LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Wine Alliance held the 23rd annual Lake County Wine Auction with the theme Year of the Dragon on Sept. 21 at the Mercantile by Shannon Family of Wines.

Over 400 people attended the largest fundraiser in the county on a beautiful fall evening. The evening started with Tastes on the Lawn with samplings from 13 restaurants, 17 wineries and one brewery.

After being seated the crowd enjoyed a three course dinner that was served by the Lower Lake High School Culinary Program, Saw Shop Public House and Culinary Program at Lake County Campus of Yuba College.

The Wine Alliance was formed as a nonprofit organization in 2000. It is an all-volunteer board of seven community members. It was created to help support extracurricular programs in all five High schools, assist local nonprofits in achieving their yearly goals, all while highlighting and celebrating the amazing wineries and restaurants of Lake County.

With the funds raised from the 2024 auction the Wine Alliance has distributed $3,063,752 to programs in Lake County representing the arts, education, health and community.

On Nov. 13 at the Soper Reese Theatre, $210,000 was distributed to the following beneficiaries: Lake County 4-H Clubs, City of Clearlake Youth Center, Clear Lake High School Culinary Program, Give Back Track, Health & Wellness Expo, Highlands Senior Center, Hope Center, Jack’s Lavender Farm, Kelseyville High School Culinary Program, Laky Luck Ladies Tech Scholarships, Lake County Campus Culinary Program, Lake County Channel Cats, Lake County Sheriff’s Activities League, Lake County Young Life, Lake County Rural Arts Initiative, Lake County Silver Foundation, Lake County Youth Symphony Program, Lake Family Resource Center, Lake Links, Lakeport Senior Center Meals on Wheels, Lakeport Volunteer Firefighters, Live Oak Senior Center, Lower Lake High School Culinary Program, Middletown Composite Mountain Bike Team, Middletown Senior Center, Motherwise, Northshore Fire Fun, Operation Santa, Operation Tango Mike, Peoples Services, Shop with a Cop Program, South Lake Alliance of Arts, Totes for Teens, United Veterans Council, Vision of Hope Village and Worldwide Healing Hands.

Each year one third of all proceeds go to the five Lake County High Schools’ Fine Arts and FFA Programs.

These funds were made possible by the generosity of the sponsors: Presenting Sponsor Adventist Health Clearlake, Sutter Lakeside, Lake County Tribal Health, California Exterminators, Calpine at the Geysers, Wild Diamond Vineyards, Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, Sysco Foods, PG&E, Reynolds Systems, Sutter Lakeside, Tri Corbraun Wine Pak, Bella Vista Farming, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Community First Credit Union, Congressman Mike Thompson, Draxton Wine Cellars, West Coast Fire & Water, Holdenried Harvesting, Pabst Construction, Lake County Winery Association, Lake County Rural Arts Initiative, Bit Sculptor, Sullivan Construction, Mendo-Mill Lumber, Saw Shop Public House, Lake Event Design, John Clarke and the huge support from the attendee bidders.

The fine restaurants and wineries that so generously donated their time and samplings were: Aromas Café, BBQ by Biasotti, Clear Lake High School Culinary, Ferrigno’s Italian Baked Goods, Mother Lovin’ From the Oven, On the Waterfront, Red’s at the Skyroom, Ripe Choice Catering, Rosie’s Bread & Butter, Santana’s Cottage Café & Catering, Saw Shop Public House, Stein & Wei, Terped Out Kitchen, Beaver Creek Vineyards, Brassfield Estate Winery, Cache Creek Vineyards & Winery, Chacewater Winery & Olive Mill, Domaine Helena, Fults Family Vineyards, Gregory Graham Winery, Olof Cellars, R Vineyards, Rosa D’Oro Vineyards & Winery, Shannon Family of Wines, Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, Sol Rouge, Stonehouse Cellars, Thorn Hill Vineyards, Wild Diamond Vineyards and Kelsey Creek Brewing.

Next year’s wine auction will be held Sept. 20, 2025, at Konocti Harbor Resort.

Applications for beneficiaries will be available Feb. 1, 2025, and tickets will go on sale May 1, 2025.

This year’s event was sold out six weeks before the event.