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Inder Raj Ahluwalia
In an age of redefinition, the word charity has assumed several meanings that range from disbursement of material aid to mental gratification and relief. But the essence of charity remains the same the world over and charitable institutions spring up in some rather strange circumstances in exotic locales.
"Ring and staff, you're welcome on bottles of stein wine.
He who waters his sheep so is a good sheperd."
With these words Friedrich Schiller had expressed his admiration for Juliusspital wines whose symbols are the ring and staff. Inspired by this praise and riding on a strong sense of tradition, the Juliusspital Wine Estate in Wurzburg also added social responsibility to its business of producing wine, thereby creating a fine `blend'' of business and charity.
The wine estate and its proceeds belong to the "Juliusspital" Charitable Foundation which was established in 1576 by Julius Echter of Mespelbrunn, prince bishop of Wurzburg, who declared in the foundation charter care for "every kind of sickand poor who require care or treatment and travelling pilgrims and village people".
The foundation charter of the Juliusspital, dating back to 1579, still exists today which means that every time one drinks its wines, one is actually making a token contribution to a charitable cause, which in this case happens to be a home for the aged, that caters to all their needs.
The foundation's infrastructure includes a hospital with permanent in-house doctors, a pharmacy and care centre, and full nursing facilities. There is also a museum dedicated to ancient medicines and old medical treatments and regimen, and a library that sheds light on medical research.
According to Horst Kolesch who works for the wine estate, this commitment to a social cause is a matter of great pride and satisfaction to them and acts as an inspiration towards further growth and progress in business. Their business itself is booming with current production pegged at a million bottles annually, 80 per cent of them white, produced fromfine quality grapes grown on their 163 hectares of land, with Silvaner being their speciality grape, followed by the Riesling variety. Tourists to the scenic town of Regensburg are amused when told that every glass of beer consumed by them goes towards the welfare of underprivileged people in the region. So next time you sip some beer or savour wine in Germany, sit back and enjoy the feeling of being a "do-gooder".
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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