Drink Australian To Help Australia

photo by Duncan C via Flickr Creative Commons

These Aussie makers of beer, wine and spirits are giving back for wildfire relief

Beginning last June, a series of massive brushfires has burned about 72,000 square miles across Australia—an area roughly equivalent to the entire US state of Washington. Driven by widespread drought worsened by global climate change, the fires have affected all six of the country’s states, killing more than 30 people and as many as 1 billion animals.

Though fires are still burning, the recent arrival of rainy weather has helped bring the blazes under control, and the focus has started to turn to helping Australia recover and rebuild. If you’re a charitable drinker, there are some excellent ways to send help Down Under by drinking its beer, wine and spirits. Here are a few:

Drinks specials that give back

Around the US, you can find charitable drinks specials focused on Aussie drinks. In Chicago, Rogers Park Social’s February menu features four different drinks that each donate $3 to the World Wildlife Fund’s Australia efforts (they call for Starward Australian Whisky, Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur and—of course—Foster’s). In Texas, every bottle of Starward Barrel Select sold at Total Wine & More stores will also donate $3 to WWF. In Southern California, Long Beach bar The Hawk is hosting a Funder for Down Under party benefiting WWF on Feb. 29 with cocktail and food specials. And in New York, Gran Tivoli is donating 100 percent of proceeds from its $20 “Aussie Mates Fundraiser Flight,” featuring three mini-cocktails using Starward, Mr. Black and Four Pillars Gin, to the Australian Red Cross.

Cold Fashioned at Gran Tivoli for Aussie Mates charity

Charitable producers

Domestic producers big and small are also pledging big donations to wildfire relief. Lion and ABI-owned Carlton & United Breweries, both of which brew dozens of different beers around Australia, have each pledged $1 million to wildfire relief, and Diageo-owned Bundaberg Rum has also donated $500,000 to the Australian Red Cross.

Smaller brands are getting into the giving spirit as well: Batlow, New South Wales, a small town known for growing excellent apples, saw many of its homes and orchards burned, and the local Batlow Cider Co. has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $250,000 to help its community (and its source of fruit!) rebuild. Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur created a 1,000-bottle Bushfire Relief Limited Edition with a label by Brooklyn design firm Young Jerks; the release sold out within days, with 100 percent of proceeds going to WIRES Wildlife Rescue. And dozens of craft breweries all around the country held special events last month in a fundraiser called Beer for Brushfire Relief.

Support Australian tourism - no really!

If you ever had any desire to visit Australia, now’s also a great time! According to Tourism Australia, one in 13 people in the country depend on tourism for their livelihoods, and visiting the country is one of the best ways you can directly help Australia recover. Major cities like Sydney and Melbourne saw little direct damage from the fires, and bars, restaurants and hotels are open for business. Large portions of Australia’s wine regions saw little to no damage and are operating as usual, too. The state of Western Australia was comparatively less ravaged by fire, and the boutique wineries of its famed Margaret River area were largely unaffected. The same is true of the Yarra Valley region in Victoria, a popular one with tourists thanks to its convenient location near Melbourne.

Mr. Black wildfire charity bottle

Buy Australian wine

On the other hand, if your plans don’t include a trip Down Under, you should seek out wines from areas that were damaged: These producers need help the most! Adelaide Hills in South Australia and Tumbarumba in New South Wales are wine regions that both suffered extensive damage; look for them on labels. Or buy from individual wineries that were damaged but still have bottles for sale: Bird in Hand Winery lost its vineyards but not its cellar; the owner of Obsession Wines lost his home; Vinterloper was almost completely destroyed but is rebuilding and has a small stock of wine available; and Johansen Wines saw 95 percent of its vines burn but is selling wine as well as “sponsored posts” (not social media; the wooden kind that delineate vineyards) as it re-plants and recovers.

Please help

The world is rightfully looking at Australia’s devastating wildfires as a direct result of global climate change, and as one of a series of increasingly dire signs that we’ve been damaging our planet more than it can handle. But while the world works on fixing that, Australia needs your help: Go pick up a bottle of something from Down Under, say g’day and toast to a nation’s recovery.