Wine writer John Fordham has released two wines to raise funds for the newly-formed Head and Neck Cancer Foundation.
The wines, appropriately labelled Critic's Choice, have been created in partnership with Cellarmasters and McGuigan Wines.
Fordham, the long-time wine critic of The Sunday Telegraph, was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2017 and, having fully recovered from the illness a year later, decided to form the foundation in conjunction with a team of cancer specialists, led by the Foundation’s chairman, Professor Thomas Havas.
“Wine was an obvious connection to raise funds,” he said, describing the 2016 Critic’s Choice Barossa Valley Shiraz and 2017 Critic’s Choice Hunter Valley-Adelaide Hills Chardonnay as wines he enthusiastically endorsed on the scores of quality and value. The wine’s labels were designed by Fordham’s artist daughter, Sarah, while his son, Nick, sits on the Head and Neck Cancer Foundation board.
Cellarmasters and McGuigan Wines decided to passionately support the project from the outset, with both wines now available through cellarmasters.com.au. The wines have also been stocked by a number of food and beverage outlets with which Fordham has close connections.
“Cellarmasters and McGuigan Wines have been wonderfully supportive in making all this come together,” he said. “They both recognised the importance of raising funds to support the important and vital research being undertaken by the foundation into head and neck cancer research.”
Andrew Caillard, a Master of Wine and member of the wine selection panel, said both wines were selected because they “offered a wonderful generosity of fruit”.
“Both have great suppleness on the palate. The chardonnay benefits from an exciting Hunter Valley component, while the Barossa shiraz is a classically lovely and rich wine, with beautiful body and chocolate tannins.”
Both wines are available through Cellarmasters at $25 a bottle.
Neil McGuigan, Chief Winemaker at McGuigan Wines, said: “We were honoured to have been approached by respected wine writer John Fordham to support his Head and Neck Cancer Foundation by making a special wine under the fitting name of The Critic’s Choice. All the proceeds from sales of the wines will be directed to the Foundation, so by buying a bottle, consumers are also lending their support to a great charitable cause.”
Ben Copeman-Hill, General Manager of Cellarmasters, added: “At Cellarmasters, we are proud to support John Fordham’s Head and Neck Cancer Foundation. We are confident our customers will not only love the Critic’s Choice range that Neil McGuigan, arguably Australia’s most awarded winemaker, has crafted, but they will feel great knowing that they are contributing to a good cause by simply enjoying delicious wine.”
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