Grapes for Humanity is turning its full attention toward the global climate crisis in a series of cross-Canada charity wine auctions and exclusive wine dinners to bid on.
These Grapes for Humanity charity wine auctions (go here for a preview of the Ontario lots) will be held October 12-18, 2021 in partnership with Irongate Auctions and the Vancouver Club in B.C. featuring:
• Classic wines from international renowned wine growing regions
• Canadian barrels of Cuvée from the Heart community-blends from Canadian vintners’ best barrels. Veteran Canadian winemakers Ross Wise in British Columbia and Thomas Bachelder in Ontario will be the master blenders.
• Winemaker’s dinners (see list below, and link to preview of auction items will be added to this post later today)
• And lots that extend outside of the wine world
Grapes for Humanity Global, in partnership with Christie’s, will host a New York City auction later this fall.
Proceeds from these charitable, virtual wine auctions will support national and global organizations in the battle against the Climate Crisis alongside our long-standing support of global humanitarian projects to address poverty, and improve education, and health.
Harald Thiel, vigneron of Niagara’s Hidden Bench Estate Winery, in hosting one of the dinners at Piano Piano’s Oakville location, on Wednesday March 23 at 7 p.m. It will be a dinner for eight and will auctioned off by Iron Gate beginning Oct. 12. Wines In Niagara publisher and chief wine writer Rick VanSickle is helping Thiel host the event. It promises to be a wonderful night of food and wine.
Thiel, above, is donating a six-pack of his best wines from vintages perfectly selected from the Hidden Bench cellars at his Beamsville Bench estate winery to pair with the meal at Piano Piano.
The wines to be poured, and included in the auction, include:
• 2005 Nuit Blanche, Rosomel Vineyard — White Wine of the Year, National Wine Awards of
Canada 2007, VQA Beamsville Bench;
• 2016 Felseck Vineyard Chardonnay — Platinum Medal, 2019 National Wine Awards of Canada, VQA Beamsville Bench;
• 2018 Felseck Vineyard Chardonnay — 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards “Best in Show”
Platinum Medal, VQA Beamsville Bench;
• 2005 Terroir Cache — maiden vintage of Hidden Bench’s trademark Bordeaux-style red meritage, VQA Beamsville Bench;
• 2007 La Brunante—our flagship Bordeaux-style red blend, only made in the most exceptional of vintages from the main Bordeaux red grapes, VQA Beamsville Bench;
• 2011 Roman’s Block Riesling, Rosomel Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench
The Oakville Piano Piano serves deeply satisfying chef food that comes in just the right size. The menu features traditional Italian fare that’s been elevated to its most delicious self. If there’s a common thread that runs through Piano Piano, it’s a deep-seated soulfulness that’s at once warm, welcoming and just plain fun.
Whether it’s a satisfying chewy/crispy crunch of just thick enough pizza, a rapini, slicked with garlic and grassy olive oil, its sweetness coaxed out with gentle cooking or fire-licked lamb, as deeply pink as the banquette cushion piping, you will leave the table perfectly full and dreaming of your visit.
Thiel’s critically acclaimed Hidden Bench Estate Winery lies nestled in the heart of the picturesque Beamsville Bench. This where the team crafts some of Niagara’s finest premium wines using only certified organic estate fruit with sustainable, non-interventionist winemaking techniques that have a sense of place and time. Six mature wines from the estate will be chosen to pair with the meal Piano Piano creates for what promises to be a spectacular wine dinner.
The Piano Piano/Hidden Bench auction item is one of several restaurant/winery dinners being auctioned off during the Iron Gate auction.
Other Ontario dinners include:
Cave Spring Vineyard
Host: Len Pennachetti, Owner and Member of the Order of Canada
Canoe Restaurant: Thursday, February 10 2022, 7 PM
Exceptional collection of 6 wines received as part of your auction lot will be tasted with the winemaker.
