Defending the gift of sight is the challenge driving Santalucia 2024, Maculan’s solidarity wine

Branza area of Breganze. It is the star of the solidarity initiative the Veneto winery Maculan has promoted to fund research on eye diseases. The new edition of the charity project in collaboration with the Veneto Eye Bank Foundation (ETS), was presented recently at the three-Michelin-starred Le Calandre restaurant in Rubano, run by the Alajmo brothers. The project aims to top the 400.000 euros raised in 16 years of commitment. Proceeds from the 16th edition will fund the L.u.c.y. Project, a joint research study between the Foundation and the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, one of the most advanced research centers in the United States, to combat macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the Western world.
The core of the collection is 300 numbered bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from Maculan’s finest barriques, selected by a tasting panel (available upon request, and a minimum donation of 100 euros, by contacting the Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto ETS). Each bottle will display a unique work of art on the label, crafted with iridescent colors and gold leaf by In.Perfetto, the atelier of the Vite Vere Down Dadi Cooperative in Padua.
“Santalucia 2024”, Fausto Maculan explained, “has an elegant bouquet, full-bodied palate, velvety tannins, and persistence. It is an excellent wine, in terms of oenology as well as value, thanks also to the skill and creativity of the artisans who have created a unique appearance for each bottle. This year, their inspiration was the sun, the supreme star, whose light allows us humans to see, the vine to grow and its fruit to ripen”.
“This year, Santalucia is funding an especially ambitious initiative we have appropriately named Project L.u.c.y.”, Diego Ponzin, president of the Fondazione Banca degli Occhi, said. “We all know the consequences of retinal macular degeneration, a disease that has a significant impact on our society. It specifically undermines the independence and quality of life in older adults, representing the leading cause of blindness in the West. The proceeds from the 16th edition of Santalucia will contribute to funding the study of the Fondazione Banca degli Occhi and the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, one of the most advanced research centers in the United States, on retinal macular degeneration. It is a challenge we definitely must face”.