Portland, March 5th, 2016. More than 800 wine lovers gathered at the Oregon Convention Center to drink, eat and bid at the Classic Wines Auction (CWA). The six nonprofits which benefited include: Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children-Portland, YWCA Clark County, Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Special Olympics Oregon. The Classic Wines Auction (CWA) raised over $3 million dollars. Proceeds from the auction, and other food and wine events put on by the organization, support charities dedicated to youth and families throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.
The 2016 Honorary Wine Ambassadors with the 2016 Classic Wines Auction Co-Chairs were, Greg Goodwin (CWA chair), Heather Martin (CWA Executive Director), Jay Somers (Owner and Winemaker at J. Christopher Wines in Newberg, OR), Bob Bertheau (Head Winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, WA), Peggy Maguire (CWA Co-Chair), Lynn Gust (CWA Co-Chair), Marta Delfa (Global Brand Ambassador and Educator at Miguel Torres Winery in Barcelona, Spain) and Larry Maguire (President and CEO of Far Niente in Oakville, CA).
2016 Oregon Honorary Wine Ambassador, Jay Somers from J. Christopher Wines, entertains the crowd on lead guitar with his band, Reduction, which is made up of musicians who work in the wine industry.
Charity speakers talk about how their lives have been impacted by CWA partner charities. From left front row, speakers representing: Friends of the Children, Special Olympics Oregon and Metropolitan Family Service. From left back row, speakers representing: Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, New Avenues for Youth and YWCA Clark County.
Guests enjoyed a wine and food reception before the event featuring local wine producers and gourmet bites from seven premier Portland restaurants, including Irving Street Kitchen (Executive Chef, Sarah Schafer pictured here with guest).
Since 1982, CWA has raised almost $40 million for youth and families in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
“Year after year, our wonderful donors, sponsors, volunteers, charity partners and winemakers come together to make this event a success,” said Heather Martin, Executive Director of the Classic Wines Auction. “We’re thankful for their generous support. It means we can help those children and families in our community who are most in need.”
In addition to the successful auction, CWA also announced today that it was named to Wine Spectator’s annual list of the top charity wine auctions in the country. This year, CWA moved up slightly to No. 8 on this distinguished list.
“The recognition from Wine Spectator is a testament to our organization and its fundraising success,” Martin said. “It’s an honor for our event to be included among these prestigious auctions.”
Guests bid on a variety of packages comprising curated wine lots, fine art, luxury travel, vineyard tours, wine tastings and more. The numerous national and international trips sold this year included Thanksgiving in New York City, Heli-hiking in Canada, Bastille Day in Bordeaux, and trips to Argentina, Cabo, Spain and Ireland.
Next year’s auction is scheduled for Saturday, March 4, 2017. Corks + Forks, CWA’s annual urban wine gathering, is Thursday, June 9. Tickets are available at www.classicwinesauction.com.
About Classic Wines Auction
Consistently recognized as one of the top ten charity wine auctions in the country by Wine Spectator magazine since 2001, the Classic Wines Auction has raised almost $40 million for Portland-area charities since its inception in 1982. Based in Portland, OR., First Growth Children and Family Charities is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing the Classic Wines Auction and related food and wine events to raise funds for local charities benefiting children and families, including: Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children-Portland, YWCA Clark County, Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Special Olympics Oregon. For more information about the Classic Wines Auction and each of its annual fundraising events, visit www.classicwinesauction.com.
