Imagine if you could feed hungry children, fight cancer and heart disease, or teach a child to read, simply by doing what you’re going to do anyway: imbibe.

That’s the mission of OneHope Wine, a California-based company founded in 2007 by eight recent college graduates. Within two years, they began a collaboration with winemaker Robert Mondavi Jr. that continues today. Now the company has grown to be one of the top 300 U.S. wineries by production.

“People may buy our wine the first time because of what we stand for, but they continue to come back because the wine is great,” co-founder and CEO Jake Kloberdanz said on the company web site. “Our commitment to quality wine is as important as our commitment to the causes we support.”

A new vineyard near Rutherford, in the heart of the Napa Valley, is already producing estate wines, and a full winery and tasting room are on schedule for completion next year.

Varietals include reds (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, zinfandel, pinot noir and a blend), whites (chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, fume blanc, pinot grigio and muscat canelli) and other choices, including a rosé, a sparkling rosé and a sparkling brut. They are sourced from many parts of California, from Napa and Sonoma in the north to Paso Robles and Santa Barbara in the south, including Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Lodi.

The wine is not yet distributed in stores in Central Oregon but may be ordered online or purchased from Bend-based distributor Brook Visser at viaonehope.com.

Numerous causes

I am wowed by what Kloberdanz, Visser and their associates have accomplished.

Each varietal, whether from the economically priced Core Collection, the mid-range Reserve selection or the upper-end Estate wines, is designated for one particular cause. Sales of the 2013 California cabernet sauvignon ($18.99) and the 2014 Napa Valley Reserve cabernet sauvignon ($44.99), for instance, go to providing behavioral therapy for autistic children. As of last year, OneHope said it had provided this service for 1,507 kids.

Every case of sparkling brut funds 25 meals for hungry children. Over time, that has added up to nearly 1.2 million meals, the company says. And a case of riesling funds six weeks of childhood literacy education.

Many of the benefits are medical. Chardonnay sales have enabled thousands of clinical trials for breast-cancer victims. Merlot has supplied vaccines and medications for nearly 50,000 children. Rosé and a reserve pinot noir have funded education in ovarian cancer and heart disease. Other projects include prostate and skin cancer screening, genetic studies on Alzheimer’s disease and health education for Napa farmworkers and their families.

Human services are also available. Sales of zinfandel and a red blend have gone to match about 1,500 military veterans with disaster-relief organizations, often in leadership positions, helping them re-establish a personal sense of purpose. Operational costs are met for LGBTQ crisis help lines, for counseling against bullying and for job-preparation classes.

And there are environmental causes — clean drinking water, tree planting (six trees per bottle of sauvignon blanc, already approaching 60,000 in total), and saving endangered species. Small loans have been made available to indigenous farmers. Nearly 18,000 domestic animals have been placed with “forever” families through sales of cases of pinot noir and pinot grigio.

Sipping with stars

Professional athletes Clayton Kershaw, star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chris Paul, point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers, have signed on as sponsors with OneHope. Every two bottles of Kershaw’s signature 2009 red blend ($60 each) provide a full day of meals for a homeless family of five. Every three bottles of Paul’s signature 2011 pinot noir ($60 each) send a child to a technology and enrichment camp.

During a tasting with Visser, I found I preferred the Napa cabernet sauvignon and cabernet blend (both $18.99) over other Core Collection choices. I especially liked the Kershaw signature red blend, made with grapes sourced from Rutherford and Dry Creek vineyards. Aged in American and French oak, it has soft tannins and a long finish with flavors of dark berries, licorice and cassis (black currants).

In addition to wines, OneHope provides a variety of gourmet foods (coffee, chocolate espresso beans, cheese, nuts) and novelty items (Champagne flutes, candles, pet toys) that go into gift boxes, priced $39 to $109.

All else being equal, OneHope wines may not stand out as remarkable — but they certainly are competitive with others in their price range. And given the good things the company is accomplishing, it makes sense to invest in an occasional bottle or case.

— John Gottberg Anderson can be reached at janderson@bendbulletin.com.

Each varietal … is designated for one particular cause. Sales of the 2013 California cabernet sauvignon ($18.99) and the 2014 Napa Valley Reserve cabernet sauvignon ($44.99), for instance, go to providing behavioral therapy for autistic children. As of last year, OneHope said it had provided this service for 1,507 kids.

INFORMATION

OneHope Wines: onehopewine.com or viaonehope.com, 866-983-2266.