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Article published - Jul 30, 2006
Jets, rings and wine
Wine auction Imagine 2006 raises $2.5 million for children's charities

By PEG MELNIK
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Peggy Rawls showed off her new acquisition, a 7.32-carat, canary yellow diamond ring she had acquired for $150,000 Saturday at Imagine 2006.

The charity wine auction, now in its third year, raised more than $2.5 million at the Bennett Valley retreat of vintner Jess Jackson, matching the amount raised last year.

More than 400 people gathered under a vast white tent in the valley setting, nestled between Taylor and Bennett peaks, to bid on items that ranged from the diamond to wine lots, a Maserati sports car and even a jet airplane.
After making her winning bid, Rawls, who owns homes in San Francisco and Calistoga, said: “I’m happy to spend some charitable dollars and get something pretty to wear as well.”

The charity auction, spearheaded by Jackson and his wife, Barbara Banke, and Fred and Peggy Furth of Chalk Hill Winery, remains the highest-grossing auction in Sonoma County and has become one of the premier auctions in the state.

Imagine 2006 is second in California only to the Napa Wine Auction, which raised $7.28 million in June, and third in the nation to the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida.

“It takes years to build momentum,” said Peggy Furth. “For example, if you look at the Naples Winter Wine Festival, it’s increased revenues every year. But only after about five years it raised multimillions.”

The most dramatic bid came from winery owner Fred Furth, a noted trial attorney, who paid $2.9 million for a Citation Mustang Jet. The jet sells for $2.7 million and the $200,000 difference is targeted for charities that benefit from the auction.

Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, was the second-highest bidder, plunking down $155,000 for the 2006 Maserati. “I didn’t set out to buy it. But it’s all for a good cause,” he said.

The 10 charities Imagine 2006 benefits include the Valley of the Moon Children’s Foundation, the Scholarship Fund of Sonoma Academy and the WCC Charitable Foundation.

“The real measure of success is not in terms of increased revenues, but it’s looking at the number of children we serve,” said Peggy Furth. “If we serve 100 more kids or 1,000 more kids, that’s the measure I would like the community to be most proud of.”

Movie and rock stars joined in the bidding, including actress Jane Seymour; actor Kyle MacLachlan, who plays Orsen Hodge on “Desperate Housewives”; and musician Ray Manzarek, who played keyboards for The Doors.

Seymour said she met Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke at the Naples Winter Wine Festival and the couple encouraged her to come to Imagine 2006.

“I’m not a connoisseur, but I do enjoy great wines,” Seymour said. “My mother was a sommelier in England.”
Seymour helped organizers raise $180,000 by auctioning off a weeklong stay at her Elizabethan manor in Bath, England. “We just put in a riesling vineyard,” she said of the 12-acre estate.

Before bidding began, guests watched a video montage of kids to illustrate the work of the various children’s charities.

Fred Furth, who is a pilot, noted that the last time he flew commercially was Sept. 19, 1979. “Some say a jet is the ultimate luxury, but I say it’s an absolute necessity to accomplish work 24/6,” he said.

Sponsors of the event included the Cessna and Maserati companies and the New York Times and The Press Democrat, which is owned by the Times.

Other major Wine Country events this summer were:
The Hospices of Sonoma live auction, which raised $349,800 in May.

The Showcase of Wine and Food, which raised $150,000 from its live auction in July, with a weekend total of $500,000.

The Croquet Invitational put on by the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation, which raised $570,000 from its live auction in May and $280,000 from corporate donations.

The Mendocino Wine Affair, which raised $75,000 from its live auction in June, with the weekend total of $124,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or pmelnik@pressdemocrat.com.
Last changed: Jul 30, 2006 © The Press Democrat.

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