There’s a wine auction gaining momentum that reconfigures geography – placing Napa squarely in Newport Beach – at least for one day every year.
Napa in Newport, now in its third year, is March 4 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. More than 40 Napa vintners will be pouring their wines to help organizers with their mission — to raise money for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. The genetic disease weakens the muscle strength of boys affected and claims their lives by their mid-20s.
“The CureDuchenne Organization is doing a great job of advocating for the cure and treatment of the disease,” said Brett deLeuze, president and partners of ZD Wines. “This effort is led by Debra Miller, president & CEO who has a very personal tie to the cause and effort. Her son Hawken does suffer from the disease.” (www.cureduchenne.org/)
The deLeuze family is the honorary chair this year.
“The participating vintners are listed on this page http://www.napainnewport.org/#sponsor … last year the event raised $700,000. We are working toward even greater success in 2017,” deLeuze said.
Chuck McMinn, vintner of Napa Valley’s Vineyard 29, has been involved with the event since its inception.
“The first year we had about 20 vintners. Last year about 30 and we should be over 40 this year,” McMinn said. “While many wineries have great customers in Orange County, there was not a premier wine tasting and auction event there. Now there is and we all love to go see our customers while doing good.”
All proceeds from the evening will benefit CureDuchenne, the national organization committed to finding a cure for the disease.
Napa in Newport kicks off with a wine tasting reception and silent auction at 4:30 p.m., with dinner, wine pairings and the live auction beginning at 7:00 p.m. The evening’s three-course dinner will be prepared by Chef Amar Santana of the celebrated Broadway by Amar Santana and Vaca restaurants. For more information visit: www.NapaInNewport.org.
