JOIN US FOR AN INCREDIBLE EVENING OF WINE, FOOD, FUN & FUNDRAISING
AT OUR 7TH ANNUAL BANK OF AMERICA WINTER WARM-UP!
Join us to raise money for Charlotte-area children's charities at a multi-course wine pairing dinner featuring two superstar vintners from Paso Robles - RIISE and SÉDUIRE Wine. We're thrilled to have special guests Juan Mercado, Founder of RIISE, and Charles Liu, Founder of SÉDUIRE Wine, joining us for the evening! The dinner will be set high a-top the Bank of America Corporate Center with sweeping views of uptown Charlotte including a menu curated by Charlotte's renowned chef and Bank of America Executive Dining Room Chef, Tom Condron. The evening will end with a live auction featuring exceptional wine lots and experiences led by auctioneer Dan Lyles followed by a short dessert reception.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
6:15 pm Reception followed by Dinner and a Live Auction
6:45 pm Seated Dinner
Bank of America Corporate Center | Executive Dining Room
100 N. Tryon Street, 59th Floor
Charlotte, NC 28202
Attire: Business chic. No ties are required.
Must be 21+. A valid ID is required to gain entrance to the venue.
Self-parking with validation is available in the Corporate Center Parking Deck (100 North College Street) | Ride Service (Uber/Lyft) Recommended
Tickets are $500/person ($250 tax-deductible).
Terms & Conditions
To be added to the waitlist in the case of unexpected cancellations, please email info@charlottewineandfood.org.
ABOUT RIISE
After building the highly successful Realm Cellars in Napa Valley, vintner Juan Mercado set his sights on Paso Robles with the vision of cultivating a globally respected wine brand. Mercado founded RIISE in 2019 to produce world-class Rhone varietal and Tempranillo-based wines that are powerful, textural, and light on their feet. The fruit comes from three estate properties and several of the area’s other most acclaimed vineyard sites, the majority of which are overseen by top vineyard managers Kevin Wilkinson and Lucas Pope. The wines are brought to life by winemaker Anthony Yount.
They purchased three vineyard properties so far, all on the west side of Paso Robles. The first purchase was the renowned Shadow Canyon vineyard on York Mountain. At 1800 feet elevation it is the highest and also the closest to the ocean of any RIISE-owned or sourced vineyard. 1200 Arbor is nestled in the Willow Creek AVA and will serve as the home base for RIISE with a winery, tasting room, and caves to be added. The Heaton vineyard brings sloping hillsides and a uniquely generous mix of soils ranging from limestone and calcareous to alluvial, across its 85 acres of land. RIISE also sources fruit from some of the region’s other most sought-after vineyards, many of which we consider to be true grand cru quality.
The RIISE winemaking philosophy is one of minimalism, with the vineyards and varietals given the chance to shine through in their purest expressions. Texture forms the backbone of these wines, which are an exercise in balance and grace. They have four offerings: Doyen Red Wine is a blend of primarily Grenache with the addition of Mourvèdre and Syrah; Peace Red Wine is a Syrah-based blend; Jovian Red Wine is Tempranillo-based with Rhone varietals blended for softness; and Fermin Reserve Red Wine is currently composed predominantly of Syrah, though this wine will be ever-changing from vintage to vintage, driven by each year’s most stunning lots.
ABOUT SÉDUIRE
SÉDUIRE, French for “seduce,” is an unfolding story told through world-class Rhone varietal wines that combine people, passion, and place. It’s a westside Paso oasis, an impeccably cultivated vineyard, a catalyst to connections, and four beloved dogs.
Proprietor Charles Liu bought the 22-acre Willow Creek District estate with his wife, Lara, in 2011 after a long five-year search. Their hand-farmed nine-acre vineyard and exceptional wines are crafted in tribute to Lara, who passed away in 2020 after a 5-year battle with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
More than 1,000 feet above sea level, the hilltop location is drenched in sunshine, cooled at night by a marine layer, teaming with wildlife, and set upon limestone-rich soils that are idyllic for the nine acres he planted to vine. Today, he and his partner, Julia Fuller, obsessively putter in the vineyards daily. Whether checking the progress of the growing season, deploying new innovations in the vineyard, or just walking the steep rows with their four dogs, Charles and Julia’s love for and attention to this vineyard – and Lara’s legacy – is impossible to miss.
