If
Auction Napa Valley is too rich for your blood there are a lot of smaller benefits that offer a chance bid on wine lots and unique experiences. The
Young School, a private non-profit school, is holding a benefit in Napa that offers a whole host of tempting lots that you don't need to be in Napa to bid on (of course if you are in Napa, the benefit on March 17 at
Quintessa in Rutherford offers the chance to experience and evening of food and wine). There are 25 lots total perfect for food and wine lovers such as a tour of The Wine Spectator's Victorian mansion-headquarters in Napa with Senior Editor James Laube, dinner at French Laundry, experiencing the fourth of July at the
Louis Martini winery or an afternoon playing around in the test kitchen at Cakebread Cellars. You can also bid on stays at the Auberge de Soleil and
Meadowood. My favorite lots are the tour of City Hall in San Francisco with hottie mayor Gavin Newsom or the chance to own magnums of wine from 19 Napa Valley women winemakers (including Pahlmeyer, Crocker & Starr, Frog's Leap, Honig, Long Meadow Ranch, Selene, Spottswoode and Viader). Proxy bidding forms need to be submitted by noon on March 17 to get in on the action.
