organizations serving the local community: Yamhill Carlton Together Cares (YCTC), a non-profit serving children and families in need in the Yamhill and Carlton communities and the Yamhill-Carlton Storehouse, a food pantry serving food insecure households in our area.
A big thanks to all of those who supported these causes by purchasing wine, and to the wineries who donated their top bottlings to the initiative:
Supporting Local Education
The Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers Association helped create and supports a viticulture education program at Yamhill-Carlton High School, the only program of its kind in the country.
In 2012, students and local winemakers planted a 1.5-acre vineyard on the high school grounds. With multiple Pinot Noir clones planted at the site, teachers on staff provide practical and technical knowledge year-round. Students learn about plant and soil science, the economics of vineyard production, and more, while also earning college credit.
Ken Wright of Ken Wright Cellars spearheaded the project, now in its ninth year. Every vintage, Ken Wright Cellars makes wine from fruit harvested at the educational vineyard, blending it into a cuvée that is sold at the annual “Flavors of Carlton” auction, providing ongoing funding to the program.
If you’d like to contribute to the Yamhill-Carlton High School viticulture program, please email contactus@yamhill-carlton.org
