GIVING BACK

At Fielding Hills Winery we believe in giving back and paying forward. We focus our support on education and stewardship of the land.

Giving back to the earth - Sustainable Agricultural Practices

"We believe in farming practices that meet the present need while providing for our children to have the same
opportunities we had."

Mike Wade Winemaker + CEO Columbia Fruit Packers

Columbia Fruit Packers - Riverbend Vineyard and Westhill Vineyard

Isham Fielding Wade started Columbia Fruit Packers (CFP) over 60 years ago. Since then CFP has been growing, packing, and shipping apples and cherries all over the world. In the mid-1990s CFP added red wine grapes to its agricultural line-up. CFP uses sustainable practices in both business and farming.

The three indicators of Sustainable Agriculture are when farming methods are:

Environmentally Sound
Economically Feasible
Socially Equitable

Specifically, CFP agricultural methods include water conservation, building healthy soil, recycling, and environmentally accepted biological control.

"Grapes are a great fit for an agricultural product in the Wahluke Slope as they are naturally sustainable. There is ideal soil, rich in ancient volcanic nutrients, and great drainage."

Gus Heinicke Mike's brother in law and CFP Fieldman.

For four generations, the Wade family has sustained itself from the agriculture business. It is only right to take care of the dirt as if it were a family member.

Giving back to the community - Educational Scholarships

Cancer for College

We met Julie and Chip Kelly at Taste Washington a couple years ago. Julie invited us to pour wine at an event they were having — we get asked that a lot — and to donate the wine we pour. These folks and their event touched our hearts. Julie’s brother is Craig Pollard, who formed Cancer for College in 1993 as a senior project while at the USC Business School. Craig was a two-time cancer survivor and witnessed first-hand the financial impact cancer can have on a family and the hope a college education can provide to a survivor.

Cancer for College is a grassroots organization taking care of a niche of need. We have gone through the college application process with two of our own children. It is a very stressful time. We can’t imagine having the goal of surviving cancer rather than the goal of graduating from college. Take a minute to read about them at www.cancerforcollege.org and buy some Will Ferrell “Sexy Hot Tan” sun screen.

All, Road 27, Fielding Hills wine club fees are put in a CD with the annual interest given to Cancer for College.

Washington State Apple Blossom Festival

The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival began in 1919, about the time the first Wade moved to Wenatchee. Since then the Wade family has been involved with the festival in every aspect. Karen and Mike have volunteered countless hours for the Festival and brought up their children to know the importance of being a civic volunteer. Apple Blossom and the Wade family share history in Wenatchee through family, tradition, and celebration of what the land provides.

Each fall the Festival holds an auction to benefit the Royalty Scholarship Fund. The lot from Fielding Hills Winery is a much-anticipated item raising $700 to $1,000 each year towards post-high school education for the Festival Royal Court.

Washington Apple Education Foundation

The WAEF provides over $350,000 in scholarships for children of Washington State agricultural workers connected with the apple industry. Most of the folks who work at the vineyards also are involved in the orchards. We provide auction items for their annual event and volunteer our time.

As with most businesses today, the requests far outnumber the ability to give. Some other causes and programs we have supported this year include:

USO
Washington State High School Rodeo
Mount Rainier Appaloosa Club
Boy Scouts of America
EFC Youth Soccer
Fare Share
Bellevue Overlake Service Club
Wellness Place
Habitat for Humanity