La Dolce Vita in Tuscany

The sweet life in Tuscany begins with two nights at Castello Banfi - Il Borgo in a guest room built inside the stone houses forming the 18th century hamlet outside the castle.  Don’t let the historical exterior fool you, the interiors, handsomely decorated by Federico Forquet, Italy’s eminent designer, offer the comforts of a sophisticated home.  Take a VIP tour of the Castello Banfi wine estate and sample their noteworthy Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino and Tuscan Blends.  Following your tour, you’ll enjoy a four-course Tuscan lunch at La Taverna.  Spend the rest of your afternoon visiting the Castle and touring their museum of wine and glass dedicated to Banfi's founder, Giovanni F. Mariani.  Your second day in Montalcino will be in the heart of the Val d’Orcia touring Col d’Orcia, one of the most prestigious cellars of Brunello di Montalcino.  This historic winery, owned by Count Francesco Marone Cinzano, dates back to the first half of the XVII century.   Pack your bags and head north to Sienna and Castello Fonterutoli where you will spend two nights in the heart of the Chianti Classico. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, Castello Fonterutoli retains its original form, that of a tranquil country village: a cluster of houses, the church of San Miniato and the villa, built in the 1500s.  You will tour the winery and taste the Chianti Classico this winemaking dynasty is proud of.  For a special treat see Carla Mazzei’s Lavender fields used to produce a line of cosmetic products, which bear her name.  See the spectacular Duomo in Sienna and explore the Tuscan countryside before returning home with a new appreciation for Brunelo di Montalcino and Chianti Classico.

 

Behind The Label – Meet The Willamette Valley's Top 12 Vintners  
Two Couples will Enjoy Five days of Wine Tasting and Dining Excursion with the Region’s Top Somms, Chefs and Vintners:

Head North to Portland and the Willamette Valley for an adventurous Town and Country week! Two couples (4 guests) will dine and taste their way through the valley, as they visit the region’s top wineries and meet the personalities behind each label. Start in TOWN for a night at the Hotel Monaco, Portland where you will enjoy lunch at Ten01 Restaurant a private tour of the Portland Art Museum and dinner at Wildwood.  Then off to the COUNTRY, the Willamette Valley, where Oregon’s celebrated Pinot Noirs are crafted.  Lindsay Woodard, Proprietor of Retour Wines will be your local guide.  You will visit 12 of their top producers: Retour, Ken Wright, Hamacher, Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, Beaux Freres, Archery Summit, Bergstrom, Soter, Ayoub and Shea. Lindsay has arranged for you to stay at Domaine Serene’s private guest house for two nights and at the fabulous Inn at Red Hills.  Enjoy brunch at Farm to Fork, lunches at The Dundee Bistro and the Filling Station and dinner at two of the areas best restaurants: The Painted Lady and Nick’s.  For a special treat, Lindsay will prepare a memorable dinner for you, paired with Retour Wines and some hidden gems from her cellar.  To remember your trip, you will take home 12 bottles of Pinot Noir one from each winery you will visit–signed by the vintner. 

La Paulée de L’Auberge Carmel

In Burgundy La Paulée is a harvest feast where vintners gather together and share treasures from their cellars.  Three couples (6 guests) will experience tradition of La Paulée at their exclusive La Paulée de L’Auberge Carmel.  You will spend the night at the incredible Relais et Chateau L'Auberge Carmel one of Carmel’s few full service luxury hotels offering highly personalized guest services.  Start your afternoon with a pre-dinner reception featuring Jamon Iberico and a Spanish Wine Tasting with Sommelier Thomas Perez.  Then on to your Burgundian harvest feast at L’Auberge Carmel’s celebrated restaurant, Aubergine.  Dinner will be prepared by Executive Chef Christophe Grosjean who was trained at France’s 3-star Michelin-rated Le Jardin des Sens.   The wines for your meal will come from the Cellar of one of San Francisco's most formidable Burgundy collectors, Bill Shea, Jr.  You’ll sip wines from the Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards of Burgundy, eat a sumptuous meal and maybe sing a Burgundian drinking song or two … à votre santé

