Wine for Water

The Paso Wine Centre, located a block off the town square, has a giant gadget called an Enomatic that dispenses wine when you insert a pre-paid card. It’s all very space-age and hip. Seemingly every wine made in the Paso area is in the machine and tastes range in price from a little over a modest buck to just shy of a swanky five dollar bill. You can take your wine over to the lounge area and sink into a giant sofa and lose yourself in conversation or the eyes of your date. As your mood heightens and your pleasure increases so does the amount of good you are doing for people around the world.

You read that right. By trying the wines of Paso Robles you are improving the lives of people around the world -- about a billion people worldwide, one sip at a time. How? The Paso Robles Wine Centre, is home to an international relief organization called Wine For Water.

Wine For Water is a non-profit aid organization that focuses on providing clean water to needy people around the world who lack access to adequate water and sanitation. The venture was founded by Ray Broersma who started a rock climbing equipment company after finishing school in 1999. On rock climbing excursions into Africa and Asia Broersma was disturbed by the difficulties many people faced when it came to gathering water. He decided to do something about it.

In early 2009 he opened the the Paso Wine Centre. All of the net proceeds earned in the shop go directly to the charity Water For Wine. The first goal is to establish 100 wells in Ethiopia within the first 18 months of the Wine Centre being open. A well costs US$5,000.

The next time you go wine tasting in Paso Robles visit the Wine Centre where every sip is doing good.