Tyler Redway
PATRICK of Coonawarra has enlisted to be this year’s wine sponsor for the NeuroSurgical Research Foundation’s (NRF’s) Sparkling 60th Celebration Dinner.
Patrick of Coonawarra’s chief winemaker Luke Tocaciu said the NRF was a charity which was very close to the Tocaciu family, as his father and the estate’s founder Patrick Tocaciu unfortunately passed away from brain cancer in 2013.
“At that point we found the NRF which is a fantastic charity providing support for research into the cure, prevention and treatment of brain cancer,” Mr Tocaciu said.
“We have done a lot of things with them over the years, we started raising money doing the City to Bay Fun Run from Adelaide down to Glenelg.
“We did it for about five or six years in a row with a group of people which just grew bigger and bigger each year.”
In the last 10 years, Patrick of Coonawarra has contributed more than $40,000 to the NRF’s cause as Mr Tocaciu said he hoped the relationship would continue for years to come.
He added the estate’s role on the night would be to dispense its own wine, including a 50-year-old ‘Chook Shed’ Rare Tawny port, originally made by Patick himself.
The tasting fee for this milestone wine is set at five dollars, as Mr Tocaciu said all proceeds from the tasting would go towards the NRF.
“We are just there to enjoy ourselves, we are dispensing the night with some wine, our Patrick of Coonawarra Wines will be on the table and then there will be further opportunity for people to purchase some of that wine which will then give some of the money back to the NRF,” he said.
“The port was made by my dad a very long time ago, so it’s fantastic to be able to showcase that and give the proceeds of it to charity.”
An additional NRF Partner Pack is also available on Patrick of Coonawarra’s website with 15 per cent of all proceeds raised supporting the NRF 60th Research Appeal.
The NRF’s Sparkling 60th Celebration Dinner will be held at the Entertainment Centre Theatre in Hindmarsh on August 26 from 6.30pm.
Entry fee for the event is $200 on the NRF’s website.