Special Guest: Tony Aspler, Author and Member of the Order of Canada
Delaney-Bachelder Wine Dinner for 8
Host: Thomas Bachelder, co-owner and winemaker
Barberian’s Steak House, on Thursday February 10 th , 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special guest – Beverly Crandon, Vin Equity co-founder
Charles Baker Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Charles Baker, owner and winemaker
Ascari King Street, Wednesday February 23 rd , 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Leah Spooner, wine consultant
Henry of Pelham Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Daniel Speck, owner
Gare de L’Est, on Thursday January 27 th , 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Miroki Tong, Wine Blogger
Le Clos Jordan Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Thomas Bachelder, winemaker
Café Boulud, Four Seasons Hotel, on Friday March 4th , 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special guest – Sara D’Amato, Writer, Sommelier & Instructor
Leaning Post Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Ilya Senchuk, head winemaker and co-founder
George Restaurant, on Thursday February 3 rd , 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Michael Godel, Principal Critic of Wine Align
Malivoire Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Shiraz Mottiar, winemaker
Richmond Station, on Wednesday January 19 th , 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – John Szabo, Master Sommelier, Author, Speaker and Critic
Pearl Morissette Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Francois Morissette, winemaker and winery partner
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Restaurant Pearl Morissette, on Sunday January 23 rd 2022, 7 pm
Southbrook Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Bill Redelmeier, owner
Treadwell’s Niagara on the Lake, on Wednesday March 9 th 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier, co-founder of Project Social Herbivore
Tawse Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Paul Pender, winemaker
Stock TC, on Thursday January 27th 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Emily Pearce, founder of Femme du Vin
Kelly Mason Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Kelly Mason, winemaker
Paris Paris Wine Bar, date TBD 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Renee Sferrazza, Wine Communicator
Rosehall Run Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Dan Sullivan, owner
North and Navy Ottawa, on Thursday March 10 th 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Janet Dorozynski, wine writer, educator, and critic
Trail Estate Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Mackenzie Brisbois, winemaker
The Royal Hotel Picton, on April 13 th 2022, 7 pm
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special Guest – Krysta Oben, Sommelier and “Grape Witch”
Trius Wine Dinner for 8
Host – Craig McDonald, winemaker
Tanto (Date tbd)
The exceptional collection of 6 wines for this dinner are the same wines included in the auction lot.
Special guest – Steven Campbell, Sommelier
Each dinner has 8 seats, so you and your friend can have a memorable evening!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This latest auction from Grapes for Humanity comes on the heels of last November’s Grapes for Humanity “Save Hospitality Fundraiser” virtual fine wine auction presented by Waddington’s Auctioneers and Appraisers. The auction had over 370 bids from Canada, UK, Hong Kong, Poland and the U.S., raising over half a million dollars for the hard-hit hospitality sector facing incredible strain due to COVID-19.
Proceeds went directly to Ontario Hospitality front-line workers through the Toronto Restaurant Workers Relief Fund; the Bartender’s Benevolent Fund; The Full Plate and independent Ontario restaurants through savehospitality.ca.
That special auction featured some of the world’s finest and rarest wines, but also many lots of exceptional ready-to-drink wines from the best wine regions. A specialty item of a dinner with Rock Hall of Famers Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush was the top bid, fetching a whopping $70,000. The Cuvée de Heart, a 2020 Pan-Ontario wine made by 37 Ontario wineries led by winemaker Thomas Bachelder, above, was one of the coveted highlights that had a flurry of action in the final minutes of bidding.
About the auction
The Grapes For Humanity auction is set to go Iive on October 12 but the catalogue is available as preview here. Hosted from Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, this weekend you can peruse the three lists with an array of spectacular wines and wine experiences to choose from.
It’s important to remember that this is a charitable fundraising auction, meaning that there is no buyers premium! Successful bidders will be responsible for the hammer price plus the taxes associated with the province of sale (BC = 13%, AB = 5%, ON = 0%). If that is not incentive to get bidding, I’m not sure what is!
Reminder: Each city will be hosting a different auction and because of this the pickup/delivery/shipping options will vary:
• Lots won in Vancouver are to be picked up from the Vancouver Club (shipping not available);
• Lots won in Calgary will be delivered for a fee through our parters at Calgary Shipping (pickup is NOT an option);
• Lots won in Toronto are to be picked up from the IronGateWine office in Leaside (shipping can be facilitated by the client);
• Lots won in multiple cities cannot be consolidated and shipped/delivered together.
Some highlights …
Calgary Lot #19 – Archive Tasting & One-Year BB Club Membership
Toronto Lot #56 – Guitar Epiphone from Alex Lifeson – autographed by Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee
Toronto’s Grapes For Humanity auction is the largest of all three and boasts over 300 lots of fine wine, wine experiences, and incredible donations by legendary Rush musicians Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Lot #56 highlights just that, an autographed Epiphone guitar from Alex Lifeson. There is not too much more to say other than the fact that it is a prized piece of Canadian music history.
About Grapes for Humanity
Grapes for Humanity is a national charity co-founded in 2001 by wine writer Tony Aspler and Arlene Willis that has raised millions of dollars for global humanitarian projects. The foundation held the first virtual charity wine auction in Ontario, in the fall of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, to support the ailing hospitality sector. Canadian wines were highlighted in the auction including barrels of “Cuvée from the Heart” of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, blended by Thomas Bachelder from 37 winemakers from every Ontario wine making region.
Grapes of Humanity Co-founder Tony Aspler said: “The international wine community and wine lovers around the world are known for their sense of community and generosity. Grapes for Humanity is pleased to sponsor these wine auctions and direct the funds raised to address the critical need to battle the immediate threat of climate change and its devastating effects — both of the global wine industry and the health of the planet in general.”
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