Volunteering at the ¡Salud! Auction

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I am all about routines, and my habits are out the window with Thanksgiving this week. I mention this because it is 7:40 Friday night, and I am finishing the newsletter. I started wine tasting this morning at 11:00 and finished around 4:45. I needed food, and afterward, the last thing I wanted to do was to focus here, but I know you are expecting an email at 6:10 am Pacific. So with that being said, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read this silly newsletter every week. I appreciate you more than words can ever speak!

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We are officially past Thanksgiving, which means it is time to shift a little focus to getting gifts for those close to us. Here are a few Black Friday deals that are good for a few more days. SOMM TV’s annual subscription to their streaming service usually is $60/year. Use the code BLACKFRIDAY22 for 60% off. Jancis Robinson is also running a special on her membership, and you get access to get articles such as Samantha Cole Johnson’s latest article on Oregon Value wines.

Left Coast Wine is doing a Santa Claus is Coming to Town event on December 17th. It is the perfect event for parents to get a little wine for Christmas Dinner (may I suggest the Pinot Meunier Sparkling) and get pictures with Santa.

Are you sitting there this morning with your Saturday morning coffee and leftover apple pie? Wait, you don't have any apple pie? It's ok, I don't either, but doesn't it sound good? At any rate, let me share my experience a couple of weeks ago with the Salud Fall Auction.

Let me share some details for those who don’t know what Salud is. In 1991, a group of Oregon winemakers and Tuality Healthcare professionals created Salud to help workers and their families access basic healthcare. From the Salud website:

¡Salud! was created by a group of Oregon winery owners and physicians to improve the health and wellbeing of vineyard stewards and their families. Many vineyard stewards are uninsured or underinsured, and seeking medical care is financially and logistically challenging. Their knowledge of basic health education is limited, and they are overwhelmed by the maze of complex and confusing resources available in the medical system. ¡Salud!’s mission is to fill this gap.

Here is the Salud auction planning group in 1992, and yes, I stole the photo from Oregon Wine Press’s website.

There are two auctions. One in the summer and another in the fall. The money raised during both events makes Salud self-sustaining in fulfilling its mission. For the Fall auction, there are two days of fun, Friday and Saturday nights. Today, I will try to convey how unique, fun, and meaningful this event is for the Oregon Wine Community.

Before I keep too deep into the weeds, know that I am telling this week’s story from the perspective of a volunteer and not an attendee. I mention this because the significant difference between the perspectives comes into play for Saturday night’s reception and dinner.

Friday night festivities focus on “The Big Board,” where 35 wineries donate a unique wine only for Salud. This year there were 35 wineries for attendees to bid on. What’s cool about the “The Big Board” is the top four people winning the bid go home with a case of wine. There is the option to buy a case outright, also. My job for the evening was to help place bids for people if they didn’t want to use their phones. Can I also say how amazing it is we use our phones for so much more than a phone? Does this mean it is no longer a phone, or does it mean the meaning of the word phone has changed?

The 35 wineries were set up in different rooms at The Allison pouring samples of the wine and providing as many details as possible to help sell the wine. I was super fortunate. We were constantly rotating at the table I was volunteering at, helping place bids while sampling the wines and food!

Here are the 35 wineries pouring wines Friday night.

• Adelsheim
• Amalie Robert
• Archery Summit
• Ayoub
• Beaux Frères
• Bethel Heights
• Big Table Farm
• Britain Vineyards
• Chehalem
• Cristom
• Domaine Drouhin
• Domaine Roy & fils
• Domaine Serene
• Dukes
• Dusky Goose
• Elk Cove
• Erath
• Hamacher
• Ken Wright
• Lavinea
• Lingua Franca
• Nysa
• Patricia Green
• Penner-Ash
• Ponzi
• Purple Hands
• Resonance
• Roco
• Shea
• Soter
• St. Innocent
• Stoller
• Twomey
• Willa Kenzie
• Winderlea

I had a fantastic time walking around and talking with people. For example, I ran into Meghan from Dusky Goose. Our paths first crossed Fall of 2019 at Tavern on Kruse, representing Dusky for Tavern. I also got a chance to chat with Hans van Dale, the new winemaker for Dusky Goose. I might have made Isabelle Meunier blush a little when I told her how much I enjoyed her wines. She also verbally said yes to a podcast interview! Piper from Prive shared with me some exciting news. I also got to meet Luisa Ponzo for the first time. Other conversations I had are slipping from my memory right now.

There was no way I would try all 35 wines, but the ones I did have were fan-freaking-tastic! Some standouts for me were Lavinea, Nysa, Ayoub, Domaine Drouhin, Dusky Goose, Hamacher, and Roco. There was one unicorn wine I finally got my grubby little hands on. Soter was pouring their Brut X, and to me, it was magical! Soon I will get a couple of bottles to stash.

