Project Zin 2026 Raises over $400,000 for Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area

The 16th annual Project Zin raised more than $400,000 for the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area (DSCBA).

Founded by Clay and Carrie Mauritson of Mauritson Wines alongside James Beard Award-winning Chef Charlie Palmer, the weekend brought together 21 of the country’s most sought-after Zinfandel producers and Sonoma County’s leading chefs. This year’s result brings the total raised since 2011 to more than $4 million.

2026 marked a bittersweet milestone as Brady Mauritson, the inspiration behind Project Zin, began his freshman year at Clemson University through ClemsonLIFE, a selective postsecondary program whose name stands for Learning Is For Everyone. Clay Mauritson closed the evening by turning his son’s milestone outward, announcing the Brady Mauritson LIFE College Scholarship to help families who cannot afford postsecondary programs.

“Society has told us for too long that our loved ones bring with them a disability, but this couldn’t be more false,” said Clay Mauritson. “College gives students the dignity of risk, the freedom to try new things, the right to make mistakes, to learn, and to succeed on your own. Every young adult deserves that dignity. That is why we need a scholarship fund.”

Project Zin began in 2011, following Brady’s diagnosis of Down syndrome at the age of two and a half. What started as a modest gathering that raised $25,000 in its first year has become one of Sonoma County’s most successful charitable events. The event features exactly 21 Zinfandel producers, a number chosen for Trisomy 21, the extra copy of chromosome 21 found in Down syndrome.