Many more Finger Lakes wines are featured in the Wine for Haiti online auction, which has attracted a total of $60,000 in donations in the United States, according to auction organizer PalatePress.com.
Booze Monkey, a site for Australian and New Zealand wine lovers, is joining in the effort in the hopes of raising a total of $100,000 between the two Web sites to provide relief for earthquake victims in the Caribbean nation.
Out of nearly 70 lots contributed so far to the U.S. site, 19 come from what Palate Press called "the amazing New York contingent of generous wineries." Another, donated by a wine fan, includes New York wine.
"Heron Hill Winery was thrilled to be a part of the Palate Press Wine Auction to benefit Haiti," said Kitty Oliver, marketing and public relations director for the winery in Hammondsport, Steuben County. "I saw the call out to Finger Lakes wineries on Twitter from Lenn Thompson of the New York Cork Report and proposed that we donate wine. Of course everyone was agreeable and we decided to donate a case of our most award-winning wine, the 2006 Ingle Vineyard Riesling.
"After the earthquake happened on Jan. 12, the winery team knew that we wanted to be a part of the humanitarian efforts to help Haiti recover. When the call out for the Palate Press Wine Auction came out, we knew that was our way as a winery in the Finger Lakes to help contribute," she said.
Kit Kalfs said of Sheldrake Point Vineyard's donation: "The case of 2008 Gewurztraminer will go a little way in rebuilding that country and giving relief to its citizens. Every little bit helps and we are proud to do our part."
Sheldrake Point has helped out community aid and arts organizations in Seneca and Tompkins counties and held a concert for victims of the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia, said Kalfs, who is tasting manager for the winery in Ovid, Seneca County.
The U.S. event is being organized by Palate Press, an online wine magazine, and "Brother, can you spare a bottle?", a blog that says it's "a place for Wine Bloggers, Wine Twitters, wine makers, drinkers, collectors, and fans to coordinate charitable giving." Bidding is taking place on Palate Press' Web site. Individuals as well as wineries are donating wine, books, art and other wine-related items.
According to Palate Press, each auction lot gets its own post, at which time the auction is live. Once bidding hits the retail value, each lot is on a 24-hour cycle, ending at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. If a lot goes a full 24 hours, from 10 p.m. to 10 p.m., without a new bid, the last bid in the comments wins. If a bidding war starts, with the same people going back and forth, one day at a time, the magazine will post something in the comments of that lot and "schedule a time to bid to the death, at a time mutually agreeable to everybody involved."
All Finger Lakes donations so far are still available for bids:
- Fox Run Vineyards, a mixed case of wines ($160), lot 29.
- Sheldrake Point Vineyard, case of 2008 Gewurztraminer ($216), lot 30.
- Zugibe Vineyards, case of 2007 Riesling ($195), lot 31. Brendan Zugibe posted on the site, "I will gladly allow the winner of this lot to substitute whatever of my wines they would like, to offer a nice sampling of the range of wines that we have produced."
- Red Newt Cellars, a case of Sawmill Creek Cabernet Franc 2007 ($470), lot 48.
- McGregor Vineyard, a case of 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve ($216), lot 49.
- Glenora Wine Cellars, a case of 2002 Brut Methode Champenoise ($300), lot 52.
- Heron Hill Winery, a case of 2006 Ingle Vineyard Riesling ($216), lot 54.
- Anthony Road Wine Co., two not-yet-released wines, a Selection Riesling ($100) and a Selection Vignoles ($75). It's lot 55. Peter Becraft of Anthony Road wrote on the auction site: "Only single 100% noble rot dried berries made it into these two wines, crushed by foot and left to soak in their sugars overnight. Gently pressed the following day. These two wines represent the pinnacle of our late harvest production and serve as fine examples of the quality coming out of the Finger Lakes."
- Knapp Winery & Vineyard, a mixed case containing six bottles of Riesling and six of Chardonnay ($180), lot 56.
- Silver Springs Winery, a half-case of Don Giovanni Tri-Dition, each bottle hand-signed by the winemaker. ($300).
- Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, a case of 2008 Homestead Reserve Riesling ($216), lot 67.
- Casa Larga Vineyards, a three-pack of its ice wines ($205), lot 76.
Hunt Country Vineyards, magnum of Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($150), lot 33.
Other New York wineries making contributions include Eveningside Vineyard in the Niagara region; and Medolla Vineyards, Peconic Bay Winery, Paumanok Vineyards, Raphael, Shinn Estate Vineyards and Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Long Island.
