2018 Sun Valley Center Wine Auction: Tickets on Sale Now!
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is thrilled to host the 37th Annual Sun Valley Center Wine Auction from Thursday, July 19, through Saturday, July 21, 2018. This celebratory charity event unfolds over three glorious, activity-filled days in the heart of Sun Valley, Idaho. It is The Center’s largest fundraiser of the year, raising 50 percent of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ budget in support of arts education. This year’s selection of top vintners, chefs, sponsors, entertainment and auction lots will once again deliver on the auction’s reputation as one of the 10 best charity wine auctions in the country and one of the Valley’s premier summer season events.
A Celebration of Wine • A Benefit for Arts Education
Participants will delight in exclusive Vintner Dinners, an unforgettable Wine Auction Gala, a lively wine tasting and, to close out the weekend’s festivities, the Vine & Dine extravaganza, all while supporting programs that have a profound impact on the community.
Tickets—particularly exclusive Patron Packages—are guaranteed to sell out quickly. Guests are encouraged to reserve their places now. Patron Packages and Individual Tickets are on sale now at sunvalleycenter.org/wineauction or by calling 208.726.9491.
The Sun Valley Center Wine Auction is presented by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, the largest nonprofit arts organization in the state of Idaho, established in 1971. Reaching over 40,000 people annually, The Center is an accredited museum and delivers the very best of art and ideas year-round through visual arts exhibitions; award-winning Company of Fools professional theatre; performances by some of the nation’s finest musicians; lectures by award-winning authors and scholars as part of BIG IDEA projects; and extensive arts education programs.
IMPACT
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts provides free, high-quality arts education to every student in Blaine County through five different programs that reach more than 4,000 youth annually. The Center’s K-12 arts education programs are designed to engage creative thought as a tool to aid learning, promote confidence, inspire self-expression and support core curriculum in the schools. Proceeds from the Wine Auction directly support this programming as well as The Center’s Scholarship Program, which has awarded over $850,000 in the past 20 years to Blaine County students and educators for advanced study in the arts and humanities.
2018 WINE AUCTION HONORARY CHAIR
This year, The Center is pleased to announce Alan and Wendy Pesky as the Honorary Chairs of the Sun Valley Center Wine Auction. Alan and Wendy have been integral to ensuring the success and growth of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ educational programs in Blaine County schools for over three decades. Their commitment to education goes far beyond The Center; in 1997, Alan and Wendy founded the Lee Pesky Learning Center, which focuses on giving children with learning differences the tools they need to succeed. Today, the Lee Pesky Learning Center is recognized as one of the leading organizations of its kind in the country. Alan and Wendy have also been strong advocates for educators, creating the annually awarded Pesky Award for Inspirational Teaching given at Boise State University’s graduation ceremony in recognition of K-12 teachers who have significantly impacted and inspired their students to pursue a career in teaching.
The Peskys’ work with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts has taken numerous forms over the years, but most recently they have been the founding sponsors of The Center’s Enrichment Program, which brings professional museum educators and artists together with core curriculum classroom teachers to develop projects that integrate the arts into science, math and English curricula.
The Peskys have not only been major financial supporters of The Center’s hands-on, collaborative teaching programs, but have also served as chief developers and advisors for this successful model. Their questions and attention to detail have made this approach to arts integration one of The Center’s most successful K-12 programs.
“Alan and Wendy Pesky are a testament of what two people can do when they set their minds to something they care about,” said Christine Davis-Jeffers, Executive Director at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. “The Peskys are not just financial supporters of The Center—they are partners in our vision. They inspire us, providing thoughtful feedback along with active participation in the programs they support and beyond. I can’t imagine two more committed and supportive people to chair the Wine Auction. They give wings to young people’s dreams and make a difference every day. The Center for the Arts is delighted to honor these two remarkable friends.”
VINTNER DINNERS
The Wine Auction celebrations begin with the Vintner Dinners. These intimate gatherings with some of the country’s top winemakers are held in beautiful private homes around the valley, delivering an extraordinary experience. Both locally and globally renowned chefs prepare these unforgettable wine-paired meals. The list of participating vintners for 2018 is as impressive as ever. Featured wineries include TOR Wines, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Ovid, Peay Vineyards, Col Solare and Revana, among other standouts. Vintner Dinners are available only as part of a Grand Cru or Premier Cru Patron Package.
An outstanding lineup of chefs will be pairing their gourmet dishes with these fine wines. Prepared by both visiting chefs, such as Chefs Evan and Sarah Rich of Rich Table in San Francisco and Chef Beau MacMillan of The Sanctuary in Phoenix, as well as fantastic local chefs including Scott Mason and Taite Pearson, the cuisine is certain to impress.
WINE AUCTION GALA
The Wine Auction Gala is renowned for its fabulous entertainment, stellar cuisine, special winery-hosted tables with designated stewards and impressive auction lots. The 2018 Live Auction includes extraordinary experiences and exclusive wine lots, while the Silent Auction will feature premium and hard-to-find wine and wine experiences.
This sellout event will be anchored by an incredible menu of multiple gourmet courses, all prepared with Idaho flair. Gala attendees will have the opportunity to support The Center by bidding on exceptional silent and live lots: travel, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, extraordinary wines and so much more.
VINE & DINE
The Wine Auction extravaganza culminates in the signature Vine & Dine event at Dollar Mountain Lodge—a lawn party with great wines, tasty food, live music and dancing. Gifted local chefs present tapas-style specialties while wineries showcase their best varietals for guests to enjoy. For those who may be interested in an afternoon beer, local favorites Warfield Distillery & Brewery and Sawtooth Brewery will anchor the beer garden, complete with Sun Valley Mustard and pretzels.
All attendees will take home a complimentary commemorative tasting glass. This is a sure-to-sell-out event and the perfect ending to an unforgettable weekend.
VINE & DINE PLUS
The Vine & Dine Plus package offers a unique and intimate indoor tasting with participating vintners before the picnic. Only a limited number of tickets will be available for this event, so reserve now to ensure early entry and access to fantastic food and premium wines.
2018 WINE AUCTION SPONSORS
The 2017 festivities are made possible by the following sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor: Wells Fargo Private Bank
Housing Sponsors: Alpine Lodging and Sun Valley Resort
Media Sponsors: Mountain Living and SVPN
Grand Cru Sponsors: Silver Creek Ford and Goode Motor Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
Event Sponsors: The World: Residences at Sea, Jackson Jet Center, Alaska Airlines, Cox Communications, Atkinsons’ Market and Hayden Beverage.
To reserve a spot at the 2018 Sun Valley Wine Auction and to stay up to date on breaking announcements, visit sunvalleycenter.org/wineauction or call The Center at 208.726.9491.