Stark Thirst Quenches and Saves

On a hot afternoon, or even with a light meal, sometimes those big oaky chardonnays are just a bit much. Vanilla, toast, crème Brule: is this a waffle or a wine? It makes you long for a crisp pinot gris, or better yet, maybe a glass of water.

Enter Stark Thirst. It's a wine, alright, but of the non-oaked chardonnay style that's becoming easier to find. Just the fine subtle flavors of the grape, fermented in stainless steel tanks and free of the ambivalent services of oak. It's also free of malolactic fermentation, notes winemaker .

"It's a lean crisp style, geared toward the current trend of chardonnay," said Stark. "The style I usually do is in oak, though it's neutral oak. This is a thirst-quenching summer wine, a porch wine."

But the selling point of Stark Thirst goes beyond its green apple and nectarine notes and mineral finish. 

The stated mission of Stark Thirst is "Enjoy wine, give back." And giving back is what winemaker Christian Stark and his partner in this project, Kerstin Krall Walz, plan to do with every bottle purchased.

"Stark Thirst gives back because it is partnered with WaterAid to bring more awareness to and funding for the world's water crisis," says Walz, a one-time "mad woman" in the New York advertising world.

She "devised her exit strategy from the fast-paced world of Madison Avenue advertising by studying wine," her bio states, but since she serves as marketing director for Stark Thirst, it's clear she hasn't given up her blue suit for good.

It was her idea to partner a good wine with a good cause. Locally, from Daryl Groom performs a similar service, its profit going to help support charities across the USA and Canada that promote heart health.

Walz notes that charitable purchasing is exploding in other categories and is very optimistic that it will work in wine, too. She's especially inspired by Tom's Shoes who makes 'giving back' the ultimate return-on-investment - with every pair you purchase, Tom's gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

No, a child in need does not get a bottle of Stark Thirst for every bottle you buy. But a full ten percent of each bottle sold goes to WaterAid, a non-profit organization that helps the world’s poorest communities gain access to safe water and sanitation.

According to their figures, one in eight people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water -- that's nearly 900 million people. This year alone, thanks to Stark Thirst's contribution, 200 more people will have access to clean water for life. It's a drop in the bucket, but it helps.

Stark and Walz take it a couple steps further, though, in the production and distribution. Stark Thirst is bottled in recycled glass bottles remade in the USA, which are 33 percent lighter than average bottles for a smaller environmental footprint. To say nothing of the oak trees saved by not barreling the wines.

Winemaker Stark -- whose Stark Wines is one of two wineries represented at -- jumped aboard the project when Walz, whom he met throught a mutual friend, suggested it.

"For me, a big part of winemaking is to control the amount of water used in the process, to monitor it," said Stark.

"It's an organic process by philosophy. But the wine industry is going to be using a lot of water, but it's nice to be conscious of it, and give something back."

If you're interested in Stark Thirst, you can drop by Garagiste and talk to Christian Stark, or his wife Jennifer.  But don't expect to pick up a bottle for your Fourth of July picnic.

Stark Wines and Stark Thirst are two different brands, and though you can purchase Stark 2009 Chardonnay from Windsor Oaks Vineyards, the 2009 Stark Viognier, or the 2009 Syrah or Pinot Noir at the Garagiste Tasting Room, Stark Thirst is available by retail only through Chelsea Wine Vault in New York.

Only 200 cases were produced, and they're going fast. It's just $15.99, not a bad price for a 100 percent Sonoma County hillside Alexander Valley chardonnay.

Not a bad price for doing things right.