12/15/2010 - St Helena, CA--The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association announces the dates and highlights of the 2011 Auction Napa Valley--The American Wine Classic. The premier food and wine event in the U.S. takes place June 2-5, 2011, with four hundred wineries of Napa Valley hosting guests of the Auction in intimate home and winery settings, at the rousing Barrel Auction & Marketplace to be held this year at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, and at the centerpiece live auction and party at Meadowood Napa Valley.
Hosted by the NVV in America's renowned wine, food, arts and wellness destination, Auction Napa Valley promises to once again be one of the life events that will amaze the senses. Guests will enjoy the incomparable beauty of the Napa Valley when the days are long, warm and inviting.
Leading the Culinary Team
Between the dinner parties and the Friday Barrel Auction & Marketplace, scores of the region's chefs will be at the table for attendees, celebrating the farm-to-table wines of Napa Valley. But leading the weekend will be the artisanal fare prepared by two of the valley's culinary super stars--Chef Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustards Grill, Go Fish and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and Chef Michael Chiarello of Bottega Napa Valley, NapaStyle and his incredible Food Network and PBS cooking shows.
"Auction Napa Valley continues to be the world's most successful charity wine auction, having given nearly $100 million over the years for a variety of well-deserving charities. This is the epicenter of America's legendary wine and food culture," said 2011 Honorary Chair Koerner Rombauer of Rombauer Vineyards. "This is where the best of the best gather and we will knock it out of the park come June."
The Rombauer's family heritage of food and wine is noteworthy, as Irma Rombauer penned the cookbook that is the cornerstone of every American kitchen, "The Joy of Cooking."
Napa Valley is known for its inviting entertaining style, and with the evergreen forests of the valley's hillsides and unfolding vineyard views at Meadowood Napa Valley, the setting could not more ideal for the meals that bookend the main event with Pawlcyn and Chiarello.
Good Things Come over Four Days
The best that one can do is plan a four-day weekend in the Napa Valley beginning on Thursday, June 2, with casual dinners with winemakers welcoming guests to their homes and wineries to get the weekend's party started.
Day two is a full one, with the Barrel Tasting & Marketplace, the quintessential foodie event, held at the historic Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St Helena. This grand 19th-century stone winery, now the west coast campus of the venerable culinary academy, will roll out the red carpet as scores of the valley's top toques and hundreds of wineries help revelers to taste and swirl the day away. Wine lovers will explore deep into the old winery's cellar to bid on wine futures, thieved right from the barrel by the winemaker who crafted the wine. Later that day, they'll join small, intimate fetes, again at winemakers' homes and wineries, for the opportunity to really connect with the vintner hosts and other guests.
Day three is the centerpiece of the weekend, as Chef Cindy will offer lunch on the lawn at Meadowood while attendees plan their strategy on how to capture some of the most rare wines in the world--and most incredible vintner excursions ever put together--at the Live Auction.
As the sun goes down and bidders have secured their treasures, Chef Michael Chiarello will let out all the stops Napa style as he creates the consummate al fresco dinner--and you can bet he'll be on the dance floor with the rest of the revelers as the stars come out!
The final day starts with a sparkling brunch at Meadowood, as guests prepare to take home a bit of Napa's warm glow from an amazing weekend, and having helped make a difference in the lives of those in need.
"Auction Napa Valley is a life-changing experience, one that I am proud to have helped start with the Vintners association more than thirty years ago," said Margrit Mondavi, wife of the late Robert Mondavi. "It is like a bright star that radiates near and far."
Ticket packages range from $350 to $2500 per person. For the first time, the Napa Valley Vintners is offering a holiday "first call" limited-edition passport package to the four-day weekend until December 23 to have a little something under the tree for the wine lover on one's holiday list. Visit www.napavintners.com to learn more.
Tickets, which typically sell out quickly, go on sale March 31, 2011, at 8 am at www.napavintners.com/anv. First-time guests are encouraged to setup an online account in advance so as to have instant access to tickets when they go on sale.
About Auction Napa Valley
Auction Napa Valley is the most successful charity wine auction in the world and to date
has given nearly $100 million to scores of non-profit programs. The annual fundraiser is hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners. The auction was founded in 1981 under the vision of Robert and Margrit Mondavi and has grown to be a four-day celebration of wine, food and fundraising held the first weekend in June.
About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners is the non-profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents 400 Napa Valley wineries and collectively is a leader in the world-wide wine industry. To learn more about our region and its legendary American wines, visit www.napavintners.com.
Photos from 2010 Auction Napa Valley
Contact: Terry Hall, Communications Director 707-968-4217 thall@napavintners.com
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