Businessman Pascal Fernand is very familiar with the world of wine. These days, on his show about wine on Radio-Classique, he is recommending a very special cuvée.

Businessman Pascal Fernand is very familiar with the world of wine. These days, on his show about wine on Radio-Classique, he is recommending a very special cuvée.

"Buying this nectar, you are doing something nice for yourself, as well as helping the disadvantaged," said Mr. Fernand, who is also the President of the Association for the Promotion of Wines and Spirits in North America (APVSA).

This red wine "will be a good accompaniment for your game, red meat and cheese," promised Mr. Fernand, who is also a volunteer at Notre-Dame Basilica.

This wine, bottled in the Rhone Valley, France, by the Dupret family, which has been making wine for six generations, is called Cuvée Compassion.  It was made for Présence Compassion, an organization that works with the homeless downtown and in Old Montreal.

"As I work in the field of wine, I wanted to recommend a cuvée to them. For every bottle sold, one dollar will go to the organization. Indeed, the more bottles of Cuvée Compassion that you buy, the more you help the organization to get people off the street," he explained. Approximately 3000 bottles have been reserved for this cause.

Prior to launching this initiative, Pascal Fernand attended some meetings to learn more about Présence Compassion, a project of the Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montréal. What he observed during his visits to the heart of the world of the homeless impressed him. "Homelessness is a reality that many people are involved in," he said. "These people include ambulance attendants, hospital staff, and priests that do pastoral work in prisons."

"Do you know what? I discovered that you and I could also become homeless. Hard times could befall any of us," he admitted.

Cuvée Compassion is privately imported and distributed. Therefore, it isn't possible to buy the bottles individually. A case of twelve bottles costs $234.60, or $19.55 per bottle. You can place your order online here.

The person in charge of Présence Compassion, Daniel Paradis, said that he was touched by the APVSA's gesture, especially with Christmas just around the corner.

"I suggest to people that they purchase a case as a group. A company could also purchase a dozen bottles to offer to its staff. It's another way to raise awareness about homelessness, particularly during the holiday season, and it allows the organization to get the funds that it needs for its activities," he added.