2019 Sonoma County Wine Auction Announces Star-Studded Lots

The Sonoma County Vintners Foundation and Honorary Co-Chairs Gina Gallo and Christopher Jackson unveiled the complete list of one-of-a-kind auction lots available at the 2019 Sonoma County Wine Auction, presented by Visa Signature®. The auction lots are an exclusive way to procure sought-after wines, private experiences, dinners with America’s top chefs, and excursions not typically available to the public. A few examples include: an evening with celebrated band Lady Antebellum hosted by Christopher and Ariel Jackson of Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, a tour of Northern Italy curated by Gina Gallo and E. & J. Gallo Winery, the ultimate fan experience with San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famers and iconic vintner Merry Edwards, and a stay at Francis Ford Coppola’s private island from The Family Coppola.

The live auction will be hosted at La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard and will be the culmination of a weekend of activities taking place September 19-21. Proceeds from this event support more Sonoma County non-profit organizations than any other local fundraiser. Over $30 million has been raised since the auction’s inception, making a direct local impact on education, health and human services, the environment, and arts and culture.

“As members of this community, raising money and giving back has been important to us from the start,” said Gina Gallo, Honorary Co-Chair, of E. & J. Gallo Winery. “I’m always impressed by the unique and personal auction lots offered by Sonoma County’s wineries and growers. It’s also quite touching to see the generosity of the Sonoma County Wine Auction community and their commitment to raising funds and supporting those who truly need it. It is definitely the most fun you can have while raising money!”

“Gina and I look forward to welcoming guests to what we hope will be our most successful auction to date,” said Honorary Co-Chair Christopher Jackson of Jackson Family Wines. “In addition to the incredible auction lots, this year’s Fund-A-Need paddle raise is dedicated to helping build a Boys & Girls Club in one of the most underserved neighborhoods in Sonoma.” Adds Jackson, “this will provide educational services, experiences and opportunities that will have a lasting impact on the children and community for decades to come.”

The 40-lot collection that features GRAMMY-award winning musicians, luxurious travel excursions, extravagant meals prepared by world-class chefs, and rare behind-the-scenes experiences with three major Bay Area sports teams can be explored in advance at www.sonomacountywineauction.com. Auction lots also include special wine collections featuring large format and rare wines from Sonoma County’s outstanding wineries, perfect for those looking to enhance their cellars.

• An intimate evening with Grammy Award-winning Lady Antebellum hosted by Christopher and Ariel Jackson of Stonestreet Estate Vineyards. Gather at the newly constructed private hunting club Wing & Barrel Ranch in Sonoma, CA, for an array of coveted wine, delectable food, and the evening of a lifetime. Lady Antebellum is one of the most celebrated bands in country music and has released nine #1 hits, earned seven GRAMMY Awards, and sold more than 18 million albums.

• A Tour of Northern Italy’s most spectacular cities and remarkable wineries curated by Gina Gallo of E. & J. Gallo Winery. The trip includes business-class airline tickets for four, insider experiences and wine tastings in Milan, Piedmont, Verona, Fumane, Florence and Montalcino. Explore some of Italy’s most remarkable estates including Renato Ratti, Allegrini Winery and Argiano.

• A collection of CIRQ wines by Michael Browne and front row access to the CIRQ mailing list. This exclusive wine lot allows you to bypass the 3-4 year waiting list and includes 18 bottles of CIRQ’s highly sought-after wines in large format and library collections, as well as a tasting and personal tour of the estate.

• Ultimate fan experience with San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famers and iconic vintner Merry Edwards. Join celebrated vintner Merry Edwards and Chef Michael Mina for a pregame dinner. Then experience ESPN with Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback Steve Young. After, enjoy field passes and tickets for the Owners’ Suites to watch the Niners take on the Seattle Seahawks. Cap off your Hall of Fame experience with dinner in a private suite at the stadium with Edwards and one of football’s most celebrated Hall of Famers, Ronnie Lott. This lot also includes a 3-Liter collection of Merry Edwards wines signed by Merry and 49ers Alumni, and a separate stay at Merry Edwards Winery including dinner hosted by Charlie Palmer at the Dry Creek Kitchen.