 

A Week Under Montana's Mountain Sky

Two couples will spend five nights at Montana’s Mountain Sky Guest Ranch.  This secluded guest ranch on the Lonesome Dove Trail in Paradise Valley is considered one of the Nation's top upscale guest ranch resorts. Set on over 5,000 acres adjoining the Gallatin Forest, this ranch is within an hour's drive of Yellowstone and the other riches of the Gallatin Valley.  Admire the breathtaking views, enjoy fine food, amenities and luxurious cabins, hike, fish the Yellowstone River, horseback ride, relax with a book or tour the galleries in nearby Livingston.  A week under Montana’s magnificent Mountain Sky awaits you.

 

Experience the Lifestyle of a Yountville Vintner 

Find out what the vintner lifestyle is really about during this two day labor intensive getaway to the birthplace of wine in the Napa Valley. Two will find out first hand what it's like to keep cellar master's hours, and how, exactly grape juice becomes wine when you go to work in the vineyards and cellars of Yountville. This is not for the faint of heart, and this will not be a pampered experience, although we will promise three nights in a comfortable guesthouse among the vines to lay your weary head and hearty harvest lunches and dinners with winemakers both days. To cap off the experience, you will take home 6 bottles of wine from the Yountville Appellation and return to one or both of Yountville's signature tastings as our guest, when we promise not to make you do more than lift a bottle to refill your glass.

 

CARneros Sleep and Speed

Be a Race Car Driver for a Day on Infineon Raceway in an Audi R8 V10

Take a leisurely drive up to Sonoma and spend two nights at the luxurious Carneros Inn nestled among the vineyards in your private guest cottage.  Get lost of sleep, as you will be up early and off for a day at the track.  You are not there spectators, two of you are there as drivers.  You’ll put on your brain buckets (helmets) and put the pedal to the metal behind the wheel of Audi’s amazing R8 V10 sportscar. Named Car of the Year by the Robb Report and World Performance Car 2008 at the New York Auto Show, the race-ready R8 epitomizes Audi's quest for perfection.  Learn to hone your driving skills on the paddock and then take the R8 where it really wants to be – on Infineon’s 2.52-mile road racing course. Audi’s racing coaches will take you through your paces in this one-day hands-on driving experience designed especially for car enthusiasts who love to drive exceptionally engineered vehicles – FAST. 

 

Pritchard Hill Hoedown

Finger Lickin’, Foot Stompin’ Fun with Chappellet, David Arthur and Phil Claypool

Get ready for a good ol’ time on Pritchard Hill. Twenty guests will enjoy a finger licking barbeque prepared by vintners Cyril and Blakesley Chappellet of Chappellet Vineyard and David Long of David Arthur Vineyards. To get your feet stomping, Nashville country recording artist Philip Claypool will entertain you with his original tunes and some old favorites.  Ribs, corn bread, slaw, plenty of Chappellet and David Arthur wines, great music and a view that will take your breath away not a bad way to spend an evening. 

 

Walla Walla Washington

A Wine Adventure with Master Sommeliers Shayn Bjornholm and Greg Harrington

Jet off to Seattle to spend three nights with Master Sommeliers Shayn Bjornholm and Greg Harringtonas your guides. Your Washington adventure for four (two couples) starts with a night at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel and dinner for 4 at Wild Ginger.  In the morning you are off to Walla Walla where you will spend for two nights at the Girasol Bed & Breakfast. Shayn and Greg will take you to visit Va Piano, Gramercy Cellars/Waters, Long Shadows Vintners and aMaurice where you will sample some of the finest wines being made in Washington State.  Enjoy.  inner at Saffron Restaurant and a Homemade BBQ at aMaurice prepared by all the winemakers you visited while in Walla Walla.

Picture Yourself a Parisian 

Call the City of Light home for a week.  Two will spend one week (7 nights) living on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) in a luxurious Paris apartment.  This two story pied-a-terre in the 5th arrondissement, with three bedrooms and 100 square meters of space, comfortably accommodates up to 6 people (3 couples).

