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CONTACT: Rebecca Robinson
The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas
512-327-7555 or 512-350-4621
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
22ND ANNUAL RARE AND FINE WINE AUCTION RAISES $300,000 FOR EDUCATION, LOCAL CHARITIES
Austin, Texas – April 17, 2007 - Local charities won the biggest lot of the night at the 22nd Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction, which raised over $300,000. The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, which hosted the auction March 31, 2007 at the Four Seasons Austin, once again pulled out all stops for a standing room only crowd. Well-known as one of the largest and most serious wine Auction in the Southwest, the Auction has generated over $1.5 million since its inception. This year’s event went down in the books as one of the highest fundraisers in the auction’s history.
A small-scale auction that raised $3,500 in its inaugural year over two decades ago, the Rare and Fine Wine Auction has flourished into a regional force for the serious wine collector and aficionado. Proceeds benefit the Foundation’s charitable mission of supporting education and research in the culinary and viticulture arts as well as Austin’s public television station, KLRU-TV, producers of the world-renown live music program Austin City Limits.
The 360-person sold-out event included over 300 live and silent lots carefully assembled by an experienced volunteer committee of over 40 industry professionals, community leaders and wine collectors. Guests were offered the chance to bid on extremely rare finds such as the 1997 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon Napa, a three bottle lot that sold for $10,000; Wine Spectator’s 2006 Top 10 Wines in the World which brought in $4,400; and 12 bottles of 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac, garnering an amazing $17,000 which was $2,000 over market value.
The auction also featured amazing travel packages to destinations such as the Perrier Jouët vineyards in Eperny, France, the Rocca delle Macie guest complexes in Tuscany, Italy and a get-away to a luxurious apartment in downtown Madrid, which went for $7,200. Another wildly popular lot proved to be two all-access VIP badges to the 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival, which brought in $3,600.
Thrill seeking-wine lovers bid on the trip of a lifetime – an opportunity to fly alongside Breitling Watch Company’s Pilot, David Martin, Team Captain of the 2007-2008 United States Aerobatic Team. With a winning bid of $8,000 the airborne couple will also be treated to an after-flight evening of luxury at Austin’s historic Driskill Hotel, with a chef’s tasting wine dinner at the Driskill Grill.
Attendees were greeted with a champagne reception and an assortment of fine wines provided by W.J. Deutsch including Pommery, Artesa, The Crossings, Kunde, Montecillo and Renwood. Four Season’s Executive Chef Elmar Prambs dazzled guests with a stunning buffet menu that included crispy fried country style quail with poblano gravy, maple-glazed veal breast with champagne kraut and jumbo lump crab cakes with Cajun remoulade.
Throughout the evening, winning bids that more than doubled the amount of the estimated value of each lot received a clanging bell from the podium, roaring crowd response and a bottle of Perriet Jouët Champagne, sponsored by South Texas Money Management.
Austin’s veteran auctioneers, Howard Chalmers, Doyle Fellers, Gene Fondren, and Michael Hanley took turns at the podium, expertly entertaining the crowd while drawing out the highest bidders.
“Judging from the high-spirited atmosphere, quality of the lots and positive crowd response, this Auction has reached a new level of sophistication. Its success reflects the diversity and imagination of our volunteer committee. The committee has been tireless and has channeled their passion and energy into making this Auction a raging success,” stated Michael Vilim, Co-Chair of the Auction and Foundation President.
Larry Peel, Co-Chair of the Auction and a Founder of The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas agrees, “We are proud to see the Auction grow over the past 22 years into a legacy for The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas - not only in terms of a fundraising but also as a serious and significant event for the regional and national wine community. We’re proud of the talent and dedication of an outstanding committee of volunteers.”
To learn more about the Rare & Fine Wine Auction or The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, please visit www.winefoodfoundation.org, call 512-327-7555 or contact Executive Director Rebecca Robinson at
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About The Foundation
The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is a dynamic, statewide charitable Foundation created to inspire excellence and education in the culinary and viticulture arts. The Foundation fulfils its mission through scholarships, grants and the development of educational programs and projects. These charitable works impact students, wine and food professionals, future chefs, winemakers and the general community on both state and national levels.
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