Actor Jared Padalecki has previously starred in horror films House of Wax, Cry Wolf and Friday the 13th, and now hunts evil monsters on the CW's hit TV show Supernatural. Sensing a trend here? This week, it was announced that the star recently collaborated to make his own wine, and the label features—trick or treat?!—a Latin exorcism passage. The new Venatore label is available from Walla Walla, Wash.'s Nocking Point Wines yet, eerily, the wine is a New Mexico blanc de blancs that was made at Gruet. Two-packs of the spooky sparkling Chardonnay are available now for $60 from NockingPointWines.com, though the 500-case production won't be released until Nov. 15. A portion of proceeds will be donated to charity initiative LetsFCancer.com.
How did this Frankenwine's monster of a partnership come to be? Nocking Point cofounder Stephen Amell has a double-life of his own, starring as D.C. superhero Green Arrow on the CW series Arrow, which is how he and Padalecki became friends. Padalecki, however, wanted to make a sparkler, while Nocking Point specializes in still wines, hence the call to Gruet. Finally, Padalecki called on his sister Megan, a children's book illustrator, to create the label art. It won't be here in time for Halloween, but as Padalecki peddled with an Instagram post of the wine, “How are y'all gonna celebrate tonight's new Supernatural episode??? This is what I'll be drinking!!! I'm so proud of this awesome juice I was able to be a part of with my pals over at Nocking Point and my sister Megan. … Get yours now, and exorcize your demons with us!!”
Not a Trick: Bacardi Batty for New Branded Bat Caves
Bacardi has always had a thing for bats—just check out its logo—but the spirits company is really embracing its “We Are the Night” slogan with the construction of three bat habitats at its bottling facility in Jacksonville, Fla. Though the announcement comes just in time for Halloween, it’s not some spooky stunt, but rather part of Bacardi’s ongoing efforts toward wildlife habitat protection and education. "Conservation and sustainability have been a part of who Bacardi has been since the very beginning,” Julio Torruella, global environment director for Bacardi, said in a statement. “We've now come full-circle with these bat caves as we live out this legacy."
The furry flying mammal has long been a part of the Bacardi story. When Facundo Bacardi founded the rum company in 1862 in Cuba, his wife spotted a colony of bats in the rafters of their first distillery. Recognizing them as a symbol of good health, family unity and good fortune, they made sure the bats remained in the distillery and Bacardi became known by the Cuban people as "el Ron del Murciélago," or "the Rum of the Bat."
Now the company is reviving this generous housing situation for these kinda-cute, kinda-creepy cave dwellers, this time with three branded wooden "bat caves" with the combined capacity for 500 bats, which are beneficial because they eat insect pests. As part of a partnership with the Lubee Bat Conservancy, the Bacardi wildlife team is working to preserve biological diversity and protect habitats for bat species (their property contains four species), which are declining in population across the United States.
Detroit International Wine Auction Collects $3.3 Million
The 35th Detroit International Wine Auction raised $3.3 million earlier this month, the highest total yet for the annual fund-raiser that unites the worlds of art and wine. The auction has raised more than $30.5 million since 1991. This year's net proceeds totaled $2.3 million, which were donated to the College for Creative Studies and the Community Arts Partnership Program, which offer undergraduate scholarships and free art classes to more than 4,000 Detroit children every year.
Sponsored by Fisher Vineyards, the top lot with a wine component (at $160,000) was a three-day trip for four to California wine country. Other top lots included lunch with General Motors CEO Mary Barra and CFO Chuck Stevens for $150,000, as well as $16,000 for a bottle of 1998 Pétrus. “The wine industry and dozens of corporations support the event by donating one-of-a-kind wine and experience lots,” Nina Holden, vice president of institutional advancement for the College for Creative Studies, told Unfiltered via email. “The event's changing venues—this year the event was held in a newly-redeveloped historic urban park in the heart of downtown—also celebrates the cultural and economic rebirth of Detroit.”
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