Dear friends:
I was recently asked to put together a fund raiser for the Washington DC Rotary Club. Since I know a little about wine and a little about auctions I thought that was a good area to see what I could do. Well so far so good. The German Embassy offered the place for the event- a wine tasting and auction on April 17 at 7 PM. Over the last two months a group of fellow Rotarians and I have been soliciting donations of wines, wine dinners and wine related items. And boy has the response been terrific.
I guess part of the reason is the desire to support Rotary and its programs here in DC and around the world. The DC Rotary , through its Foundation, annually gives over $230,00 to local programs. This year we gave $130,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of DC, and $100,000 to other programs for the homeless, senior citizens, youth tutoring and after school programs, summer camp for disadvantaged youth, college bound programs, the Downtown Alliance of Churches, the DC Mission, Boys and Girl Scouts etc. In 2002 the club gave a medivan( a large Winnebago equipped with a medical and dental clinic) to the DC Health Department to serve medically needy neighborhoods, and we opened a safe house in Senegal for young girls who were facing female circumcision and forced marriages. This year our projects, in additon to the $230,000 gifts, include replacement of the Salvation Army grate patrol van- which delivers hot meals to the homeless in DC 365 days a year. We are also working on a project to open a blood bank in New Dehli ,India as there are virtually no safe supplies of blood there.
But, lets talk about food and wine. The Virginia Wineries association jumped in and donated cases of wine that will be poured by Williamsburg Winery and Jefferson Winery. Other wineries have sent wines that will be poured by local members of the Knights of the Vine. A winery from the Saxony region in Germany is sending cases of their finest wines for us to taste, and we will have gold medal wines from Dr. Franks winery in NY, as well as wines from Navarro winery and Brutacao Cellars in CA. Over all there will be over 20 wines to be tasted, along with food to fill your empty spots while you indulge.
Some exciting auction items are coming from as far away as South Africa. We have a magnum of 1999 shiraz from the estate bottle collection of Zandvliet-- that has been signed by former South African President Nelson Mandela. We are hopeful to establish a contact with the Gabarone Botswana Rotary club- who will be bringing the bottle- and who want to work with us to build an orphange for children whose parents have succumbed to AIDS. The death rate is epidemic and there are whole villages that have been virtually stripped of adults.
And for you guys who worry about your wines during the hot summers here in DC-- Security storage has donated one year's storage of up to 25 cases of wine in their climate controlled storage facility. Or if you want to get away, there is use of a beautiful home on the CA Central Coast for 3 days, 35 miles south of Hearst Castle and in the middle of a great new wine producing region including Rabbit Ridge. Or if Napa is your thing how about a private tour of the place where great wine making in Napa started- Robert Mondavi. We've got a private tour of the winery for 4 with a lunch for 4 at the winery and then we'll take you on a private tour of OPUS ONE. OPUS is where Mondavi and Baron Phillipe Rothschild merged their best efforts to produce great wines to challenge France's great Brodeauxs. OPUS ONE is one of a few American wines to be exported to France. Be the successful bidder and say hello to CA in a very special way.
But, if you want to stay closer to home there are dinners at Couer de Lion for 2 with wine, dinners at Signatures, Mattise, Thyme Square CAFE, CAfe Asia, Peacock CAfe, the District Chop House and La Tomate to name a few. Or if you're off to the theatre in NYC, we've got a dinner for 4 at Distict restaurant in the theatre distict. It's hot and a great place to see and be seen in NYC.
But , if you just want wine- there is that too. How about a 3 liter bottle of Chateau Thierly 2000. As you know WS rates the 2000 bordeauxs as the best since 1961, or if you prefer something older how about a 1970 Chateau St. Pierre- one of the grand crus, in the 1855 classification system. Still looking- we'll have a mixed case of American favorites including Clos duBois and Ravenswood to drink every day or to use as cellar protectors, or how about another big bottle - 3 liters from South America's hottest winery - rated no 3 in WS - top 100 of 2003. The wooden case will make you cellar immediately look like its got class.
I'm still working on the auction list but I wanted to get someone to put on a show as a good auction is better than the movies, so I got the owner of Castner's auction in NJ. Mr.Castner is a frequent guest on ABC's 20-20 talking about appraisals, and trash to treasures. In fact he hosts a radio show in NJ of the same name- Trash to Treasures. He's a hoot and will make the evening a treat.
Stil looking for more-- well Rodman's Liquors has supplied a basket of award winning wines and German products which will be given as prize to the lucky attendee whose ticket stub is drawn that evening.
The only hang up is there is only 200 tickets and already 50 have been reserved. They don't go on sale until Wednesday March 10 but if you want to reserve tickets let me know and I'll set them aside for my wine friends here in DC. The Cost--- $75.
As you can see the event is for good casues at a great location. There will be good stuff to drink and eat, and with a little luck you could come away with a great auction item.
Let me know right away if you want tickets. payment will be made to the Rotary Club of DC.
I hope I hear from you soon and to see you at the Embassy.
Norm Herring-- send me a private email and I'll give you a phone no . if have questions .
