8/08/2023: Fires Destroy the historic town of lahaina
The Heart of Maui Wine Project is driven by the desire to directly help Maui residents whose lives, homes, jobs and livelihoods were abruptly changed forever by the fire that engulfed Lahaina on August 8th. Fires also erupted in Kula, Olinda and Kihei on the same day, due to dry conditions and strong hurricane winds from Dora. As a result, many of our hospitality ‘Ohana across Maui have been affected by these tragic events, which will take months and even years to recover. Our hope with this wine project is to create something that connects friends and family around the table and around the globe, to once more create memorable moments together and to give back directly to those in the hospitality industry that were affected.
Fleetwoods on Front Street, August 9, 2023
The Wine Project
The Heart of Maui Wine Project is a collaboration between Christina Sports of Abaluche Wine Company and Bobby Moy of CHIRON Wines. They worked on the Lāhainā Cuvée together during the harvest of 2022; Christina even stomped the grapes at Bobby's winery in Napa! The Cuveé is 55% Petite Sirah and 45% Grenache from Lodi and Dunnigan Hills in California. Together, they are planning to create additional wines for the Heart of Maui Wine Project to release in 2023 and 2024, all to benefit fire victims.
The artwork featured on the labels for this project are by Lahaina artist Jim Kingwell, who has been a fixture on the Front Street Art Scene for over 30 years. The artwork for the Lāhainā Cuvée was a piece named “Village By The Sea”. This was an original watercolor, of which there was only one, and was sadly lost in the Lahaina fire. We are honored to feature this piece as the label for the Lāhainā Cuveé.
100% of net proceeds will go to the Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund, who are helping the folks in the hospitality industry get back on their feet and thrive in these difficult times.
2022 Lāhainā Cuveé. Original Artwork by Jim Kingwell
The People
From servers and cooks, boat crew and hotel concierge, so many people that work in the hospitality industry on Maui have been directly affected by the fires, whether they lost their home or their loved ones, their workplace was lost or were laid off due to lack of visitors to the island. Tourism represents 40% of Maui’s industry, and these were some of the people that made Maui such a special place to visit and to live. They embraced the aloha spirit of the islands and were an integral part of the heart of Maui, and we stand together with them today to help them recover and rebuild their lives.
The Place
Birthplace of Royalty. Capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Settled in the 1800’s by missionaries and seafaring settlers, Lāhainā was one of the most historic towns in Hawaii and is now reduced to ash. From 1837 to 1845, King Kamehameha III lived on the tiny island of Moku’ula surrounded by a 17-acre pond in the heart of Lāhainā. Under his rule, Lāhainā became the official first capital of the constitutional monarchy. Traditionally called Lele, the West Maui district was favored by ali’i (royalty) for its abundance of food from ‘āina (land) and kai (ocean), and balanced climate. The mighty Banyan Tree was planted in 1873 and just recently celebrated its’ 150th anniversary. A sacred and historic place, we stand with all who will work to bring Lāhainā back from the ashes.
The Heart
The Heart of Maui has always been its’ people, and the strength and resiliance shown by the residents from West Maui to Upcountry Kula during this time of tragedy is the true definition of aloha. Residents who lost everything going above and beyond to provide food, shelter and clothes for neighbors who also lost homes or loved ones; volunteers fully staffed and working non stop at community distribution centers; people literally giving the shirt off their back to aid another. This is for them and for all the beautiful people of Maui who continue to show the world how strong the heart of the island truly is.