When you spend time at Lara’s Vineyard or open a bottle of SÉDUIRE at home, you become part of their family. They offer four wines exclusively from their estate-grown fruit: La Muse (the muse) Rosé is a Provence-style rosé of Grenache, Le Flirt (the flirt) is a sensuous 100% Grenache, Le Rat (the rat), Syrah is a beautiful expression of a Côte-Rôtie style Syrah, and L’Addiction (the addiction) is a limited-production reserve blend, predominately Grenache and Syrah from the vintage’s most striking barrels, and made only in the very best vintages. Although each has its own unique characteristics, they are all balanced, textural, and painstakingly crafted. These are wines for wine geeks but approachable in a way that everyone can enjoy. It is unmistakably clear that at SÉDUIRE, they don’t make wine for critics or trends; they simply make wines that they love to drink and are excited to share with friends.
Juan mercado | FOUNDER - RIISE
A visionary in the world of winemaking, Juan Mercado brings a wealth of experience and an innovative spirit to Paso Robles with his latest venture, RIISE. After the success of Realm Cellars in Napa Valley, Juan set out to create a globally respected wine brand in Paso Robles, blending tradition with bold new ideas.
Juan Mercado’s vision for RIISE is to create wines that capture the essence of Paso Robles and raise the bar for excellence, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s finest wines. Through his leadership and dedication, RIISE continues to grow as a beacon of innovation and quality, captivating wine lovers and collectors with its exceptional offerings.
Charles liu | FOUNDER - séduire WINE
Charles was born in Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar), immigrated to the U.S. at the age of eight, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. After attending college, he spent most of his professional career in banking, having lived on both the West and East Coast.
Charles was first introduced to fine wine early in his career through the mentorship of a colleague and wine connoisseur, and wine quickly became an obsession. Over the next three decades, he would save to vacation in famed wine appellations throughout France, Italy, Portugal, Australia, South Africa, and the United States, meeting key visionaries, vignerons, and entrepreneurs in winemaking to learn what makes certain wines truly exceptional.
Charles’ love of learning, tinkering, and innovating motivates his lust to craft world-class wines from their special property. It was Lara – he firmly states – “whose eternal love is the catalyst that brought out the best in me, transforming me into a better version of myself,” and who always encouraged him to continue fulfilling his passion and living with purpose, exploring what he loves most.
Full Menu Coming Soon
WELCOME RECEPTION
2022 SÉDUIRE La Muse Rosé
PLUS cocktails and beer from Bank of America Executive Dining
FIRST COURSE
2021 SÉDUIRE Le Flirt Grenache
SECOND COURSE
2021 RIISE Doyen GSM
THIRD COURSE
2022 SÉDUIRE Le Rat Syrah
FOURTH COURSE
2021 RIISE Fermine Reserve
DESSERT RECEPTION
Champagne from Scale Wine Group TBD
ABOUT CHEF TOM CONDRON
British-born and French-trained, Chef Tom Condron has been in the restaurant business since he was 14, starting at the famed Dorchester Hotel in England. He has worked for no less than eight Michelin starred chefs throughout his career, including the late Jean Louis Palladin, whose fearless and exacting tutelage in the kitchen is legendary.
Condron is a University of Florida graduate, and later attended Johnson & Wales. He went on to work at such restaurants as Le Cirque, Jean Louis at the Watergate, Aqua Restaurant in San Francisco, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Restaurant, the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, and the Blue Ridge Grill in Atlanta.
For more than two decades now Condron has made Charlotte his base of operations and has helped open many of Charlotte’s best restaurants. He is best known as the chef and co-owner of the Liberty, a gastropub, and its sister bistro, Lumiere, before becoming the executive chef at the Bank of America Executive Dining Room.
ABOUT dan lyles | auctioneer
Dan is a professional fundraising auctioneer who has a passion for helping non-profits maximize their fundraising potential. Daniel has conducted hundreds of auctions and is the “go-to guy” for many of the largest fundraisers in Charlotte, NC, Charleston, SC and Greenville, SC. Dan relies on humor and fun to set the stage for high-impact giving.
His professional experience includes sales, marketing, and brand management. He is a graduate of The Southeastern School of Auctioneering, and is currently an instructor in the school on art and marketing/branding and teaches auctioneers on the state level with continued education courses.
Dan is an active member of the South Carolina Auctioneers Association (SCAA) and the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) and serves as Director for the South Carolina Auctioneers Association.
Tickets must be purchased by 5 pm on January 21st. Drawing will be held on January 22nd, 2025, during the Bank of America Winter Warm-Up.
The winner will be notified at the event if in attendance or the following day if not attending.
