6/6/2015 - St. Helena, CA – With a few minutes of bidding left in the global, online E-Auction and another day of festivities planned for guests, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) nonprofit association is projecting its annual charity fundraiser, Auction Napa Valley, will bring in more than $15.7 million for community health and children’s education.
"We couldn’t be more pleased with the weekend’s results," commented David Pearson, 2015 honorary Auction Napa Valley chair and CEO of Opus One. "We’re grateful to our very generous bidders, to the more than 450 NVV winery members who contributed in some way to the event, to the hard-working steering committee that helped us plan everything and to our 500 community volunteers who came together once again in the spirit of families helping families for our community." Since inception in 1981, the NVV has given more than $145 million in Auction proceeds to the Napa County community.
One of the weekend's highlights was singer-songwriter John Legend performing his hit "All of Me" immediately prior to the sale of Live Auction Lot #31, a collaboration between Legend and Raymond Vineyards. The lot, which includes six etched bottles of Napa Valley wine, a dinner party for 30 and a private performance by Legend, sold for a total of $850,000.
However, that was not the top lot of the day – the Chair’s Lot, donated by Honorary Auction Chairs, the Opus One Team, and including a 35-year vertical wine collection of Opus One magnums, a two-week tour and visits with some of the world’s most renowned winemaking families, tripled and sold to three different bidders, raising $2.4 million and becoming the charity wine event’s top grossing lot of all time.
Some 2,000 guests attended Friday’s Napa Valley Barrel Auction at HALL St. Helena winery, which set a new record raising $1.9 million through the sale of 120 lots of Napa Valley wine futures. On Saturday, 850 gathered under the big tent at the Live Auction Celebration, taking place for the 35th consecutive year at Meadowood Napa Valley.
The NVV will release more detailed results when the event concludes on Sunday afternoon. Photos, videos and a streaming social media feed from the weekend are available at auctionnapavalley.org
About Auction Napa Valley
Auction Napa Valley is the NVV's annual community fundraiser that for nearly 35 years has utilized the worldwide reputation of Napa Valley wines and the scenic beauty of the region to raise funds to enhance the health and wellbeing of the Napa Valley community. To date, the NVV has invested more than $145 million from Auction Napa Valley proceeds in Napa County nonprofit organizations. Learn more at auctionnapavalley.org
About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its more than 500 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.
Download hi-res photos from the weekend
Contact: Patsy McGaughy, Communications Director 707.968.4207 pmcgaughy@napavintners.com
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