Wine auction: Tough economy leaves glasses half empty
Members of the Benziger family stir up some craziness on stage during the 17th Annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction on Sunday.
CHRISTOPHER CHUNG/THE PRESS DEMOCRATPublished: Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 7:49 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 7:49 p.m.
Spirits were high but the bids low Sunday as the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction raised $330,000, less than half of last year's take of $702,500.
Under the white tent at Sonoma's Cline Cellars, 500 guests equipped with paddles enjoyed a Bacchanalian Roman Feast presented during bidding, marking the final event of the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend.
This is the second year the weekend has combined two premier events: The Showcase, Taste of Sonoma, which was held Saturday in Healdsburg, and Sunday's wine auction. Last year, the two events combined reaped $1.57 million for Sonoma County charities. This year, early estimates indicate organizers raised about $425,000.
“It's a difficult climate to do fundraising events,” said Grant Raeside, executive director of Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers.
“We're happy with the outpouring,” he said. “We feel very good we made this amount in this kind of economy, particularly with 22 fewer lots this year.”
But the auction, now in its 17th year, maintained its irreverent spirit with costumed Roman gods and goddesses everywhere.
Joel Peterson, founder of Sonoma's Ravenswood Winery, was wearing what he called an authentic gladiator helmet.
“It (the event) is a throwback to college toga parties,” he joked. “I haven't found the virgins yet, but the wine is good.”
The lively skits, the shenanigans and the breezy weather made a great backdrop for bidding.
The Benziger lot had the best crowd appeal, drawing cheers and received the top bid at $51,000. Draped in togas, one with a keg overhead, the Benzigers took the stage singing “Shout.”
They presented their lot — a toga party at the Imagery Estate Winery in Glen Ellen next July for 102 people, with each ticket going for $500 to enjoy wine, dinner and dancing.
Judy Dahlem of Las Vegas paid $2,000 for four tickets.
“We thought it would be fun, and we love great wine and supporting charitable events,” she said.
Another lively lot was Magnum Force, with about 20 Romanesque women singing “Venus” by Shocking Blue. Greg Windisch and Rick Miron, co-owners of Trilogy, a glass and packaging company in Santa Rosa, paid $14,000 for the lot.
“We didn't think it would go so high, but it's a great cause so we went for it,” Miron said. The lot featured a 53-bottle collection of Sonoma County magnums.
Eugene Daly of Sonoma came to the auction with a budget of $10,000 but spent $15,000.
“It's a good cause,” he said. “But last year, we spent $30,000.”
Why more last year?
“Because we had it,” he said.
Daly bought the Francis Ford Coppola lot, which featured a five-day trip to Belize for four and a library of Coppola films on DVD.
Raeside said partnering with the Sonoma County Vintners to coordinate efforts was a smart move.
“For the first time in probably the history of Sonoma County, everyone's on the same page,” he said.
A crowd of 2,500 made the pilgrimage, primed to sip and graze, at Saturday's Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch in Healdsburg. Sixty local chefs offered everything from steak tartare to artisan gelato, coupled with wine from 150-plus wineries.
The backdrop was the historic MacMurray Ranch, the vineyard property of the late actor Fred MacMurray, best known as the paternal Steve Douglas in “My Three Sons” which aired in the 1960s.
Tickets to the Wine Country Weekend were $500 per person. The event is the county's largest wine and food fundraiser, with proceeds going to local charities that support students, children, farmworkers and people in need.
Honore Comfort, executive director of the Sonoma County Vintners, said the economic downturn didn't discourage organizers from putting on the event.
“During this challenging time, we know the single best thing we can do is invite people to come here and experience the beauty and bounty of this gorgeous wine region.”
Auction events across the country have suffered in the struggling economy and have shown steep drops this year.
In Florida, the Naples Winter Wine Festival, which raised a peak of $14 million in 2008, dipped to $5 million this year. The Napa auction, which typically trumps Sonoma County wine auctions in raised funds, raised $4.3 million this year, down from $10.3 million the previous year.
Those drops prompted local organizers not to hold the Sonoma Paradiso wine auction this year. It's Sonoma County's most successful auction, last year raising about $2 million.
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