“We come for the wine but stay for the cause” has been Nashville Wine Auction‘s mantra for quite some time. It could not have been more evident at the 40th anniversary of the country’s longest-running charity wine auction, l’Ete du Vin, which took place on Saturday at the JW Marriott Nashville.

The evening started with a cocktail reception and silent auction which, in addition to a fabulous selection of wine, included commemorative artwork, a global food tour, a trip to Vegas with tickets to Rebecca, Brooks & Dunn and a wine and chocolate pairing/tasting. The silent auction was followed by dinner in the main ballroom. There were openings from Loren Chumley, Chase Cole, Amy Atkinson, and Brian Junghans. They thanked presenting sponsors Mercedes-Benz of Music City and JW Marriott and acknowledged guests of honor, Carlton McCoy of Napa Valley’s Heitz Cellar and Francois Servin from Domaine Marcel Servin in Chablis. There was a wonderful toast to all of the guests before dinner. The meal started with a cheese plate sponsored by igourmet.com and a salad of yellow heirloom tomatoes, watermelon, burrata, micro basil drizzled in oil and balsamic. The main course was Delmonico steak, mushroom risotto with English Peas and Mascarpone, orange, yellow and purple carrots, and broccolini. Dessert was a vanilla sponge cake with vanilla mouse.

After dinner, we were treated to a very lively silent auction. There was a great deal of friendly competition between bidders as they vied for the various lots of wine, trips, diamonds, and dinners. Nashville Wine Auction celebrated a milestone anniversary in funding the fight against cancer through research, treatment and patient care. This year’s beneficiaries include American Cancer Society, Gilda’s Club, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Make-A-Wish, and Pearlpoint Nutrition.

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