• Exclusive Culinary Cult Buy-in Dinner. 6 chefs, 12 winemakers, 40 guests—one incredible night! Be indulged as some of the top chefs in America including Charlie Palmer, Scott Romano, Dustin Valette, Tim Kaulfers, Jeff Mall and Mark Stark prepare a meal so exquisite that the only thing that could possibly rival the food is the collection of wines and winemakers who will be serving them.

• Barefoot Elegance on Francis Ford Coppola’s Private Island presented by Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Spend three nights at Francis Ford Coppola’s Coral Caye private island plus two nights at Sofia Coppola’s Beach House at Turtle Inn resort in Belize for the Coppola Winery lot. The “Gilligan glam” experience includes oceanfront luxury and a “Day at the Reef” excursion for snorkeling or diving at the second largest barrier reef in the world.

• All-access passes to the 2019 St. Regis Snow Polo Championship in Aspen, Colorado courtesy of Flexjet and Senses Wines. Enjoy the freedom of private travel and experience the Flexjet Red Label difference as you fly from Sonoma, CA, to Aspen, CO, in an aircraft appointed with a custom-designed interior from the LXi Cabin Collection. Both couples will stay in luxury at The Little Nell, a 5-star, 5-diamond resort in Aspen. The winning bidder will also receive a Horse Kit valued at over $25,000 and complete access to a host of VIP events at one of the most prestigious snow polo tournaments in the world.

Among the other incredible lots are an intimate Nashville trip from Lasseter Family Winery including an evening and private concert with country music performer Brad Paisley; a journey to the Amanyara Resort in Turks and Caicos with Knights Bridge Winery; and an excursion to New Orleans with Benovia Winery featuring dinner at Emeril’s New Orleans and Trenasse.

About Sonoma County Wine Auction

The Sonoma County Wine Auction brings the region’s most renowned winemakers and growers together with distinguished collectors and generous bidders for an opportunity to acquire some of Sonoma County’s top wines and bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences. Named one of the nation’s top charitable auctions by Wine Spectator, the proceeds raised benefit local Sonoma County charitable organizations. Since its inception, the Sonoma County Wine Auction has raised over $30 million to help fund charitable organizations focusing on education, health and human services, the environment and arts and culture, and has supported more nonprofits than any other fundraising event in Sonoma County. Learn more at sonomacountywineauction.com.

About Visa Signature®

Visa Signature® and Visa Infinite® cardholders enjoy a range of benefits that provide special access including Sonoma County Wine Auction 2019. In addition to points, miles, cash back and other premium rewards offered by issuers, Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cardholders also enjoy perks such as 24/7 complimentary concierge services, access to the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection and exclusive offers related to fine wine and food, travel and sports. For more information on Visa Signature, Visa Infinite and other Visa® offerings, please visit Visa.com.

About Sonoma County Vintners Foundation

The Sonoma County Vintners Foundation provides support to our local community through philanthropy and charitable giving. Fundraising efforts have a direct impact in the areas of education, health and human services, the environment and arts and culture. The signature fundraising event, Sonoma County Wine Auction has been recognized as one of Wine Spectator’s Top Charity Wine Auctions in the United States. Learn more at sonomawine.com/foundation.

By Press Release

September is California Wine Month: Come Visit!

September is California Wine Month—the perfect time to experience the annual harvest season first hand. Enjoy special tastings, festivals, concerts, wine and food offerings and more throughout the state. Celebrate all that California’s vintners and growers bring to our lifestyle, economy and culinary pleasures.

Explore the events happening all month long and see the special poster offer, or download a PDF version of the full event list here.

Hope to see you soon!

Harvest Begins for Schramsberg Vineyards

Crews harvested 10 tons of Pinot Noir from the Richburg Vineyard and 12 tons of Chardonnay grapes from the Sisters Vineyard early Tuesday as harvest 2019 began for Calistoga’s Schramsberg Vineyards.

