Event Schedule for Auction Napa Valley 2008
Tickets are now on sale.
Thursday, June 5
Auction Eve Kick-Off Celebrations
Wineries throughout the Valley
The weekend begins on Thursday in Napa Valley, so join us for a Valley-wide block party! You'll receive
invitations from vintners throughout the Valley to join them at kick-off celebrations that range from
relaxed to formal, hosted at their homes, wineries and cellars. Take it easy for your first evening and pick one or two, or secure some transportation and party hop up and down the Valley.
Friday, June 6
Taste Napa Valley
11:00 am - 4:00 pmTrinchero Family Estates
This festival, held at Trinchero Family Estates, focuses on all the best Napa Valley has to offer: its people, hospitality, food and, of course, wine.
Wander through and explore The Marketplace--not just any marketplace, but one filled with more than one hundred vintners personally pouring some of their finest releases, dozens of Napa Valley restaurateurs and artisan food purveyors plying you with their specialties, and a panoply of live music and entertainment.
Then head into the cool of the cellar for the hot Barrel Tasting & Auction, where 125 winery owners and winemakers preview unbottled futures of aging wine, pulling samples directly from barrel for you to taste. Then place your bid on a case or more in this high-energy celebration of the grape.
Just a few feet away from the Barrel Auction you'll find the E-Auction, where you'll bid against online bidders from around the world. The 80 e-offerings include wine in all forms of rare bottlings, special verticals and other collections, as well as unavailable-elsewhere library releases; special private events including private winery stays, parties and one-of-a-kind experiences; and more.
And don't forget to preview and make your bidding plans for the 44 ultra lots to be auctioned at the grand Live Auction on Saturday evening--they make their one and only appearance for the weekend here at Taste Napa Valley, in an eye-popping exhibition of vintner creativity and generosity. All are built on a solid foundation of the Napa Valley classics: internationally renowned wines, offered in special bottlings and rare collections the likes of which aren't to be found elsewhere; the gracious hospitality our vintners are known for; as well as fine dining, world-class accommodations and more. But a handful also go above and beyond these classics, adding to these offerings luxury items, jet-setter travel and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that span the globe.
Evening in Napa Valley
Private dinner parties with the vintners
Hosted by vintners throughout the Valley
After an afternoon with hundreds of your closest wine-loving friends, switch gears with an intimate and private dinner party hosted by a vintner at their winery or home, affording you an opportunity to glimpse into cellars and lives of some of the world's most-renowned names in the wine industry.
Saturday, June 7
A Day in Napa Valley
Private midday parties with the vintners
Hosted by vintners throughout the Valley
Relax on your own for the morning,then you're off to another private party! Vintners, individually and in collaboration, welcome guests into their homes, wineries and vineyards for more casual, yet just as spectacular, private parties around the midday--the not-to-be-missed "warm-up" for the festivities to come later that day.
Live Auction and Dinner
5:00 pm - midnight
Meadowood Napa Valley
In the evening, guests and vintners--now old friends--come together again at Meadowood Napa Valley for Wine Country's party of the year. After sipping sparkling wine and rubbing elbows on the resort's lawn, pick up your auction paddle and head into the main tent to meet your next vintner host at your reserved table. NBC's "The Tonight Show" host, Jay Leno--back by popular demand--launches the evening fête with one of his inimitable monologues. Immediately following, you'll be treated to a multicourse dinner prepared by some of the Heitz Wine Cellars family's favorite chefs, including Douglas Dale, of Wolfdale's in Tahoe City, CA; Ken Frank of La Toque in Napa Valley; Christopher Kostow of Meadowood Napa Valley; Daniel Bruce from The Meritage Restaurant at the Boston Harbor Hotel; and Alan Wong of Alan Wong's Hawaii in Honolulu. This chef 's tasting menu will be paired with an array of Napa Valley wines, including a large-format bottle, personally selected and poured for you by your table's vintner.
The weekend's highlight, the Live Auction, is your entertainment during dinner, as you bid on the 44 incredible lots, with the vintners who created these offerings on hand to personally congratulate you and toast your win with a glass of wine. All are offered and bid upon in the spirit of giving and will provide much-needed support for our dozens of health, youth and affordable housing charity recipients. Post-Auction, the festivities continue on the grounds of Meadowood, with dancing to live music and continued merrymaking under the stars until the clock strikes midnight.
Sunday, June 8
Farewell Fete
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Trinchero Family Estates
See how the "next generation" of Napa Valley vintners likes to throw a party: a little wine, a little food, a little music and a lot of stories, all shared among friends. Join second- and third-generation wine family members of Napa Valley for an unpretentious, yet utterly appropriate parting shindig that'll tie the perfect bow on your Auction Napa Valley weekend.
Interested in attending? Please contact Lee Loban at 707-963-3388.
