Napa Valley Vintners raises US$6.5 million for charity

Napa Valley Vintners raised US$6.5 million for charity at the weekend, with its annual Auction Napa Valley attracting new and younger faces to the event. This year's auction, which is now in its 45th year, raised more than the $4.8 million last year - although it has yet to come anywhere close to the pre-pandemic record of 2018, when it raised $18.7 million. However it should be noted that there were 14 live lots this year, compared to 49 in 2018, and the guest list on the live-auction on Saturday night was also slimmed down from 1,000 guests to 350. The Barrel auction, which was held on Friday night, comprised wines from 110 wine producers mostly consisting of the 2023 vintage. It saw around 700 bidders driving record levels of engagement with online bidding started strongly, so that every lot receiving a bid within the first hour of going live on Tuesday 3 June. The organisers also flagged the “noticeable wave of new faces, younger participants and fresh energy” among the 2,000 strong attendees, which they said signalled “a promising future for the event and the wine industry”. Bidders not only came from California, but from Florida, Texas, Arizona, New York and beyond, with the top 10 bidders receiving 12 bottles of unique wines, while the highest bidder of the night went home with a barrel head signed by the winemaker, Wine Business reported. The opening lot, which featured 45 magnums from previous auctions along with two all-access passes to Auction Napa Valley for the next 45 years — raised a whopping $120,000, while the top lots comprised offerings from Chappellet Vineyard, Pulido-Walker Estate Vineyard and Winery, Cardinale, Alpha Omega, Shafer Vineyards, Peter Michael Winery, B Cellars, Darioush, Seven Stones Winery and ELLMAN. The Mystery Wine Shop also proved a hit, selling out and raising an additional $50,000 for youth programs. There was also a live auction and dinner on Saturday night at the Chandon for 350 guests, presided over by auctioneer Jacqueline Towers-Perkins, which sparked fierce competition and raised $2.6 million overall. The top five lots of the night comprised experiences curated by Antinori Napa Valley and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, comprising a stay at Marchesi Antinori’s Tuscany estate, plus Napa winery experiences, (which raised $550,000) Alpha Omega and Bouchaine Vineyards, St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery and CHANEL, Darioush and The World, and Kenzo Estate, which comprised a five-night insider tour of Japan plus follow-up tour in Napa. Meanwhile the final Vintners’ collective lot, entitled Because One Bottle is Never Enough comprised 100 magnums, which sold for $120,000. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Napa Valley Vintners' Youth Wellness Initiative, which was represented by a group of Napa Valley youth who shared how the local programs have changed their lives. Robin Baggett, the owner of Alpha Omega and this year's Auction Napa Valley co-chair (along with his wife Michelle Baggett) called the results "amazing". “There was a lot of love for our Napa Valley youth, for our wines and for the auction lot experiences we will be sharing," he said. "From those who come back year after year to our new friends who jumped right in, all showed up in a meaningful way. And we are very grateful.”   The article was amended 12/6/2025 to reflect the different number of lots offered at the 2025 live auction compared to the larger, record-breaking 2018 edition.