  

Two Masters, Two Couples, Two Days, 
Too Much - Wine, Food and Fun in Sonoma

Master Sommeliers Brian Cronin and Geoff Kruth will take two couples under their wings to show you their favorite vineyards and taste their favorite wines in Sonoma.  One day will be spent with Geoff visiting his favorite small Pinot Noir Producers and the other day with Brian, touring Jackson Family Wine Estates spectacular properties.  In between, you’ll spend the night at the sublime Farmhouse Inn in Forestville where Geoff and Brian will host dinner and share some special gems from their cellars. Both Masters will send you home with 6 bottles of wine: Geoff’s a selection of boutique Sonoma producers and Brian’s a collection of Jackson’s finest wines.  What a great way to gain some local knowledge and get a Master Sommeliers view of Sonoma.

 

Nantucket Meets Napa

Spend 7 nights at a beautiful 8,400 sq. foot five bedroom Nantucket home perched on top of a knoll in the picturesque southeast corner of Napa , known as the Coombsville region (South of Silverado and East of the City of Napa ).  You’ll feel like a wine country native surrounded by ancient oaks and the Blue Oak Vineyards with classic Napa Valley views from virtually every room.  While you are not swimming in your own hilltop private pool, you may explore the many new restaurants and shops that have recently opened in the near by City of Napa .  Or you can just nest at home and cook in a huge kitchen while using fresh locally purchased ingredients to create a culinary masterpiece.  For one whole week, you will get to feel what it’s like living on your own Napa estate.  Booked by mutual agreement with the owner of this secondary residence.

 

Old World vs. New World 
Master Two Golf Courses and Pinot Noir with the Masters

Are you ready to challenge your swing and your palette?  Master Sommeliers Randall Bertao and Reggie Narito will challenge six (6) to two rounds of golf and dinner featuring a tasting of old world vs new world pinot noirs.  Start the challenge on the “new world” course Bolder Ridge. Built in 2001 it is touted by raters from Golf Week Magazine as the best course in the area.  After your round, enjoy dinner at Boulder Ridge where Randall and Reggie will walk you through a tasting comparison of old world vs. new world Pinot Noir.  The following day you play a round and enjoy breakfast or lunch at the Los Altos Golf and

County Club. This “old world” course was designed in 1923 and is known as one of the most beautiful, challenging and well maintained golf courses in the Bay Area.  The winner of each round will take home a bottle of old world pinot noir from the Guild of Sommeliers Cellar. Randall and Reggie are ready for the challenge, are you? 

 

Alpha Omega By Land and By Sea
Experience San Francisco Bay Like Never Before  

Three Couples will take to the sea for a day cruising the San Francisco Bay on the USS Alpha Omega Yacht.  Then they will find land and spend the night dining and relaxing at the luxurious Cavallo Point Resort.  Your journey will begin with a champagne reception on board the USS Alpha Omega yacht. You will be joined by Alpha Omega owners Robin Baggett and Michelle Fields, who, with their captain and chef, will take you on an epicurean lunch and wine pairing journey around San Francisco Bay. As the sun settles over the Golden Gate Bridge, the yacht will cruise into Cavallo Point Resort marina where dinner and comfort await.  Your hosts at Cavallo Point will show you to your private guest rooms. That evening, Alpha Omega owners and winemaker Jean Hoefliger will join your group in the private dining room for a five course wine pairing dinner prepared by two-star Michelin chef Joseph Humphrey. Chef Humphrey promises he will create a meal you will never forget. Alpha Omega promises to pull some gems from their cellar to pour alongside Chef Humphrey’s inventive cuisine. The next morning, Cavallo point will host your farewell breakfast prior to boarding the USS Alpha Omega for a champagne cruise back to San Francisco.



