Wine Country Weekend: Navigating the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction

Mark and Terri Stark, the culinary chairs of this year’s Sonoma County Wine Country Weekend, were pleased when organizers decided to dispense with the usual choosing of a theme for the weekend’s grand finale, the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction on Sunday at Chateau St. Jean winery in Kenwood.

Instead, Santa Rosa’s power couple took a hard look at the event itself - a gathering of 700 people in a tent in a vineyard - and decided to focus on what Wine Country does best.

“It screamed picnic,” said Mark Stark, who has cooked for the auction a few times before. “You’re in Wine Country in the middle of the afternoon ... Let’s just keep it simple.”

Keeping it simple also extends to the auction itself, and means knowing your way around the event and its protocol. Here are some tips and advice:

Christopher Silva, President and CEO of St. Francis Winery, encourages people to free up their disposable income by remembering the reasons for the auction. This event is raising money for local charities that benefit students, children, farm workers and people in need. Last year the weekend events raised $3.3 million for local charities throughout Sonoma County.

If you need to tighten your belt this year, these are cost-saving options:

1) Resist the temptation to bid altogether and simply sit on your paddle;

2) If you can’t resist, bid $250, the lowest option offered for the Fund-the-Future lot. The money raised will be funneled to local literacy programs in Sonoma County;

3) Bid on a Super Silent Auction lot. The least expensive is $250 per person for a winemaker dinner, with 50 seats available;

4) Partake in online bidding, which has offerings that begin at $200.

Be a part of the goodwill hoopla by budgeting a bid for the Fund-the-Future Lot. The money raised will support local literacy programs in Sonoma County. You can bid as low as $250 or into the thousands. In 2014, the Fund-the-Future lot raised $1.7 million.

If you’re traveling and will be out of town during the auction, you can be an absentee bidder. All you have to do is fill out a form indicating which lots you want to bid on and your range of bids. A proxy will represent you during the auction, and you’ll be notified Sept. 6 if you won any lots.

Sheana Davis, the chef, cheesemaker and caterer, has this savvy advice: Be an opportunist. Pay close attention to the bidding because some lots will be doubled. Organizers say the auctioneer knows what lots can be duplicated if there’s enough interest, but none of this will be revealed until the bidding begins.

Davis also said paddle-holders need to factor in generosity when bidding. Auction lots always go for higher than value. Plan to pay for the actual value plus 25 percent at a minimum.

Prep for bidding. The auction lots are online. Print them out and pinpoint the most appealing auction lots, whether they’re wine related, travel excursions, or both.

Dress the part. While it’s optional, you always feel more of an insider when you “costume.” This year’s theme is “From Sonoma County to the World’s Fair.” The period is 1915, the same year the Pan-Pacific International Exposition was held in San Francisco. Vintage wear can include Titanic-era big hats, draped necklines, pearls for miles and Art Deco style.

Socialize under the white tent. No texting at the table. Put your cell phone down and be conversational. Introduce yourself and really get to know the people at your table. You may meet a neighbor, a featured vintner or someone from Texas.

Nibble on the food, but don’t fill up. So many tasty dishes are coming your way from a multitude of talented Sonoma County chefs.

Stark asked Douglas Keane, a “Top Chef Masters” winner and two Michelin-starred chef of the former Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg, to create the lunch entrée.

“I wanted whoever we got to have them do what they do best,” Stark said. “He said, ‘What about fried chicken?’ I said, ‘That’s it. Absolutely.’ ”

Glen Ellen Star chef Ari Weiswasser, the California winner of the Best New Chef/People’s Choice award from Food & Wine magazine, is known for his exquisite vegetable concoctions, so he create a Corn Tartlet with Late Summer Vegetables for the first course. Andrew Cain of Santé Restaurant in Sonoma signed on to create a Pacific “Ora” king salmon “chaud-froid” (a sauce for cooked and cooled items). For the entree, Keane will put his mark on some finger-lickin’ fried chicken with a few Asian twists, including white miso sweet corn and a cabbage slaw.

Finally, for the plated dessert, Robert “Buttercup” Nieto of Jackson Family Wines will serve a party in your mouth with a “BLT” Basil Crémeux Tart with lemon-white chocolate pop rocks.

Other top chefs from around the country will serve appetizers at the reception, and adding whimsy to the dessert station, Crisp Bakeshop in Sonoma will serve Handcrafted S’mores and Stark will showcase Cake in a Jar from his soon-to-open restaurant, Bird & The Bottle in Santa Rosa.

Pre-plan your ride home with a designated driver in mind. For the simplicity and pleasure of the event, hire a private driver “so you don’t have to hike through the vineyards to get to your car... Get dropped off at the gate and four hours later get picked up at the gate.”

Keep an eye out for the Magnum Force dancers in the lineup. This group of women is powerful and talented, and what people often don’t realize is that they rehearse throughout the year with a professional choreographer. There’s a seriousness behind their madcap comedy routine. They also offer up a no-nonsense lot. This year’s lot offers 155 magnums, up from 65 last year.

After you’ve spent your wad under the white tent, retire to the Cigar Lounge for a smoke. There you can talk about the bidding wars and if you won a lot, relish your win.

SONOMA WINE ?COUNTRY WEEKEND

Friday night’s Sonoma Starlight dinner: At Francis Ford Coppola Winery, 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Saturday’s Taste of Sonoma: At MacMurray Estate Vineyards, 9015 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday’s Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction: At Chateau St. Jean winery, 7425 Los Guilicos Road, Kenwood, 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tickets & Reservations: visit www.sonomawinecountryweekend.com.