ATLANTA, May 10, 2021 — Celebrating its 29th year, the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction (March 18-20, 2021) raised more than $1.1 million to support the Museum’s special exhibitions, education and public programming. This year’s Auction, combining both in-person and virtual events, welcomed more than 400 guests during the three-day celebration. The 2022 Wine Auction will return to the tents at Atlantic Station March 23-26.
Co-chaired by Aarati Alexander, Burch Hanson and Caryl Smith, the 2021 Auction celebrated art, wine and friends “Together in Spirit,” with events including Winemaker Dinners, Ladies and Gents luncheons, silent and virtual live auctions, and the Vintners’ Reception.
“The success of this year’s Wine Auction is a testament to our generous donors, volunteers and our incredible Museum staff,” said Rand Suffolk, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director of the High. “Despite having to change course from our typical Wine Auction, we were able to safely come together virtually to support the mission of the High and celebrate what makes our auction unlike any other in the country.”
The 2021 Special Guest of Honor was Dr. Madaiah Revana, owner of the Revana Wine Portfolio. Leading the way for the Auction’s dining programs was Chef Chris Hall, owner and head chef of Local Three. In addition to the limited number of in-person attendees at the Live Auction, held in the High’s Robinson Atrium, more than 300 donors watched and bid online from their homes. More than 270 meals were delivered by a team of 50 volunteers throughout Atlanta and the surrounding communities, providing an authentic, safe experience for supporters who attended virtually.
Twenty-seven live lots and 56 silent lots raised a total of $685,000 for the Museum, in addition to $40,000 collected throughout the annual Paddle Raise in support of arts education and the High’s Art Access programs. Lots included vineyard tours and tastings, curated dinners and luxury trips across the United States and internationally.
The top lot, “The R’s Dinner for Six,” donated by Shelly and Steve Friend, went to the highest bid of $40,850. The winning party will enjoy dinner at one of Atlanta’s top restaurants and seven bottles of renowned French Burgundy — from producers Raveneau, Roulot, Ramonet, Rousseau, Roumier and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The second-highest lot, “Luxury in Burgundy for Six Days and Nights for Three Couples,” sold for $37,600, and winning bidders will be whisked away for a week to the “wine capital of the world” for intimate vineyard tours, handcrafted meals and hospitality in the French countryside. “A Weekend in the Country” rounded out the top three highest lots, selling for $32,000. Three couples will enjoy a two-night stay at Hoopes Estate Farmhouse in Napa Valley, a private winemaker dinner and tours of the vineyard and winery at Hoopes Vineyard and Azur Wines.
The 2021 Wine Auction was made possible with support from Presenting Sponsor Delta Air Lines and Grand Cru Sponsor Merrill Lynch — Westmoreland Group Private Wealth Management.
Caryl Smith will return to co-chair the 30th High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction with Katie Johnson in 2022.
For more information, visit https://www.highmuseumwine.org/.
High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction
Founded in 1993, the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is the largest fundraising event for the High Museum of Art. The Wine Auction is the top charity fundraising event in Atlanta and the number one charity wine auction benefiting the arts. Proceeds generated by the Auction, which have amounted to more than $30 million over the last 29 years, provide a significant source of funding for the Museum’s exhibitions and educational programs. Proceeds help to make possible special exhibitions and partnerships. The Auction also provides funds for dynamic youth education programs, which draw more than 65,000 schoolchildren to the High each year. For more information, visit https://www.highmuseumwine.org/.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 18,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit www.high.org.
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Media contact:
Marci Tate Davis
Manager of Public Relations
marci.davis@high.org
404-733-4585