Heart’s Delight is an annual four-day celebration in Washington DC, USA, bringing together winemakers, celebrity chefs, gourmands, and wine enthusiasts to raise money for the American Heart Association. The events are not cheap, but high-class and tax deductible (partly). Over the past 13 years, the events have raised over $11 million for the American Heart Association, helping to support research into the number one cause of death in the United States.
This year, Heart’s Delight will take place from Wednesday, April 22 to Saturday, April 25, 2015, a bit more than a week from now. Auction Co-chair David White: We are on track to raise about $1.3 million for the American Heart Association this year.
As every year, there will be exciting dinners with celebrity chefs and winemakers at embassies, private homes and top restaurants, tastings, receptions, after-dinner-parties as well as auctions.
Program
Wednesday April 22 is our United States of Wine celebration showcasing American wine. Highlighted wines will be presented by owners and winemakers and will include a silent and live auction featuring wine from participating winemakers and exciting trips. This will be followed by a byo - style Collectors Dinner celebration, each guest will share a bottle from their cellar in an attempt to impress and outdo their fellow diners. In this friendly competition, there are no losers.
Thursday April 23 offers a series of intimate wine dinners with an international flair in homes, restaurants and Embassies with a host, chef and winemaker at each.
Friday April 24 features an exclusive Vintners Dinner and highlighting the wines of Château Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem presented by Pierre Lurton. The dinner is followed by a live auction led by Sotheby’s Jamie Ritchie featuring wine directly from the cellars of our friends from Bordeaux in grand format. There will also be an award presented to the Congressional Honoree.
Saturday April 25 begins with a virtual tour of Bordeaux including a unique Master Class tasting of the 2012 vintage and an older vintage selected by the visiting Château owners and wine directors. The adventure continues with exciting seminars and food prepared by some of the nation’s top chefs, making Heart’s Delight the place to discover the latest in epicurean trends and new talent.
During the Grand Tasting Reception guests will have the opportunity to bid on exclusive travel packages, dining experiences and rare and exceptional wines during the spirited silent and live auctions.
Auctions
Robert Parker has donated a luncheon for a group of 11 wine lovers. He will bring 24 bottles of wine from his cellar. The minimum bid is US$ 25.000. The lucky 11 will dine with the critic at one of Jose Andres’ restaurants in Washington DC. Other auction items include trips to Bordeaux, Tuscany, Chile, Oregon and a “Seven Day Wine Tour to Wine Country Germany”, donated by ombiasyPR and WineTours (see below).
Seven Day Wine Tour to German Wine Country (Donated by: ombiasy WineTours)
The winner of this lot will enjoy one spot on this seven day immersion tour (September 6-12, 2015), which lets you explore the regions that are quintessential to understand “Riesling”. You will visit 19 premium wine estates and many cultural gems. Besides accommodation, meals, transport, the tour includes a cruise on the romantic Rhine River with its castle- and vine-ribboned bank; the Mosel River with its dizzying steep vineyards; delving deep into 2000 years of history; and tasting first class wines at world-renowned wineries such as J.J. Prüm, H. Dönnhoff, Leitz. The tour starts and ends in Frankfurt am Main. The husband and wife team Annette and Christian Schiller, both life-long wine enthusiasts, will personally guide the tour throughout the trip. Their friendship with winemakers and owners of wine estates creates a very personal, authentic experience and total immersion in the particular wine region.
Tour runs September 6-12, 2015. Spot for 1 person, airfare not included.
Estimated value: $4,200
Item #508 on page 101 of the auction catalogue
Donated by Annette Schiller & Ombiasy PR & Wine Tours
ombiasy WineTours: Impressions from Previous Tours to Germany
schiller-wine: Related Postings
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Coming-up: Wine & Art Tour to Saale-Unstrut - Saxony - Franken - Württemberg: Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (June 11 - June 20, 2015)
Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy