Verde Valley News – ‘Vin de Filles’ (VDF), is an Arizona wine grown, produced, and bottled by women and originally released during its first annual Fund-Raising Party in October 2021 at Page Springs Cellars.
The group of female volunteers range between the ages of 11 and 68 years. They have been nurturing two different grape varieties, Malvasia and Syrah since the beginning of the 2020 winegrowing season for their pied-de-cuve co-ferment.
The VDF project educates and encourages the passions of women beyond the food and beverage industry. During the annual fundraising party, dinners are prepared by female chefs and winemakers from Arizona with a female musician playing live acoustic guitar. The event hosts a silent auction with wine donated by women winemakers from across the world including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and California.
All the silent auction proceeds, plus portions of net profits of ticket, wine, and t-shirt sales are donated to the Verde Valley Sanctuary (VVS) amounting to $40,000 in 2023, $40,000 in 2022, and $25,000 in 2021. The VDF founders have raised and donated a total of $105,000 in the past three years to support women in the community.
“Once again, the VDF’s support has exceeded expectations and we could not be more grateful for the support from this project” says VVS’s Executive Director, Jessye Johnson. “It has been equally powerful watching the VDF project grow year-over-year and are honored to be a recipient of such a passionate group of women.”
VVS’s mission is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This year’s donation will directly support free services provided by the VVS:
- Crisis Hotline 24/7/365 (928) 634-2511
- Emergency Shelter (Pet Friendly) 24/7/365
- Transitional Housing w/Match Savings Program
- Lay Legal Advocacy
- Community Based Advocacy
- Youth Violence Prevention Education
VDF’s second vintage, 2021, is available for purchase at the Page Springs Cellars tasting room and a large portion of the net profits will continue to be donated to the Verde Valley Sanctuary. Specific questions about the project can be sent to gayle@pagespringscellars.com. For more information or for event details, check out https://pagespringscellars.com/vin-de-filles. This year’s event is scheduled for October 20th and 21st; 2024 Tickets will go on sale August 2024.
For more information about VVS or to make a donation, contact Community Development Director Tracey McConnell at (928) 282-2755, tracey@verdevalleysanctuary.org, or visit the website https://www.verdevalleysanctuary.org.