SEQUIM — How’s this for global connectivity: A fancy wine from Portugal is raising money for a community in Chiapas, Mexico, thanks to a pair of Sequim women.
This starts with Judith Pasco, a Spanish teacher and the founder of the Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation nearly six years ago, receiving a gift from her elderly brother-in-law.
A wine connoisseur with a lavish cellar, he gave her a bottle of 1966 Quinta do Noval vintage port, made from grapes grown on the hillsides above Portugal’s Douro River.
“I did some research and found it was rather expensive,” Pasco noted.
Rather than drinking, saving or selling it, she donated the port to the nonprofit Mujeres de Maiz, which provides scholarships for young women in the rural towns of Chiapas.
But how to turn this wine into money?
Pasco approached Damiana Moody, owner of Damiana’s Best Cellars in downtown Sequim, to see if she might be interested in auctioning the port.
“She was immediately receptive,” Pasco said.
“Damiana also did some research and found it’s almost impossible to find [the ’66 Quinta do Noval] now.”
Moody, who opened Damiana’s three years ago, welcomed the idea for a couple of reasons.
She was a student of Pasco’s when she was at Sequim High School and admires her former teacher’s work with the women in Mexico.
Also, she hoped to draw some attention to her wine bar and bistro, which has recently expanded its menu.
“I had never been in her place before,” Pasco admitted.
She calls Damiana’s — where the menu ranges from Nash’s organic curry carrot soup to chicken ravioli to Medjool dates stuffed with Cambozola cheese and wrapped with prosciutto — an “elegant” spot.
The women put the port up for silent auction last week, and the bidding had reached $200 by Saturday.
The 750-milliliter bottle, Moody said, can be found on the Internet at anywhere from $250 to $1,000.
Bidding will continue until Damiana’s closes Tuesday, July 5.
The wine bar and bistro, at 143 W. Washington St., is open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
For information, phone 360-683-7697.
To learn more about Mujeres de Maiz, which helps rural women in Chiapas by funding college scholarships, children’s enrichment programs, eye examinations and eyeglasses, visit www.Mujeres deMaizOF.org.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@
peninsuladailynews.com.
