My first wine auction.

Tonight, I attended my first wine auction. Actually, it was a huge wine-related event. Before the auction started, there were cooking demonstrations, delicious samples and local retailers pouring wine non-stop. There was also a silent auction (during which I happened to score a set of Ashton Churchills for a steal), and live music through out the night. But the big event was the main wine auction -- up for bid were such interesting items as a Chateau Petrus 1961 (it went for $7,000), a vertical of Penfolds Grange from 1997 to 2001 (that went for $1500 -- though I was tempted to top the last bid, I held back), a 1994 Dow Vintage Port and many, many other items.

I've never bid in a wine auction before, and I was surprised by how fast paced it was, leaving little time to think about what one should bid. But, I can say I came away happy. After the failure of the Penfolds Grange, I ended up winning the bid for a collection of 96 Dominus, Insignia and Shafer Hillside Select, and a bottle of Cheval-Blanc. I'm excited about opening all of these bottles, though the Cheval-Blanc is the most interesting. I feel a little old, holding a bottle from the year in which I graduated high school, but it will be worth it. And yes, I will avoid opening it while eating a burger and drinking from a Styrofoam cup.