If WineFest - A Toast to Children's Health were a wine, it might be described as big ($18 million raised so far), brilliant (like our physician-researchers) and bright (like our young patients). A fine vintage, indeed. We're pulling the corks on these special–occasion vintages to celebrate!

Since 1995, WineFest has attracted thousands of guests and raised more than $20 million to advance innovative pediatric research.

For more than a century, the University of Minnesota has been setting new standards in children’s health with trailblazing achievements that make a lasting difference for children and families in Minnesota and around the globe. Its most notable accomplishments include:

• The first pediatric open-heart surgeries using hypothermia and cross-circulation.
• The first successful pediatric bone marrow transplant from a non-twin donor.
• The first pediatric kidney biopsy.
• The first bone marrow transplant to treat a lethal skin disease in children, showing that stem cells contained in bone marrow can repair injured skin tissue.
• Development of a pioneering technique for transplanting kidneys in infants.
• Development of the high-frequency chest compression system to treat cystic fibrosis.
• Development of less invasive approaches to pediatric heart repair, including leading-edge trials of the pediatric Berlin Heart device, which helps keep kids’ hearts strong until they can receive a transplant.

Support lifesaving discoveries for children everywhere