Press and News
The Jackson Hole Wine Auction, benefiting the world renowned Grand Teton Music Festival, celebrated an other year of music education with four days of great food and wine on June 23–26. Special guests included Eric Asimov, wine critic of The New York Times, and over 20 featured chefs and vintners from around the world. Once again Jackson, Wyoming became the stage for an international showcase of leading names in food and wine. The silent and live auctions raised over $670,000 to benefit the Grand Teton Music Festival’s education and outreach
programs.
The Wine Auction was proud to receive support from Grand Sponsors Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole Resort Lodging, M&N Aviation, New West KnifeWorks, Saveur, Shooting StarTM, Terra Resort Group, and Wells Fargo Private Bank.
The Live Auction was full of fine wines and unique adventures, which got the bidding started quickly. The food lover’s trip to New York was the top auction lot at $33,000, featuring private air travel from Jackson to New York, lodging at Plaza Athénée and unique dining experiences at Restaurant Jean-Georges, Marea, and Aureole. A winemaker’s trip to Tuscany was another hot item, centered around stays at Marchese Piero Antinori’s Tignanello estate and Sebastiano Rosa’s Tenuta San Guido. Other auction highlights included an experience at America’s premier driven shooting lodge, Blixt & Co. at Lazy
Triple Creek Ranch, and an incredible fly-fishing experience with Nomads of the Seas in Patagonia. A rare four jeroboam collection of Hospices du Beaune 2009 "Les Climats du Coeur" inspired heavy bidding from the wine collectors in the
room, as did the Wine Auction’s Ultimate Souvenir, which included 10 double magnums and one jeroboam from the 2010 featured vintners.
The 2010 Wine Auction kicked off with a Welcome Cocktail Party on Wednesday, June 23 at Jackson Hole Aviation sponsored by M&N Aviation and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. On Thursday guests visited some of the most beautiful locations in Jackson, when generous patrons of the Grand Teton Music Festival opened their homes for intimate dinners featuring a five-course meal prepared by one of the star chefs, paired with wines from one of the guest wineries.
Festivities continued on Friday with the Premier Wine Seminar moderated by Eric Asimov and all ten featured vintners on the tasting panel. Each winemaker selected two wines 10 years apart, highlighting the depth and diversity of their best bottling. Friday night also included the Auction Preview Party, a new event in Walk Festival Hall, where guests mingled with featured guests and sponsors and had a chance to do some pre-gala bidding. Then it was on to the Taste of Jackson Hole, hosted at the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole; this lively food and wine tasting hit a new high note, with incredible cuisine from local restaurants and wines poured by 20 top producers from around the world.
The weekend culminated with the Auction and Gala Dinner on Saturday at Shooting StarTM, where patrons had the opportunity to visit with featured chefs and vintners again and bid upon an exclusive array of auction items. With a
gorgeous backdrop of the Teton Mountain Range, guests sampled signature dishes and wines from the chefs and vintners, while having the chance to mix with the masters themselves. Few other charity wine auctions offer so many opportunities for personal interaction with headlining stars, all while indulging in their signature tastes; it’s truly an exceptional experience, unrivaled in its intimacy and offerings.
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The Jackson Hole Wine Auction benefits the Grand Teton Music Festival and its many vibrant education and outreach programs. From a child’s first experience with classical music, to spectacular performances in Walk Festival Hall, the Grand Teton Music Festival is proud to celebrate the beautiful community of Jackson Hole with inspiring music – every summer since 1962 and for generations to come.
