FORT BRAGG, CA – During a spectacular weekend of award-winning wine, fabulous food, fine art, music, merriment, and charitable giving, the 34th Annual Winesong saw a record-shattering amount raised for the Fund-A-Need auction lot, which this year benefited Cancer Care at Mendocino Coast District Hospital. Held on the Mendocino Coast on September 7th and 8th, highlights included A Pinot Noir Celebration, the Grand Tasting a Silent and Live Auction, where attendees witnessed unbelievable generosity. Winesong is the main fundraising event benefiting the District Hospital. Produced by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation, all proceeds go towards supporting the local Hospital that serves the entire Mendocino Coast, plus rural inland areas covering nearly half the distance to Highway 101.
Winesong 2018 kicked off on Friday, September 7th with an insider’s view of spectacular Pinot Noirs at ‘A Pinot Noir Celebration’ hosted by the Little River Inn. Guests enjoyed Pinot Noir tastings and delicious passed hors d’oeuvres, along with a chance to “talk shop” with the winemakers from Mendocino County, Napa and Sonoma Counties plus Pinots from Willamette Valley and New Zealand. On Saturday, September 8th, attendees to the Grand Tasting strolled the enchanting Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens while enjoying vintages poured by world-class wineries from Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and beyond, and bites from numerous fine food purveyors. The celebration continued in the Auction Tents with the always-entertaining main attraction, the Live and Silent Auctions, where well over 100 lots were on offer – including spectacular wines from a selection of prestigious wine producers, rare and hard-to-find vintages, special vertical and horizontal collections, original paintings and art from highly acclaimed artists, and domestic and international vacation packages.
Bidders at the Live Auction under the big tent helped raise significant funds, with the highlight being the Fund-A-Need focused on Cancer Care. While the bidding was set to start at $20,000, Honored Vintner Dan Duckhorn surprised everyone under the tent with an opening $50,000 donation. That was followed by a $25,000 donation, and from there, paddles shot up around the tent until the final tally of $265,000 was announced – more than the $250,000 the Foundation had hoped for and nearly $60,000 more than the previous record. Since the event, more donations from the FAN have been received, to the gratitude of the Foundation and District Hospital, and 100% of these donations going directly to the Hospital. Trips to Italy and South Africa each garnered $20,000 each, with the South Africa trip being doubled. A week in Anguilla was tripled at $33,000. A 2006 Shafer Hillside Select in a 6L format sold at $4,000, while a vertical collection of Vosne-Romanee, Clos de Reas’ Premier Cru spanning four decades went for $7,000.
Winning bids on other lots included:
- Lot 9: “Honored Vintner – Take Flight” – Tasting Experiences between Napa and Anderson Valley with private jet transportation, plus dinner and several large format bottles – $12,000
- Lot 12: Artist of the Year Stained Glass, “The Wave” – $7,000
- Lot 19: “One Big Beautiful Bottle of Bordeaux” – 2008 Chateau Palmer, Grand Cru Margaux 6L – $5,700
- Lot 30: “Jazz You Like It” – 2019 VIP Experience for two at Monterey Jazz Festival – $5,500
- Lot 47: VIP Experience for Winesong’s 35th Anniversary – doubled at $12,000 apiece.
“We were thrilled with the outcome of Winesong 2018,” states Michelle Roberts, Executive Director of the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation. “It was another great year, with incredible results for the Fund-A-Need benefiting Cancer Care patients and the Oncology Department at Mendocino Coast District Hospital. We thank everyone who helped make the day a success, and the generosity around this event is truly awe-inspiring.”
About Winesong & the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation
Winesong is produced by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for the Mendocino Coast District Hospital. Its mission is to help the small rural Hospital provide the best possible medical care to residents as well as the many visitors to the Mendocino Coast. Winesong proceeds have enabled the Hospital to purchase chemotherapy equipment, portable ultrasound machines for the Emergency Room as well as a state-of-the-art Diagnostic Imaging Center, Cardiology Equipment, a Bedside Medicine Verification System, a Patient Bedside Monitoring & Alert system, and Patient Smart Beds for all rooms plus ER.
For further information, please visit http://winesong.org or call (707) 961-4688.
