A Boutique Red Wine Dedicated to Vail Mountain's First Ski Patrol Dog

Henry with his human (and handler) Chris "Mongo" Reeder.
Image: Chris "Mongo" Reeder
They call him ‘The dogfather.’ As the first canine member of Vail Ski Patrol, Henry the avy dog already was something of a celebrity in the Vail Valley. There’s a deck near PHQ named after him. And now, Henry even has his own wine label. After retiring Henry from active avy dog duty at nine this season, handler Chris “Mongo” Reeder decided to honor his four-legged patrol partner by launching Henry Red Table Wine with business partner Mike Kang. Bottled at a Michigan winery using California grapes, the bold cab/syrah/tempranillo blend has been a hot seller at local wine shops and online (at henrywines.co), where it fetches $28 a bottle and benefits Vail Avalanche Rescue Dogs, helping train the avy pups who will fill Henry’s outsize pawprints.