Over $1.4 million was raised at the 2013 Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction at Chateau St. Jean on Sunday, September 1st, more than doubling the auction’s income from 2012 and shattering all previous auction records.
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, which includes the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction, is presented by Visa Signature®. The Weekend is Sonoma County’s top charitable fundraising event, held annually over Labor Day Weekend.
The sizzling Brazilian theme of Sonoma Samba welcomed auction goers to the Grand Lawn of Chateau St. Jean which was transformed into a Pan-Latin Celebration, where 600 people gathered to enjoy the flavors of Sonoma while raising the record-breaking funds so vital for a multitude of Sonoma County charities.
Auctioneer David Reynolds urged bidders to bid, and bid high, while competing for the 35 extraordinary and hotly-contested lots ranging from highly-sought wines to priceless adventures and bucket-list experiences scheduled to take place around the world.
The largest grossing auction lot of the day was the first annual “Fund the Future” presented by Kaiser Permanente. Proceeds raised through “Fund the Future” will support childhood literacy and key reading programs in a multi-year initiative that addresses the fact that more than half of Sonoma County third-graders currently read below grade level.
The lot, the highest grossing lot ever in the 21-year history of the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction, raised $691,250 which will be divided between the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation’s Summer Reading Academy, Schools of Hope (United Way of the Wine Country) and Pasitos Playgroups (Community Action Partnership).
Children that participate in reading programs wove through the auction crowd to the tune of “ABC” by The Jackson 5 before gathering on stage for the “Fund the Future” lot which provided one of the most poignant moments of the day. Oscar Chavez, a leading supporter of Sonoma County’s literacy programs, motivated the crowd to raise their paddles when he spoke of his own story as a young boy, and how learning to read led him to succeed.
There was a tremendous show of solidarity within the wine community - the Gallo Family, along with the Jackson Family, Joe Anderson, Tom Klein and many other well known wine industry leaders donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to “Fund the Future.” These Sonoma County vintners were reported to be the first to pledge.
Under the focused leadership and commitment of Sonoma Wine Country Weekend Co-Producers Honore Comfort (Sonoma County Vintners) and Maureen Cottingham (Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance), in addition to more than doubling the results of last year’s Auction, gross proceeds are expected to be in excess of $2.5 million for the entire Sonoma Wine Country Weekend once final tallies are calculated, another new record for the event as earnings increased by more than $1 million over last year.
“We made history in Sonoma County today. Along with our vintners and grapegrowers, it took the leadership of our three honorary chairs, the Gallo Family, Phil Coturri and Sondra Bernstein who led our community this year, to support our kids and our county,” said Cottingham, “Our wine community pulled out the stops to showcase the wine, food and community of Sonoma County this weekend, and that resulted in our record-breaking success.”
“Today was a celebration for the entire county. It was an inspiration to all of our vintners and growers in the wine industry, and a step in the right direction for the future of our children in Sonoma County,” added Comfort. “The success of this weekend was a result of the entire Sonoma County wine and grower community coming together with tremendous support. They made it happen.”
Top lots of the day included the Gallo Family and MacMurray Ranch Barn Dance BBQ lot that sold for $125,000; the Buena Vista / Deloach and Boisset Family Wines Thermador Kitchen and Dinner Party with Jean-Charles Boisset lot that sold for $55,000; the Kosta Brown World Cup Soccer Trip to Brazil lot that sold for $44,000; the Ram’s Gate Trip to Scotland lot that sold for $40,000; and the Men in the Moon lot with Phil Coturri and Robert Kamen that sold for $35,000. The ever popular Magnum Force lot which celebrated its tenth appearance at the auction, always features high-profile female vintners, winemakers and wine business executives who this year danced the Samba. The lot sold for $32,000 to Rick and Lori Miron of TricorBraun WinePak.
While bidders raised their paddles, attendees seated at large round tables lavishly decorated to match the Samba theme enjoyed a Brazilian-inspired menu coordinated by Honorary Culinary Chair, Sondra Bernstein and Culinary Director Bruce Riezenman of Park Avenue Catering, and prepared from locally-grown ingredients by 15 top chefs from across Sonoma County.
For those who could not attend the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction, yet would still like to participate in the charitable effort, an online auction of additional lots, including many of Sonoma County’s finest large format wine bottles and exclusive experiences, is open for bidding through September 6, 2013 http://www.biddingforgood.com/sonomawinecountryweekend.
Produced in partnership with the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance and the Sonoma County Vintners, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend has become the region’s largest and most fun charity event, celebrating the vintner, grower, and food communities while raising needed funds to improve children’s lives and literacy for a better future. More than 400 volunteers from across Sonoma County generously worked throughout the holiday weekend to make the event possible.
For more information visit www.SonomaWineCountryWeekend.com, call (855) 939-7666, like it on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/winecountryweekend and follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SonomaWCW.
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