Event Schedule for Auction Napa Valley 2010
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Thursday, June 3
"Welcome to Napa Valley" bidder dinner parties with the vintners
Evening, locations throughout the Valley
Start your Auction Napa Valley experience on the right note as an honored guest at a festive soiree hosted by one or more of our famed vintners. Held at one of their wineries or homes, the evening affords you an insider's look into the cellars and lives of some of the world's most-renowned names in the wine industry.
Friday, June 4
Taste Napa Valley
11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Rubicon Estate, Rutherford
Taste Napa Valley is a grand-scale, high-energy celebration of not only Napa Valley's wines, but its personalities, food and the Valley itself—all enjoyed in an incomparable setting in the heart of the Valley with literally hundreds of vintners as your hosts for the afternoon.
The outdoor Marketplace features more than 100 vintners pouring their finest releases for you and dozens of Napa Valley restaurateurs and artisan food purveyors plying you with their specialties. You'll also have the opportunity to purchase limited-edition Auction Napa Valley items at the retail tent. And all the while, an array of musicians will entertain you as you sip, savor and shop.
After enjoying the bounty that is the Marketplace, get into the bidding action at Auction Napa Valley's E-Auction and Barrel Tasting & Auction. The E-auction starts online four weeks before Auction Napa Valley begins, attracting bidders from around the world, but draws to a close during Taste Napa Valley with Auction Napa Valley attendees bidding against wine lovers from around the world for the last lots available in this cyber auction.
Then, in contrast, get up close and personal with the vintners at the Barrel Tasting & Auction, where winery owners and winemakers offer samples of still-aging wine directly from barrel for you to taste. Place your bid on the bidder boards for a case from one of the 100 wineries participating, and if you're lucky, your bid will be one of the remaining ten for that wine at the close of the Auction—securing you a future delivery from that vintner of that wine after it's been bottled.
"Friday Night in Napa Valley" bidder dinner parties with the vintners
Evening, locations throughout the Valley
After an afternoon with hundreds of your closest wine-loving friends, switch gears with another dinner party—this one a little smaller and more intimate, as befits a Friday night in Napa Valley—with vintners welcoming you into their winery, vineyard or home for the evening.
Saturday, June 5
Live Auction Lot Preview and Pre-Auction Lunch on the Lawn
12:00 - 2:00 pm, Meadowood Napa Valley
On Saturday, full package revelers gather at Meadowood Napa Valley for Wine Country's event of the year. You'll get your one—and only—opportunity to preview the 40 mega-lots specially selected by a jury for the afternoon's Live Auction, then head onto the greens for a lunch prepared by a consortium of eleven highly acclaimed gentlemen chefs: Octavio Becerra of Palate, Los Angeles; Walter Manzke of Church and State, Los Angeles; Michael Tusk of Quince, San Francisco; Michael Mina of Michael Mina, San Francisco; Jean Joho of Everest, Chicago; Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL and from Napa Valley: Thomas Keller, The French Laundry; Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood; Paul LeMieux of Auberge du Soleil; Richard Reddington of Redd; and Lars Kronmark of CIA Greystone.
Then pick up your paddle, and at 2:00 wander further down the meadow and into the main tent for the highlight of the weekend...
The Live Auction
2:00 - 5:30 pm, Meadowood Napa Valley
Napa Valley Vintners are a creative bunch and thrive on collaboration, as you'll see with these 40 amazing lots that'll keep you glued to your seat (and you hand glued to your paddle) until the final gavel drops with a resounding "SOLD." And with every successful bid, that lot's vintners will join you in a congratulatory toast to your win.
Post-Auction Dinner and Party
5:30 - midnight, Meadowood Napa Valley
Take the festivities back out onto the greens with the lady's team, as some of the most renowned women chefs from America's top wine markets spin their culinary magic: Suzanne Goin of Lucques, Los Angeles; Suzanne Tracht of Jar, Los Angeles; Carrie Nahabedian of Naha, Chicago; Gina DePalma of Babbo, New York; Elizabeth Pruitt of Tartine, San Francisco; and Melissa Perello of Frances, San Francisco. Your table's vintner host will ensure your glass stays filled as you enjoy your dinner. Then dance away the rest of the night under a canopy of stars.
Sunday, June 6
Farewell Fête and Announcement of Results
10:00 am - 12 noon, Vintners Glen at Meadowood Napa Valley