Pebble Beach Imperial 
Two “backstage passes” to Pebble Beach Food and Wine 2010

This Imperial is not a 6 liter bottle of wine, it is two all-access Imperial passes to  Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2010.  Considered to be the premier, grand-scale, epicurean lifestyle event on the West Coast, Pebble Beach Food and Wine is a four-day event that brings together the countries top sommeliers, 250 acclaimed wineries with 60 celebrity chefs including Tom Colicchio, Dean Fearing, Thomas Keller, Michael Mina, Jacques Pepin and Roy Yamaguchi.  The event offers countless wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and some of the most remarkable dining opportunities available in the world.  Your Imperial pass gives you unprecedented access into the exclusive events at Pebble Beach Food & Wine. Enjoy admission to the "Reserve Wine Tastings", early entry to the Grand Tastings, VIP Seating at the most exclusive dinners of the weekend at The Beach & Tennis Club which includes most notably the "Lexus Cristal Champagne Dinner", and exclusive access to the private chef and winemaker after-hours parties.  On Saturday and Sunday, you can skip the lines with your VIP early access to The Grand Tasting where you can enjoy 300 wines from 250 of the world’s most prestigious wineries and 25 of the weekend’s celebrity chefs who will prepare culinary delicacies for your delight. 

Wine-Stained Strat

 

Own a piece of Guitar history with this 60^th Anniversary Presidential Select Stratocaster® guitar from the Fender Custom Shop.  Only 100 of these instantly collectable instruments were made available to the public. The guitar features a hand-selected flame maple top, gold hardware throughout, custom-designed pickups and the Fender 60th anniversary logo inlaid in pearl at the 12th fret. The top of the guitar has been hand-stained using grape must.

The Ultimate Wine Cooler Raffle

Enter to win the “Ultimate Wine Cooler,” a GE Monogram 57 Bottle Wine Chiller filled with incredible wines.  
The collection wines have been donated by the Guild of Sommeliers and the Master Sommelier and vintner hosts attending the Ultimate Wine Dinner and Auction.   
This 57 bottle collection, that will surely WOW any wine aficionado, can be yours!  

Bottles of note include:

1985 Heitz Martha's Vineyard - Signed by Joe Heitz
1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache 
1990 Karthauserhof Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Auslese #13

1992 Dalla Valle Maya
1996 Domaine Bonneau du Martray, Corton Charlemagne

1997 Antinori Solaia

1998 Penfolds Grange

1998 Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Da Capo

2000 Dauvissat Chablis "Les Clos" 
2000 Chateau Pichon-Longuevile Baron
2000 Viader

2002 Bonacorssi Pinot Noir
2005 Castello Banfi BelnerO Proprietor's Reserve
2005 "g" Claret Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Parry Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Vérité "LeDesire" Sonoma
2006 Blackbird Vineyards "Illustration" Proprietary Red Wine

2006 Patz & Hall Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir

2006 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Robert Foley Claret

2006 J.P. Harbison Cabernet
2006 Pride Mountain Napa/Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Retour Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
2006 Freeman Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2006 Freeman Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 

2006 Hanzell Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir
2006 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Brooks Rastaban Pinot Noir
2006 Blue Oak Merlot
2007 Williams Selyem Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

GE Monogram’s 57 Bottle Wine Chiller is made from stainless steel Adjustable temperature control a UV resistant, tempered glass door that affords a full view of contents.

Tickets are $100 each or 6 for $500.

Minimum Value: $7,500

Raffle drawing to be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009 
at the 5^th Ultimate Wine Dinner & Auction  
Winner need not be present to win

Winner is responsible for any expense associated with shipping and delivery of the wine and cooler to their residence.

Purchase a Raffle Ticket

Alpha Omega

Castello Banfi 

Beringer Vineyards

Blackbird Vineyards

Blue Oak Wines

BOND Estates

Brooks Wine

Chappellet Vineyard & Winery

Fisher Vineyards

Freeman

Gramercy Cellars
Hanzell Vineyards

JP Harbison

Jackson Family Estates

Parry Cellars

Patz & Hall

Pride Mountain Vineyards

Retour Wines

Robert Foley Vineyards

Robert Mondavi Winery