The famous Auction Napa Valley hosted by the non-profit Napa Valley Vintners trade association is expanding its bidder base by adding an online auction component to the annual event. More than 150 lots ranging from small offerings of wine to large collections of wine ideal for cellar building will be offered for people from around the world to bid on. Already the world’s most successful charity wine auction and in its 31st year, the auction to date has raised nearly $97 million to scores of non-profit programs.

“We look forward to bringing these great wines and wine experiences to Napa Valley wine lovers around the world. We have put together some incredible offerings in more than 150 lots. It’s a never-before-seen, really amazing global outreach that brings together the best of Napa Valley–and all for great causes that support healthcare, youth services and affordable housing non-profit programs” said Andy Schweiger of Schweiger Vineyards, who is leading the online component of Auction Napa Valley this year.

Lots are available for preview now at www.napavintners.com/anv with bidding beginning on Sunday, May 29 at 8am and continuing until Sunday, June 5, at 6pm Pacific Daylight Time, when lots will close and winning bidders will be notified.

If you’ve been left out in the past because you couldn’t make it to Napa, here is your chance to bid on some unbelievably incredible wine.

Best-in-class winners photo below: from left, Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet, Icewine

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Wednesday, March 30, 2011 – A total of 3,298 wines from 788 wineries, 19 countries, 6 Canadian provinces, and all 50 states entered to compete for awards in the 11th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC) – the most wines entered to-date in the history of this competition.

“The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition is the largest wine competition in the world supporting a single charity,” said event founder, Peter Parts. “This year, we reached a milestone in entries. If you put all the wine that was sent in for this competition end-to-end, it would extend more than 2 and a half miles. This is the best turnout we have received to-date and what’s more is all proceeds benefit Camp Good Days & Special Times — more support to people who need it most.”

Sixty renowned national and international judges from 15 countries participated in the two-day competition March 26 and 27, which took place in Rochester, N.Y., about 45 minutes from the heart of Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes wine region. David G. Male, of Buffalo, N.Y., certified international judge, served as the competition chairman. Ron Dougherty of Rochester, N.Y., was the Assistant Competition Chairman.

The judges awarded 76 Double Gold, 261 Gold, 1,028 Silver and 1,326 Bronze medals. Special award categories include: the John Rose Award for the best in class Riesling and the Crystal Grape Award for the best in class Icewine. Awards are also given for the highest-scoring Double Gold Chardonnay and for the highest-scoring Double Gold Cabernet Sauvignon.

The highest honors were awarded to:

JOHN ROSE AWARD: Zugibe 2009 Finger Lakes Late Harvest Riesling
CRYSTAL GRAPE AWARD: Vignoble Riviére du Chêne, 2009 Monde Vidal
BEST CABERNET: J. Lohr 2007 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon
BEST CHARDONNAY: Santa Barbara Winery 2008 Chardonnay

A complete list of the 2011 medal winners is listed on www.fliwc.com.

The event culminates with the Annual Camp Good Days Wine Auction & Dinner on Saturday, May 7, at the Rochester Plaza, Rochester, N.Y. The largest medal winning wine dinner and wine auction in Rochester’s history features 250 Double Gold, Gold and Silver Medal winners of the competition from around the world. In addition, 60 live auction lots and more than 200 silent auction lots include FLIWC medal winning wines, plus rare wines from private collections, and other fabulous items.

The beneficiary of the event, Camp Good Days and Special Times, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and families all over the world, whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life-threatening challenges. Located in the heart of New York State’s Finger Lakes wine country, the Camp offers residential programs, year-round activities, and events for adults and children.

“Out of 33 major commercial wine competitions in North America, this is the second-largest,” said Parts. “But, the best part is, from the money we raised last year over 350 kids were able to go to Camp Good Days & Special Times free of charge.”

$77,000. That’s a lot of dollars. It’s also the winning bid for a 237-year-old bottle of wine. The vin jaune (French for “yellow wine”) was purchased by Swiss aficionado Pierre Chevrier on behalf of an amateur wine group. The late harvest Savagnin grapes were harvested by Anatoile Vercel under King Louis XVI and it would then pass through eight generations of the Marmier family in eastern France, where the bottle sat patiently in a cellar. The bottle was only expected to go for $13,500-22,000 but it reached an incredible $77,000.

Mutineer turned beer into water with New Holland Brewing with our collaboration beer Mutinous Battle Chai to help fund A Child’s Right’s water projects in developing countries. Now The Macallan and Lalique have turned whisky into water by way of The Macallan 64 Years Old in Lalique: Cire Perdue. The 64 year old single malt Scotch is the oldest and rarest single malt whisky ever released by the distillery and is housed in a decanter expertly crafted using the ancient “cire perdue,” or lost wax, process that Lalique has not implemented since 1930. How much did it go for you ask? It was expected to bring in $100,000 and it went at auction for an earth shattering $460,000, all of which will help fund charity:water and their water relief projects in developing countries. Continue Reading »

Hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners, the 30th Annual Auction Napa Valley raised more than $8.5 million, smashing the results of the previous year. Over the course of four days, bidders, industry professionals, and members of the press from across the country and around the globe gathered in Napa Valley to enjoy fine wine and raise money for charity. Continue Reading »

David Stewart, Glenfiddich Malt Master, gives a few opening remarks at the Glenfiddich 50 Year Old Auction. (Photo credit: Matt Peyton/Getty Images)

It’s been a very good week for crazy-expensive liquors at auctions. A bottle of Glenfiddich 50 Year Old Single Malt Scotch sold for $38,000 on Monday at a Christie’s auction to raise money for “Friends of Scotland”. This was the only bottle available for private purchase, with there only being three other bottles on the market at the Mardarin Oriental in New York, the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami, and the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills.

Coincidentally, a bottle of 1788 Vieux Cognac was sold this week at auction in Paris for $36,935.

The Auction of Washington Wines is coming up, which benefits the Seattle Children’s Hospital. The event is actually made up of a bunch of little events, including a new addition called “Revelry on Red Mountain”. Tickets range from “an early-bird special for Picnic at just $125 up to a full weekend of festivities for $750” according to the press release.

There events include a barrel auction and picnic, winemaker dinners, the Covey Run 10k/5k walk & run, and the Starry Starry Night Gala Auction, which is the grand event of the weekend.

Learn more here.

If you really feel like throwing down some cash on some wine, you should fly out to Chicago this weekend for the Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. Wine Auction at TRU Restaurant. Being that there will be things to spend money on at this auction, I expect Citigroup and their $45 billion of bailout money to be there for sure. If only the auction was in a couple of weeks then Citigroup could fly to Chicago in their new $50 million corporate jet. Continue Reading »