It was a fun evening, and when our table placed bids for people, we had a little bell we rang, adding to the festive atmosphere. It was also a blast when the bidding was coming to a close. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the big board to see if they won while others were feverishly on their phones placing another bid.

The night started to come to a close with a band allowing the wineries to pack up their goods and continue the journey Saturday night.

Let’s talk a little bit about Saturday. I volunteered for two-time slots starting at 3:45 and ending around 9:30. I also had a full day of tasting starting at Noon. So it was a packed day, but dang, it was a downright blast!

I also had to do something for the evening I have done less than a handful of times. The second night of Salud’s auction is a black tie affair which meant I had to hang up my hoodie and get all decked out. The last time I had to wear a tux was my senior prom. I found a picture of me for my Junior Prom, and can you believe I did have luscious locks of hair at one point in my life?

My first volunteer duty for the evening was to help with registering. People would check in, I was told what their paddle number was, and I would magically pull their number out of thin air and hand it to them. You should have seen my majestic powers at work. I can remove auction paddles from a file bin like you wouldn’t believe!

In all seriousness, there were a handful of times I did make magic happen. I would see a party come into the lobby, and I knew who they were. I would walk up to another volunteer working the computer, and by the time the party walked up to the computer, their paddle was ready, and they didn’t even have to say their names. It felt rewarding to give back some of the fantastic hospitality I have encountered over the years.

People mingled through Domaine Serene’s Clubhouse while everyone checked in and waited for dinner. I was able to sneak away once, and seeing everyone all decked out, enjoying wine, and having a good time was heartwarming. I didn’t think it would be possible to top seeing so many people in person after a few years of no events like this, but it happened. Seeing so many Oregon Wine OGs sent my heart into overdrive. It spoke volumes upon volumes on how meaningful this event is for the Oregon Wine Community. In years past, I was aware of Salud, and I was mindful of the purpose, but being there in person and seeing the titans of Oregon Wine participating drove it home to me.

My second evening duty was to run a piece of paper to the winners to get their signature confirming they placed the bid and the amount. The live auction didn’t start until after dinner. I had a little time on my hands, so I sought some wine. It felt weird to be at a wine event for over three hours without wine.

The attendees sat down for dinner, meaning all the wine was at the tables. Lucky for me, I knew one of the Somms pouring, and I got a couple of splashes before the auction started. I also ventured downstairs to see if anyone, by chance, left a bottle, and as I was scavenging, I ran into an old friend who was running the Photo Booth. We talked for a bit, and the person in charge of volunteers came downstairs. I felt he was looking for me, so I went upstairs to gather signatures.

Before the auction, you could buy a raffle ticket, and a friend bought one. As the auctioneer grabbed the ticket, I tapped the other person helping me gather signatures on the arm and said my friend's name. Two seconds later, my prediction came true!! What a way to start the auction! I am so happy for my friend to have a weekend getaway At the Joy!

The first live auction lot was a magnum of Louis Roederer Champagne to 12 lucky bidders to open at the table. Other lots included:

• An Eola-Amity Hills Getaway
• A hand-etched and painted 9-liter bottle of Salud wine
• A getaway to Walla Walla
• A mixed 35-bottle collection of magnums, 3 liters, and 5 liters
• A snow adventure in Bend with Ron and Lynn Penner-Ash
• An unforgettable winemaker dinner experience with Greg Higgins and Mark Vlossak
• A wines of the world dinner
• A three-night stay at Domaine Serene
• An Etzel family adventure
• An experience along with a metric grab ton of Ponzi and Bollinger Champagne
• An Italian Dream Wine Country Tour
• Luxury Wine Collector Accessories
• 40 bottles of Oregon French connection wines
• 52+ bottles of Champagne

My short patootski descriptions don’t do these packages justice at all! Take a few minutes and read through the lots yourself.

As I mentioned earlier, there were so many Oregon Wine OG in the house, but I have to call out when Mike Etzel was brought up to talk before the Etzel Family Adventure lot was auctioned off. I am bringing attention to it because we are in a formal black tie affair setting where Mike Etzel is himself. He doesn’t try to be prim and proper. I recorded the last 2/3rds of his speech and transcribed it here.

I didn’t transcribe the speech 100% only because reading what people say off the cuff doesn’t translate into written word all the time. I did leave in some nuance to give you a sense of the sincerity and humble nature I adore throughout the Oregon Wine Community.

I had a blast helping Salud pull off a fantastic evening. There is no way for you to say, “A.J. sent me,” but you can sign up for Salud’s newsletter to stay up to date on their Summer auction and this same event next year. I promise you will have a blast, drink some killer wine, and have a fantastic dinner. When you see me there next year, please stop me to say hi and give me a big ole hug!

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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