Groovy wine fund-raiser
Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction revisits '60s to boost local communities
The annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction was true to its theme -- the 1960s -- starting out as a burst of nonstop energy, fun and dancing in pink nylon thigh-high boots only to drag on a bit too long, its participants looking a bit worse for wear by the end.
Photos by Scott Manchester / The Press Democrat Fred and Nancy Cline on Sunday introduce the second auction lot of the Sonoma Valley Wine Auction with a song sung to the tune of "I Got You Babe" at Cline Cellars.
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Sonoma Valley Wine Auction
Still, while it took just shy of six hours to bid through 57 lots in the live auction, the weather was perfect, the food divine, the wine forever being poured and the happening very successful.
Based on early estimates, the live auction at Cline Cellars in Sonoma raised about $700,000 for local charities, but still to be counted late Sunday were bids from a silent auction.
Last year, the live and silent auctions brought in a total of $1.3 million, and organizers this year had set a goal of $1.5 million. The auction has raised $8 million over the last 15 years.
"It was groovy fun," noted master of ceremonies Grant Raeside, who is also executive director of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance, a long-standing nonprofit group with hundreds of members.
The annual charity auction, in its 16th year, is hosted by the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Foundation. This year, it was part of a bigger countywide wine and food weekend that included the Taste of Sonoma Showcase event held at MacMurray Ranch on Saturday.
Honorary auction chairmen were the Bundschu family, whose winery, Gundlach Bundschu, turns 150 years old this year.
"There are over 33 communities in our county," said Jeff Bundschu, speaking on behalf of his family. "Of the 250 wineries that do business here, the vast majority are connected part and parcel to their communities."
He went on to declare a call to action before the audience of 550 or so bidders and vintners.
"The time is now to make that glass of wine on your table matter," he said. "It's a connection to community, and community is what this auction has always been about."
With famed auctioneer Fritz Hatton at the helm, the day was big on dancing girls, groovy glasses, tie-dye, bad wigs and furry 'fros.
Fortunately for the 13 charities that benefit from the affair, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, Hanna Boys Center, Sonoma Jazz+, Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, Willmar Center for Bereaved Children and Vineyard Workers Services, the spirit of generosity never waned.
One of the highest bids of the day came early, when Thomas A. Klein, the regional vice president and general manager for The Fairmont San Francisco, which also runs the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, bid up to $21,000 for "Be the Graduate," the Robledo Family Winery's offer of a viticulture tutorial, hands-on vineyard training, personal winemaking instruction and label design, resulting in a personal barrel of wine as well as dinner for 10 with the Robledos.
"It's nice to support a local vineyard in our backyard," Klein said, explaining that this was the second consecutive year he and the Fairmont have successfully bid on the Robledos' lot. The proceeds directly fund Vineyard Workers Services, which works to house seasonal migrant vineyard workers and acts as a de facto resource center for members of the Latino community.
Klein's colleague, Michelle Heston, sitting next to him, also said the Fairmont will share the viticulture and winemaking training with many of its employees, a majority of whom are Latino.
"It really makes sense for us to support Vineyard Workers Services," she added.
A few bids later, Bill Burrow pledged $18,000 for "Jam Out Like Julia Child," a chance to follow in Child's footsteps with trips to Washington and Paris, including cooking classes.
Along with his wife, Jan, Burrow is a new resident of Sonoma County, having just moved from Austin, Texas. Sitting at the Landmark Winery table, he said he kept bidding until he won because he wanted to support the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, which provides quality health care to the underserved.
The top lot of the day followed, "Magical Mystery Tour," a party for 50 with Chateau St. Jean and Sante Restaurant at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, which raised $50,000 for the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation after Chateau St. Jean doubled the offer to host two events instead of one.
That was later followed by the winning $44,000 bid for a 2008 fully loaded black Toyota Prius. Host Gundlach Bundschu's "Getting High in Big Sky" trip for six to Whitefish, Mont., also expanded from one trip to two, attracting $21,000 from each of the winning bidders.
"It's such an example of the community coming together to support its most important people," Bundschu noted toward the end of the day. "Local really is the new global, and it's a great opportunity to put our charities out front and brag about our wines."