Mid-morning on Tuesday, Emrys Davies, 15, and his brother Hughie, 10, were on the crushpad with their young cousins and their father, Schramsberg vintner Hugh Davies, for the winery’s annual celebration marking the beginning of the harvest. It’s a tradition that Schramsberg founders Jack and Jamie Davies, Hugh’s parents, first began in 1965, just weeks before Hugh was born.

When asked, young Hughie couldn’t remember anything about prior harvest parties, although his cousin, Matthew Nelson, said he remembers a lot of people celebrating. And Emrys added he remembers stomping on the grapes when he was little. He also remembers his grandmother, Jamie Davies, who died in February 2008.

Later, after Hugh Davies spoke in English and Spanish to the crowd of about 50 people, Hughie was on top of the Pinot Noir grapes and jumped up and down, with his blue shoes on, crushing the grapes, while Brandy, a Golden Retriever, watched.

“This harvest will be a little smaller than last year, because the yields are expected to be smaller,” Hugh Davies said, adding that 2018 was “a monster year.” The 2019 harvest, judging by the picks done early Tuesday, will be “definitely lighter than last year, but closer to normal,” he said. “We’re planning to make a little less wine than we did last year.”

In 2019, Schramsberg is planning to harvest some 1,800 tons and is targeting 90,000 cases or maybe 95,000 cases, Davies said. “We selling about that much, so we should be making a little more to build a library, if nothing else,” he added.

Sean Thompson, director of winemaking, said he is expecting fruit from 10 new vineyards this year, thanks to the efforts of viticulturist Sam Rubanowitz, and for the first time will be crushing Chardonnay grapes from Anderson Valley. He introduced five of the six interns for this year, including Jack Davies, Hugh’s nephew and son of Bill Davies, Georgia Dale, Brian Hurley, Gita Mallya and Nathan Sneller. Michael Barrett was not present.

Hugh Davies addressed the interns and other vineyard workers present: “Thanks again for the hard work you’re about to do,” adding he expects the harvesting of grapes to go on for 10 weeks.

He also thanked the workers present, many of whom have worked for Schramsberg Vineyards for more than 40 years.

Davies admitted the start of harvest was about the same as last year, adding that both years were late. “Aug. 20 is a little late. Typically, I would say it is Aug. 14, so maybe we’re a week behind what would be normal.” In 2011, the first grapes were picked the first week of September, which he called “an extremely late harvest,” and in 2015, the first grapes were picked at the end of July. “It was a very low crop and the fourth year of drought conditions. It was early,” he said.

The grapes are brought in half-ton plastic bins, which Davies said are gentle with the grapes. “For the most part, the berries are unbroken and the juice won’t come out of the skins until it is inside the press,” he said, adding, though, that it’s impossible to have no juice at the bottom of the bin. Looking at the press, Davies added that even though it’s bigger than ones used in the past, it is part of a gentle process.

“We extract the juice fairly slowly,” with the press that was put in use in 1999, and “the amount of solids we get in our free-run juice today is minimal. It’s pretty nice and there’s a very crisp, polished feel to that free-run juice that is an improvement over where we would have been all those years ago,” Davies added.

The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were picked at 20 Brix, which is higher than normal for winegrapes used for making sparkling wine, but Davies said last week’s heat spike raised the sugar in the grapes. “We’ll be picking more tomorrow from the Richburg Vineyard,” he said.

Part of the harvest celebration tradition includes a group of winery employees using sabers to open bottles of Schramsberg Querencia Brut Rose. On Tuesday, seven people took sabers to the bottles of 2015 wines: Hugh Davies, Sean Thompson, Sam Rubanowitz, Jessica Koga, associate winemaker, intern Jack Davies and two enologists, Shawn McIlvenna and Mara Ambrose.

After the bottles were opened, they were poured onto the picked Pinot Noir grapes, seeking good luck for the harvest.

And, so harvest 2019 begins. As the back of one of the workers’ T-shirts said, “Eat. Sleep. Crush. Repeat.”

By: David Stonberg, editor@sthelenastar.com