Napa Valley's June 28 auction caps three days of wine events - Napa Valley Wine Auction

Sunset, June, 1986

Napa Valley's June 28 auction caps three days of wine events

For the sixth year running, veteran auctioneer Michael Broadbent will take up the gavel at the Napa Valley Wine Auction on Saturday, June 28. Held under a white canvas pavilion on the greens of Meadowood Resort Hotel, the fast-paced bidding will run from 5 to 11 P.M., with a dinner recess.

Eighty Napa Valley wineries will contribute wines, ranging from a 1934 port to future bottles of wine currently in the barrel. Proceeds--enough to make this California's most successful annual fundraiser of its sort--help support local health services.

The auction ends three days of special events throughout the Napa Valley. Paddle-holding bidders and their guests are invited to attend a Pinot Noir tasting Thursday afternoon, a barrel tasting Saturday, a champagne reception and alfresco dinner at the auction, and a host of winery open houses. The 400 bidding paddles (expected to sell out early) go for $150 each, plus $75 for a guest. A candle-light dinner Friday evening, with seating for a crowd of 1,200 under the canopy, costs $100 per person.

Meadowood is about a mile east of St. Helena. This is the Napa Valley's premier wine function of the year, so accommodations are heavily booked. For registration information and lodging help, call (707) 963-5246, or write to Shirley Knudsen, Box 141, St. Helena 95474.