Celebrating No. 26

¡Salud! auction raises $830,000 over two-day event

Staff present appetizers to guests as they taste wine inside Domaine Serene’s caves.##Photo By Andrea Johnson

November in Oregon wine country marks Thanksgiving, finishing harvest and, most importantly, ¡Salud!

The annual ¡Salud! Oregon Pinot Noir Auction benefits ¡Salud! Services, an indispensable healthcare program through Tuality Healthcare providing services for vineyard workers and their families.

This year’s two-day gala raised $830,000. The Nov. 10 ¡Salud! Cuvée Tasting and Big Board Auction at Ponzi Vineyards in Sherwood welcomed 425 guests generating $150,000. The Nov. 11 ¡Salud! Dinner and Auction Gala at Domaine Serene’s newly opened Clubhouse hosted 320 people who contributed $680,000 from live and silent auctions, a paddle raise, ticket sales and sponsorships. 

Father-daughter powerhouse team Harry Peterson-Nedry and Wynne Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem Wines in Newberg pour their 2016 Pinot Noir for Friday’s Big Board Auction at Ponzi Vineyards in Sherwood. ##Photo By Andrea Johnson

Domaine Serene’s “This is Burgundy” auction lot, which includes accommodations for six at the historic Château de la Crée, vineyard and winery tours, tastings and more, attracted the highest bids of $75,000 between two winning contenders.

“This was our second-highest-generating auction ever, and we are very thankful for the generous contributions of our donors, sponsors and hosts who made this weekend event possible,” said Pat Dukes, ¡Salud! steering committee co-chair and owner of Dukes Family Vineyards. “The funds raised will allow ¡Salud! to continue to provide health services to our vineyard workers and their families, who are the cornerstone of our wine industry.”

Guests raise a glass for Patty Green of Patricia Green Cellars, who unexpectedly passed away days before the event. ##Photo by Kathryn Elsesser

This year’s ¡Salud! events were presented by O’Brien Design Build & Open Concept Architecture. Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars were presented with the “Los Heroes de ¡Salud!” award for their outstanding contributions to the program. Winemaker Rollin Soles of ROCO Winery was honored as this year’s “Legacy Winemaker.”

Since its founding in 1991, ¡Salud! has raised more than $14 million. The program is able to deliver three dollars of service for every one dollar spent through the collaborative relationships with partnering healthcare organizations. The ¡Salud! Services team delivers year-round direct care to approximately 150 vineyards throughout the northern Willamette Valley through its mobile medical unit. 

Leda Garside, manager of Tuality Healthcare’s ¡Salud! Services program, and Andrea Lara-Silva, ¡Salud! health educator intern, enjoy the moment at the Saturday event. ##Photo by Kathryn Elsesser

The 2017 ¡Salud! Vintners Circle members who offered 2016 cuvées included: Adelsheim, Alexana, Amalie Robert, ArborBrook, Archery Summit, Ayoub, Bergström, Bethel Heights, Big Table Farm, Brittan, Brooks, Chapter 24, Chehalem, Cristom, Dobbes, Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Domaine Roy, Domaine Serene, Dukes, Dusky Goose, Elk Cove, Erath, Evening Land Seven Springs Estate, Gran Moraine, Hamacher, Hyland, Lange, Patricia Green, Penner-Ash, Ponzi, R. Stuart, Raptor Ridge, Résonance, ROCO, Scott Paul, Shea, Soter, St. Innocent, Stoller, Trisaetum, WillaKenzie and Winderlea. Additional winery partners include Argyle, Sokol Blosser and Willamette Valley Vineyards.