An inspirational young man, a delicious wine and a very worthy cause! Wildfire has been a huge supporter of Daryl Groom and his wines for over 10 years. Coincidentally I, along with my sisters, Heather & Tracy, met Daryl and his wife, Lisa Groom back in the fall of 2000 on a vacation to Napa & Sonoma. I had no idea that a chance meeting/dinner at Daryl & Lisa’s house would turn into a life long friendship that I hold very dear to my heart and I know that my family, my Wildfire colleagues, and friends that have met the Grooms would share the same sentiment when I say that we all have tremendous admiration and respect for Daryl, Lisa and their children. This admiration and respect took on a whole new meaning when I heard about their latest wine project, Colby Red. Before I write about the wine, you really need to know about Colby Groom and his remarkable story of courage and strength!

Colby Groom is Daryl and Lisa’s youngest child and only son, who at the age of eight years old underwent heart surgery to repair a heart valve. Just ten months after the initial surgery, Colby had to undergo a second open heart operation to replace the heart valve. Colby’s recovery from the second surgery was slow and arduous and the family all had to pull together to help get Colby through a very dark period in his young life. Once Colby regained his strength, started playing sports and was able to do things that most kids his age take for granted, Colby decided it was time to give back and do something that might one day allow other people not to have to go through as invasive a heart surgery as he had to endure- twice! Colby asked his father, Daryl if they could work on a wine together as a father and son project and of course, Daryl was thrilled with the idea. Three months into the project, Colby asked Daryl if the wine was good enough to sell and if proceeds from the wine could be donated to The American Heart Association for heart research as well as helping out families who can’t afford the medical financial burdens that go along with extensive heart surgeries. Daryl was blown away by his son’s selfless act of kindness and maturity and really from that point on Colby Red was born!

Shortly after Daryl announced that he was making a wine where proceeds would be donated to the American Heart Association, a Walgreens wine buyer approached Daryl with the idea of making 20,000 cases of Colby Red and then to sell the wine in Walgreens locations (that carry wine) across the country. Needless to say, proceeds from the wine have exceeded the Grooms’ wildest dreams. The Grooms and Walgreens have already raised nearly $100,000 towards heart research which initially was the Groom Family’s goal and therefore prompted their new goal of $250,000 to be raised which I have no doubt that amount will be donated very soon to the American Heart Association and to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital where Colby’s heart valve was made.

Wildfire wants to show our support for this very worthy cause by hosting two back to back extraordinary Groom Winery and Colby Red wine dinners. The wine dinners will be held on Thursday, April 14 in Wildfire Glenview and on Friday, April 15 in Wildfire Lincolnshire.  World renowned winemaker Daryl Groom will be the guest speaker at both dinners and if you’ve never had the privilege of meeting Daryl, you will not want to miss an opportunity to see how dynamic, charismatic and hilarious he really is! A portion of the proceeds from both dinners will be donated to The American Heart Association. A few pairings that may tempt you are the Pan Seared Potato Crusted Sea Scallops with Passion Fruit Butter paired with the 2010 Groom Sauvignon Blanc and a Filet Oscar with Jumbo Lump Crab, roasted aspargus, béarnaise sauce paired with Colby Red- I’m hungry already! Seats for these special events are limited so, if you would like to make a reservation for either of these dinners, please click here and choose either the Glenview or Lincolnshire Colby Red Wine Dinner. We will also feature Colby Red by the glass and bottle during the month of May in all 8 Wildfire locations! If you would personally like to play a part in supporting the Colby Red project, try a bottle with your dinner at home tonight. The wine retails at your local Walgreens store (that sells wine) for about $8.99 to $12.99 a bottle and is fruit forward, soft, juicy and has a velvety smooth texture. Colby Red is a California cuvee that is made up from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot & Petite Sirah. The wine is also available for purchase at colbyred.com. While you're there, watch the video and really feel the impact of the “Colby Red” story. Word to the wise, have a box of tissues on hand- it’s a tear jerker, for sure!

I hope to see you at one of the Groom and Colby Red wine dinners in April and/or enjoying a glass of Colby Red in May at any of the Wildfire locations. We're also excited to announce that Colby Red will be a permanent fixture on the Wildfire wine list this fall.

I dedicate this blog to Colby Groom who gives me inspiration to want to be a better person!

 Cheers to you,

Brad Wermager