Partnering with Purpose: Vital Wines x Capital Call Vintners

One of our core beliefs at Capital Call Vintners is building community. Both in the Midwest and the Northwest, we continually seek ways to bring people together and to support our neighbors.

In Walla Walla, Vital Wines is literally our neighbor as our tasting rooms sit right next to each other on Second Avenue. Vital Wines is a nonprofit organization that serves an integral role in our community by providing access to affordable health care, education, and resources to vineyard workers and their families, the majority of whom are Latino/a.

To fund their programs, Vital sells wine made from fruit donated by area wineries and vineyards and crafted by local winemakers. Bottles and cases are sold in their tasting room, through their wine club, and online.

“There is so much generosity and buy in to support our work,” said Maddie Richards, Executive Director of Vital Wines. “From grape to glass almost everything is donated.”

In 2025, Vital Wines served over 200 vineyard employees via vineyard visits and health fairs in Walla Walla Valley, Red Mountain AVA, and Yakima Valley AVA. The Promotora de Salud program supports  two community workers who go out into the vineyards and connect directly with workers. Through this and other direct services, Vital ensures vineyard workers have knowledge of and access to affordable health care programs.

Vital Wines has just released two wines, Sangiovese and Merlot, made from fruit from Capital Call’s estate Wheatfield Vines Vineyard and made by our head winemaker Josh Maloney. Both grapes are from the ’23 vintage.

This double donation is “extra awesome,” said Richards. At Vital Wines, by “selling someone a bottle, you could be paying for an eye exam or for someone to stay home and recover [from illness or injury],” she said. “It’s not to turn a profit, it’s doing more.”

Capital Call is proud to support Vital Wines and our wine community with this donation of fruit and winemaking talent. Josh Maloney is excited about how the wines are coming along.

“It’s a universal consensus that these grapes from Wheatfield Vines Vineyard are riper and more densely structured and more accessible than we would expect of these varieties,” said Maloney.

“There’s a lot of the classic hallmarks of Sangio—bright red fruit with lots of raspberry—but with a distinct Walla Walla feel to it,” he said. “The Merlot is always dark and earthy from Wheatfield Vines. Lots of dark plum leaps out of the glass.” Both wines were aged in American oak.

We invite you to visit our neighbor Vital Wines, support their important work, and check out their many amazing wine collaborations.