WINE & SPIRITS

EAT, DRINK AND BUY MERLOT (AMONG OTHERS) AT NAPA'S BIG WINE AUCTION

A tall, stately man stood near the tents. Like a carnival barker, he offered snow cones topped with jumbo shrimp from a tray protruding mid-chest. I did a double take—could it really be? As I approached, my suspicions were confirmed. Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, one of America's most revered restaurants, was working the crowd like a sports stadium hot dog vendor. "Have a shrimp snow cone," he offered. "It's an American classic!" He inserted a clothespin (his restaurant's iconic symbol) into my lapel as I nibbled on gazpacho ice topped with poached shrimp at the kick-off event for the 27th annual Auction Napa Valley (ANV). This year's theme? The American Classic.

The ANV, which takes place every June, is the American wine event of the season. Though thousands of barrels and bottles of wine are sold off for charity every year, the chance to hobnob with luminaries like Keller makes this much more than merely an auction. At the opening day party and silent barrel auction at Trinchero Family Estates, top local wineries and big-name chefs offered their wares for sampling. The next evening, during the live auction at Meadowood, guests shelled out big on 45 auction lots to the jaw-dropping tune of $9.8 million. Three three-liter bottles of Screaming Eagle alone brought the gavel down at a half million dollars.

My first visit to Auction Napa Valley was awe-inspiring. Parties raged day and night with in-between meals hosted in the inner sanctums of some of the region's most prestigious wineries. Dana Carvey, entertaining with a rousing standup during the big auction night, had the crowd in stitches.

To get there, here's how it works: A wine enthusiast couple pays $5,000 to attend the full four-day event. The price of admission includes your choice of lunches and dinners—for small groups of 16 to 18 people—with top toques at leading wineries. The wineries also kick in big-ticket auction lots and sumptuous dinners and parties.