Proceeds for the event will go to Direct Relief and Community Health Centers, which supports Santa Barbara’s farmworkers and their families.
Grassini Family Vineyards will be awarded this year’s Vintner Honoree. Famed charity auctioneer Billy Harris will emcee the biennial fundraiser.
May 31, 2022 (Santa Barbara, Calif.) – The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation is pleased to announce the dates for its biennial Santa Barbara Wine Auction. The charity fundraising reception and gala will be held Nov. 11-12, 2022 at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara.
The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation is founded on the ethos “Grounded in Giving,” and the Auction is the nonprofit’s marquee fundraising event.
The opening reception on Friday, Nov. 11 and the black-tie gala on Saturday, Nov. 12 will bring together the leaders of the Santa Barbara wine community, celebrities and philanthropists for two days of wine, food and auctions to support two of the region’s most important charitable organizations.
This year, money raised will go to the Auction’s longtime philanthropic partner, Direct Relief, the Santa Barbara-based international humanitarian organization, and Community Health Centers, which provides medical services to Santa Barbara’s farmworker community.
The 2022 Vintner Honoree will be Grassini Family Vineyards, the family owned-and-operated winery that helped pioneer the Happy Canyon AVA and continues to be a torchbearer in Santa Barbara’s wine community.
“Our Vintner Honoree award is more than a celebration of a successful wine brand,” said Jessica Gasca, the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation President, and owner and winemaker of Story of Soil. “It’s for the true leaders like the Grassini family, who go beyond and give back to the workers, steward the land and demonstrate the ultimate respect for our place and our community.”
Celebrity auctioneer Billy Harris will emcee this year’s event. The witty and electric Los Angeles-based Harris is among world’s most sought-after philanthropic hosts and specializes in raising money at food-and-wine fêtes. Over the years, he has helped raise more than $100 million for the James Beard Foundation, No Kid Hungry, The New York Food Bank, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and Autism Speaks, among others.
More details are forthcoming regarding the exciting auction offerings and entertainment to be featured at the event.
For sponsorship opportunities, more information and ways to get involved please visit SBWineAuction.org.
About Santa Barbara Wine Auction
The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Santa Barbara Vintners. The biennial Santa Barbara Wine Auction is the Foundation’s marquee charity event. Since its inaugural gala in 2000, the Auction has raised more than $5 million for humanitarian organizations, including its longtime beneficiary and partner, Direct Relief. The 2022 Wine Auction will mark its 12th year of gathering together to support, strengthen and give back to its community. https://sbwineauction.org
