This is no barking matter

How can you not like a club that has good wine at its “yappy hours?”

Join the Dog Lovers Wine Club and you and your pet dog can attend.

Co-founded by Matt Hahn of Spokane, the club recently teamed with the Spokane Humane Society to raise money for the society.

Ten percent of purchases by club members go to the humane society, or to any of about a dozen other “bark partners” in the club program. Members designate who receives the ongoing donations.

“It’s all about our love of wine and dogs,” Hahn said.

The new partnership will be showcased on Saturday at the annual Tux & Tails dinner and auction at the Spokane Athletic Club starting at 6 p.m.

New wine club members get a bottle of “two-buck mutt,” which is a takeoff on Trader Joe’s popular line of wines known as “two-buck Chuck.”

Hahn and his partner, Fleet Hamilton, buy wine in bulk from top growing areas in California and then bottle it with names and labels that honor dogs that have been rescued through shelter programs.

For example, the recently released Dottie Dolcetto is named after Dottie, one of the humane society animals that was rescued with a disfigured paw, which was later removed. The wine is a 2004 vintage Dolcetto from the Carneros growing region in California.

Three sister dogs that were adopted by the same family are honored in the 2001 Sisters sangiovese from the Napa Valley region.

“The sangio was wonderful,” said Dave Richardson, executive director of the Spokane Humane Society.

Richardson said the club has the potential to become a significant revenue source for the society, which takes in about 4,000 dogs a year and provides treatment for another 3,000 dogs annually. “It takes a lot of work to keep the animals fed, watered and cared for,” he said.

The humane society is celebrating 110 years of service to Spokane this year.

Hahn, a graphic design artist who moved to Spokane a year ago, creates all of the artwork that goes on the labels.

He and his partner call their Santa Barbara winery Carivintas after the Latin word, “caritas,” which means philanthropy.

The cost for membership is $48 for each two-bottle wine shipment, and members can choose to take shipments monthly, six times a year or four times a year. All of the wines are considered higher-end premium products. Each shipment comes with wine and canine notes. Gift memberships are available

Hahn also creates custom labels with a digital painting of the customer’s dog for $102. He said he is planning in-home wine tastings.

The club can be found on the Web at www.dogloverswineclub.com/, or by phone toll-free at (877) 919-9463.