Wine Tributaries
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

     What we witnessed was the transformation of Bacchus in the Vineyards into a regal event that is world class in the way it is run. Thanks to hundreds of volunteers, impeccable planning by the Sonoma County Wineries Foundation, participation of local wineries, and support from corporate sponsors, all the events ran as smooth as a luxury limousine.

     Bidders spent the first couple hours on Friday night sampling from barrels which were duplicated so that bidders at either location could experience the same wines. New to the auction last year was the opportunity for bidders to buy a case of wine from a particular barrel, with fifteen cases available from each barrel. For the high rollers, it was still possible to buy a whole barrel, but this new feature does allow more modest buyers to get into the bidding frenzy with a chance for a case from one of the twenty-two barrels on the  auction block.

     Following the bidding by watching computer projections of the latest bids scroll by, it felt like being on the floor at wall street. People suddenly caught the runners, some wearing headsets and microphones, who then transmitted the latest information so that it was entered into the computer terminals.

     Thanks to Hewlett-Packard's donation of the computer equipment, and thanks to Hewlett-Packard employees who volunteered their time to operate it, results of bidding were known within moments. Considering the logistics of this simulcast auction, that was no easy task.

     Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was Tom Peterson's pep talks, but the Chateau Souverain bidders kept the bids moving at a steady pace, with the top four bidders, Roberta Morrel, Mike Draxton, Gerald Tyrell, and Jim Ledbetter, adding up to $53, 950 of the $168,375 Friday night total.

     Then again, maybe it was the menu Executive Chef Martin Courtman had for bidders at both sites that kept the bidding going. His royal appetizers included greenlip mussel and saffron paella, golden tomato gazpacho, roasted prawns, Spanish white anchovy, and marinated mushrooms. If that wasn't enough, the main course of grilled lamb T-bone and boneless quail accompanied by asparagus and an heirloom tomato could make anyone feel the part of being in the royal court.

     Once the bids closed at 10:00 PM, dancing began, and the festivities continued on the dance floor, where even Chateau Souverain Winemaker Ed Killian took a turn doing some mock disco dancing to the sounds of 70s and 80s cover band Wall Street. When Friday's totals were added,  a combined effort by Russian River Wine Growers was the top barrel, fetching $10, 150, Rodney Strong's 1997 Pinot Noir followed at $9, 850, and the 1997 Malbec by Clos du Bois bringing $9, 025. Other top barrels included the Dry Creek Zinners and Geyser Peak Winery.

     All of this was just the warm-up for an even hotter bidding war that would take place at Richard Kunde's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard off Slusser Road on Saturday afternoon. Mistral Restaurant was grilling salmon on the spot, and they had prepared a peach crisp dessert featuring peaches from Dry Creek Peach & Produce and ice cream from the Downtown Creamery & Bakery. Another palatial feast was in progress.

     As people ate, Dry Creek Vineyard had a couple Titanic look-alikes handing out baggage tags to help promote their "Treasures of the Titanic" offering, a twenty-seven liter bottle of Dry Creek Reserve Merlot in a steamer trunk. It was raised to $20,000 by Barrie Larvin, Master Sommelier for the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

     Once the afternoon of bidding was over, Saturday's auction total was $180, 900. That's up from $178, 200 last year. The two day wine auction total reached $361, 810 and determination of proceeds going to local charities such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma County will be completed in the coming weeks. Since the inception of this auction, over a million dollars has been allocated to charities by the Sonoma County Wineries Foundation. Added this year on Thursday was the Vintners' Golf Tournament which raised $15, 157 with 118 golfers participating.

     By the time the San Francisco Symphony took the stage at Sonoma-Cutrer Saturday night, there was something to celebrate, and the majestic music that emanated from the stage was magnificent, ending with Ravel's "Bolero." Louis XIV would have enjoyed the fireworks display that followed, or maybe he would have kicked up his heels to Asleep at the Wheel.  More than anything, the Sonoma County Wine Showcase shares the county's bounty and its people's generous spirits in a royal way.

© 1999 by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner. All Rights Reserved. Wine Tributaries is hosted by Wines on the Internet.