High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction
March 22-25, 2023
ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2022 — Wine enthusiasts and arts supporters are invited to celebrate the 31st annual High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction with four event-filled days, March 22-25, 2023. The Wine Auction is the largest fundraising event for the Museum and the biggest wine auction in the United States benefiting the arts, boasting more than $37 million raised over the last 30 years. Approximately 145 wineries and restaurants will participate this year as the Auction celebrates its 2023 theme, “Party with a Purpose,” in the tents at Atlantic Station.
Since it launched in 1993, the Auction has provided significant funding for the High’s exhibitions and education programs. The Paddle Raise, benefiting the Museum’s Art Access program, has raised more than $1.9 million since it began in 2006. These funds provide teacher resources and museum access to more than 125,000 students throughout the state each year.
“Last year was a record-breaking event, and we hope to see that trend continue with the Wine Auction’s 31st anniversary,” said Rand Suffolk, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director of the High. “The ongoing generosity and overwhelming support from our community are unmatched at the Auction. We’re looking forward to working with our talented vintners, chefs and restaurant partners to provide delicious food, fantastic wines and quality time with friends, all in support of the High’s mission.”
Steven Hargrove, associate director, Wine Auction and special events for the High, added, “The events slated for this year’s Auction are going to be incredible. Each year, we strive to provide an experience unlike any other that supports a pivotal Atlanta cultural institution. We’re excited to celebrate with friends, wine enthusiasts and community members alike while once again making history for the High.”
The 2023 Wine Auction co-chairs are Audra Dial and Sandy Moon. Dial and her husband have attended the Auction for years, and they also served as Benefactor co-chairs of the event in 2022, which raised over $3 million. Serving as an officer for both the Commanderie de Bordeaux and the Chaîne des Rotisseurs wine and food societies, Moon is well versed in the wine world and has been a part of the Wine Auction for the past 17 years.
The 2023 Special Guest of Honor is Sam Lando, owner of Lando Wines. After working with several global wine producers, Lando discovered his passion was working with Pinot Noir. In the middle of the 2012 vintage, Lando and his wife, Jennifer, decided to focus their efforts solely on winemaking. From there, they built a small Pinot Noir-focused label that makes intense, elegant and balanced wines from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. Lando has attended the Auction with his own label since 2014. Each year, his stellar auction lots have been crowd favorites, with last year’s lot raising more than $122,000.
This year’s Special Guest Chefs are Duane Nutter and Reggie Washington of Southern National. After departing One Flew South — the award-winning restaurant in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — in 2016, the pair founded Southern National’s first location in Mobile, Alabama, which earned a 2020 James Beard Award finalist title. Returning to Atlanta was always the plan, and they’re now opening a second location on Georgia Avenue in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood. This edition of the restaurant is slated to offer Northwest- and Louisiana-inspired food, pulling inspiration from local cuisines of Nutter’s former hometowns in Washington and Louisiana.
The Wine Auction events include:
- The Benefactor Party — Feb. 26: This appreciation soiree for Benefactors recognizes their contributions to this year’s festivities. Guests also get a first look at some of the auction lots.
- Ladies Luncheon — March 22: Co-hosted by past co-chairs Gina Christman and Angelle Hamilton, this event features women vintners and winemakers at a lunch prepared by a team of women chefs.
- Gents Lunch — March 22: At this delicious multicourse meal, artisanal winemakers serve their expressive wines.
- High Revelry — March 23: This is the perfect event to start your Wine Auction journey and a great way to tickle your taste buds with a dozen (or more) pours from superb wineries, along with sample treats from some of Atlanta’s best restaurants. It’s a mini vintners’ reception in the tents with music.
- Winemaker Dinners — March 23: Hosted in lavish Atlanta homes, these events feature visiting winemakers pairing wines for each course of intimate, luscious dinners curated by celebrated chefs from Atlanta and beyond.
- Uncorked! Gala — March 24: Join Special Guest Chefs Nutter and Washington and winemakers for a seated gourmet dinner celebrating the craft and artistry of wine, with renowned vintners seated at each table, pouring their pride and joy. After dessert, stick around for live music and dancing with Bogey and the Viceroy.
- Vintners’ Reception and Live Auction — March 25: One thousand guests gather for the main event to celebrate wine, food, art and friendship, with more than 100 world-class vintners and dozens of Atlanta’s top restaurants showcasing their best wines and savory samples. During the Live Auction, benefactors bid on lots featuring unique experiences, unforgettable wines and once-in-a-lifetime
For more information, visit 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. It 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 $37 million over the last 30 years, provide a significant source of funding for the Museum’s exhibitions and educational programs and help make possible special exhibitions and partnerships. The Auction also provides funds for dynamic youth education programs, which draw more than 60,000 schoolchildren to the High each year. For more information, visit www.highmuseumwine.org.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, 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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DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Media contact:
Marci Tate Davis
Manager of Public Relations
marci.davis@high.org
404-733-4585