The wildly popular and always sold-out barrel auction and marketplace event of Auction Napa Valley was the place to be on Friday afternoon with thousands of stylishly dressed party-goers roaming the grounds of Rubicon Estates in high spirits and with roused appetites.  Rubicon Estates in Rutherford, with its festively decorated outdoor patios and lawns for the Marketplace, deep cellars for the barrel auction and spacious upstairs for the e-auction, provided a comfortable venue for guests to explore, taste and seriously bid.
The rare threat of rain held back, allowing guests to savor barbecued beef, pork sliders and vegetarian dishes …

Throughout the Napa Valley on Thursday evening, vintners were holding welcome dinners for guests and bidders participating in the 30th annual Auction Napa Valley.  In Calistoga, one of these special dinners was hosted by Suzanne Phifer Pavitt and Shane Pavitt of Phifer Pavitt Wines, producer of Date Night Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
After an elegant reception on their patio overlooking the Valley, guests were treated to a four-course dinner and wine pairing prepared by Chef Brandon Sharp of the Michelin star restaurant Solbar in Calistoga.  Chef Brandon Sharp’s menu was stellar with each …

In 1981, Robert Mondavi spearheaded the first Auction Napa Valley for community charities, raising $140,000. In 2009, the auction sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners Association (Napa Vintners) raised $5.6 million, bringing the total raised to date to approximately $90 million.
The proceeds of the auction serve the community in the areas of healthcare, child and youth development and affordable housing.  One of the largest beneficiaries of the auction is Clinic Ole, the only source of primary and preventative care for the low-income and under/un-insured in the Napa Valley.  Nearly half of the approximate …