Wine Auctions

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I have received no less than six invitations to benefit auctions that somehow feature or incorporate wine into the evening. Today I thought we would talk about buying wine and wine related items at charity auctions.

The whole purpose of a charity auction is to raise money for a good cause. I will assume you are attending as the cause is somehow meaningful to you, or maybe you are supporting a friend who invited you. I will also assume you mean to spend some money above and beyond the price of your ticket. After all, the point is to raise money. You must understand, if you are looking for a deal, you may not find it there. Hopefully you will have had time to read through the auction catalogue and have narrowed down your choices. Before you start bidding consider a few things, if you are buying wines read the description and determine if you believe the wine is from a reputable source and likely well taken care of. If it is an excursion to a wine destiny, make certain you can live up to any restrictions that may apply, such as specified dates and times. Most of the items in the auction are not available through normal retail channels, items you cannot easily get for yourself. The wineries donate the items because they also support the cause and are hoping the beneficiary will receive top dollar for it. The catalogue may have a value attributed to it. You must bid higher than the stated value to receive any tax deduction. Only what you bid over the stated value is deductible. So my advice is bid high and be often, in the end it is all for charity. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today’s

Vine to Wine.