wines. As a result, Senders Wines are intended to drink very well upon release but still age gracefully. Craig’s greatest passion is their Pinot Noir. “Cabernet is like wine in a sweatshirt—the intensity of the grape covers up many nuanced flavors. Pinot Noir is like wine in a negligee—all the nuanced flavors show through,” says the winemaker. The Pinot comes from grower Frances Mahoney in Carneros. Karen shares, “Craig loves the challenge that the Pinot Noir grape gives him.” He agrees with the movie “Sideways” that states “the Pinot Noir grape is the most finicky, complicated, needing constant care and nurturing to be coaxed to its fullest expression.”
Creating smiles around the world A cleft palate occurs when the roof of the mouth contains an opening into the nose. The disorder can result in feeding problems, speech problems, hearing problems and frequent ear infections. Untreated, children often experience speech and/or developmental delays,
social exclusion and other life-defining difficulties. This feels particularly wasteful since a cleft palate can be quickly repaired with a surgery called palatoplasty when the baby is 10–12 months old. The goals are to close the opening between the nose and mouth, create a palate that works well for speech and to prevent food and liquid from leaking out of the nose. With proper medical care patients with cleft lip and palate conditions can be treated successfully with no lasting problems. A team experienced in treating children with cleft lip and palate can perform the surgery in about two to three hours, and most babies can go home after one or two days in the hospital. To further his humanitarian goals and reach patients in need, Dr. Senders is also a board member of Faces of Tomorrow, a non-profit organization delivering medical care to an underserved population of children, youth and adults who might otherwise not receive the benefit of surgical
treatments for their cleft lip or palate. He personally trained most of the surgeons involved in the organization and the impact he is having on patients around the world is inspiring others to do the same. Senders “Wines with a Cause” is the framework for blending Senders Wines with the humanitarian goals of Karen and Craig—and they integrated the tag line “Take a Sip and Save a Lip” to promote their fundraising efforts. As a result, more than 3,000 children have received new smiles and have had their lives changed by the teams of surgeons, dentists and nurses from these missions. Their award-winning vintages literally have the added flavor of generosity. “Senders Wines followers love both the wines and the cause,” said Karen. “Many customers gift our wines because to them it’s fulfilling, like giving and receiving to the recipient.” Nothing pairs better with a beautiful wine than a beautiful cause that helps children to smile again. And in the end, Sender’s Wine doesn’t have to choose between developing memorable wine and making an impact on the world. The Senders have done a masterful job of combining both passions. n
WHERE TO PURCHASE?
Senders Wines: senders-wines. obtainwine.com/collection/wines Sign up for the wine club and the winery donates an additional $100 to Faces of Tomorrow.
98
[ Q4 ] 2022
MD Next
mdnext.com