Oldest and Longest Running Wine Auction in the Country to Benefit Arts Programming and Education in Wood River Valley, Idaho
KETCHUM, Idaho (August 2, 2022) — Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMoA), contemporary art museum in Ketchum, raised over $1 million at the 41st Annual Sun Valley Wine Auction, now officially the oldest and longest running wine auction in the nation. The week’s events held Wednesday, July 20 through Friday, July 22 brought together over three hundred and fifty patrons, fifty-six wineries and more than twenty celebrated chefs to raise critical funding for the arts and art education in the Wood River Valley, resources that provide unparalleled experiences and much needed arts scholarships for the community youth, teens and teachers.
The 41st Annual Sun Valley Wine Auction theme was “Welcome, Enjoy, Be Kind, Make New Friends, Give Back” and the weeklong festivities and celebration delivered on this vision. With Wine Auction event chairs Ron and Susan Greenspan, patrons and guests celebrated and enjoyed wines from Napa and Sonoma to Walla Walla and Willamette, as well as from around the world with countries such as Argentina, France and South Africa represented.
The highlight of the week’s events, was the Live Auction, Paddle Raise and concert on the lawn of Sun Valley Resort’s Trail Creek Cabin with the MarchFourth Marching Band on Friday, July 23. 22 Live Auction lots, a raffle, and 23 Silent Auction online lots offered exclusive opportunities to taste, tour and visit with vintners from the world’s premiere wine regions and celebrity chefs from across the country. The lots included cult wines, rare vintages and large format bottles, as well as extraordinary once in a lifetime experiences.
In true Sun Valley spirit, the highest earning lot of the day was Lot #17, Big, Bold, Brilliant: an afternoon at Grumpy’s with Chappellet & Trefethen. The Lot got the crowd going wild at $500 for 50 couples, then longtime patron and Sun Valley Wine Auction veteran David Cimino, doubled the value of the lot bringing in a grand $52,000.
Rounding out the next top two lots included Lot #11, Take me to Church: 4 Days in the Frank Church wilderness with Lombardi Wine and Middle Fork rafting, a rare and once in a lifetime 3-night, 4-day rafting trip on the Salmon River in the Idaho wilderness courtesy of Lombardi Wines and Middle Fork Rafting for eight guests including 12 magnums of Lombardi’s one-of-a-kind Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in multiple vintages; and Lot #9, Viva Argentina: 9 Days Touring and tasting Mendoza wine country with Dr. Revana & Essentialist, a curated nine-day, eight-night journey through Argentina’s wine country featuing tours and tastings at wineries including Corazon del Sol, Bodega Catena Zapata, Terrazas de loss Andes and Ring’s End, spa time at Entre Cielos Luxury Wine Hotel & Spa and a balloon flight above Santa Julia’s Finca Beltrán vineyards.
Excitement continued when Corry and Mike Clayville, sponsors of Lot #15 Rip & Van Winkle with the Clayvilles, doubled the experience for two lucky auction bidders at $35,000 each. The Lot featured an evening of horseback riding at the Clayville’s Elk Run Ranch north of Ketchum with a dinner accompanied by tastings of extremely rare and limited release Pappy Van Winkle bourbon with special guests the Van Winkle triplets Louise, Carrie and Chenault and actor Cole Hauser, star of hit television series Yellowstone.
The Wine Auction’s critical fundraising lot “Raise Your Paddle” this year featured SVMoA scholarship recipient Luke Mauldin reading his winning essay “When I knew I belonged.” In Luke’s word’s, “Art is the reason I function. If I stopped making art, I would stop functioning.” In addition to Luke’s heartwarming speech on the necessity of arts, the central lot featured a short film created with the inspiring words and voices of scholarship recipients and captivating images of SVMoA programming and community. The “Raise Your Paddle” is the most fundamental lot of the evening. These funds allow SVMoA to serve upwards of 4,000 youth and teens in Blaine County, guaranteeing students of the Wood River Valley access to the arts, artists and performances from around the world and unique, transformational educational experiences.
“The unwavering support of our donors and patrons is amazing, and this year was no exception,” said SVMoA Executive Director Jennifer Wells Green. “From the paddle raise to extraordinary bids for our live lots, the commitment and enthusiasm is a validation of the importance of the arts and education and the lifeline it provides for this community.”
“The Sun Valley Wine Auction is a celebration of the incredible talent, rare experiences, unique community and innovative arts that are emblematic of Sun Valley,” said Wine Auction Director Peter Burke. “We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, love and kindness from everyone involved. We continue to be astounded by how much can happen when our community comes together in a single day and how much that can make an impact for the arts and the people of the Wood River Valley.”
About the Sun Valley Wine Auction
Founded in 1971, The Sun Valley Wine Auction is the oldest, continuously running wine auction in the country and the largest fundraising event for Sun Valley Museum of Art, a multi-disciplinary contemporary art museum in the Wood River Valley. The Sun Valley Wine Auction provides 50% of The Museum’s annual income and raises essential funds for the Museum’s Educational Outreach Programs, which reach almost 4,000 student participants in schools across the Wood River Valley and beyond each year. The money raised during the Wine Auction enables SVMoA to offer programs free of charge to all students. In addition, the Wine Auction supports SVMoA’s annual Scholarship Program, now in its 24th year. The Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1,000,000 to local high school students, college students and educators to pursue the study of arts and humanities outside our valley. SVMoA serves 24,000 people annually. 25% of participants are children, and 60% of programs offered to children are free of charge. For more information about the Sun Valley Wine Auction, please visit www.sunvalleywineauction.org.
About Sun Valley Museum of Art
Nonprofit Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMoA), formerly Sun Valley Center for the Arts, has nurtured curiosity, sparked conversation and engaged the Blaine County community since 1971. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, SVMoA reaches an annual audience of 40,000 with its mission to enrich the community through transformative arts and education experiences. SVMoA’s diverse programming includes, visual arts exhibitions, lectures, concerts, classes, performances, play readings and BIG IDEA multidisciplinary projects. SVMoA enhances K–12 arts education in local schools with elementary school education, student exhibition tours, professional artist residencies, arts-based classroom enrichment projects, and student and teacher scholarships. To learn more about Sun Valley Museum of Art, explore upcoming events, become a member, or get involved, visit www.svmoa.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
