10th Annual Wells Fargo Kickoff featuring DAOU Family Estates
October 12, 2023

Charlotte Wine + Food (CW+F) raised over $160,000 at the 10th Annual Wells Fargo Kickoff dinner held at The Foundation For The Carolinas on Thursday, October 12 - a kickoff event record! 130 guests started the evening at a cocktail reception followed by a four-course wine-pairing dinner created by Chef Bruce Schlernitzauer of Porcupine Provisions as we proudly hosted the star guest of the evening, Chris Avery, Executive Vice President of Global Sales & Trade Marketing of DAOU Family Estates. The night wrapped up with the most spirited of live auctions conducted by auctioneer, Dan Lyles, including a mix of exclusive wine lots and experiences.

In addition to the auction, guests participated in a raffle to win a DAOU Vineyards Membership for a Year PLUS 6 bottles of DAOU Harvest Collection Cabernets. Congratulations to the winner, Mr. Jon Perry!

We also had two wonderful mixologists featured during the reception! Annie Stevenson, General Manager at Billy Sunday, created a mulled cider and bourbon cocktail called Apple-y Ever After, and Kel Minton, Mixologist at the newly re-opened Punch Room, poured a Garden Punch made with gin and served out of a punch bowl ice sculpture.

Featured dinner wines included: DAOU Rosé, 2021 DAOU Reserve Chardonnay, 2020 DAOU ‘Sequentis’ Reserve Merlot, 2021 DAOU Reserve Seventeen Forty, 2019 ‘Soul of a Lion’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2020 ‘Soul of a Lion’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2021 Bodyguard by DAOU Red Blend as well as a special surprise pouring of the current release of Patrimony!

Charlotte Wine + Food would like to extend special thanks to the evening’s Corporate Sponsors - our title sponsor Wells Fargo (championed by our incredible Chairman Emeritus Phil Smith), and supporting sponsors DAOU Family Estates, Foreign Cars Charlotte - Bentley, Porcupine Provisions, and EY. We would also like to thank the following groups - Auction Donors: Bill Bounds / Cork Vault, DAOU Family Estates, Donald & Brenda Thompson, Pat & Debbie Phillips, L’Ostrica, and Porcupine Provisions. | Table Hosts: Steve & Whitney Balzer | EY, Paul & Kristen Stein | EY, Lon Huber & Tierra Fender, Bonnie & Ted Kelly, Paul & Renee Miller, John & Beth Perry, Phil Smith & Leslie Burke | Wells Fargo, Donald & Brenda Thompson, and Jill Trainor | Wells Fargo | Volunteers: Chastity Richey, Pam Gray, Ian Joyce, Lauren Robinson, Jessica Klaskinski, Rebecca Drendel, Candice Johnson, Martha Reneau | Staff: Lauren Deese, Shreya Gangaram, Makayla Johnson, Cammie Borrelli, Tara West, Alex Davis | Vendors: Chris Avery, Caitlyn Gilette — DAOU Family Estates, Bruce & Leslie Schlernitzauer — Porcupine Provisions, Dan Lyles — Auctioneer, Tim Wallace & Wine Vault — Wine Retail, Doug Davis — D2 Productions AV, Vadim Kolpakov — Guitarist, Josh Bannen & Tori Sutton — Photography, Foundation For The Carolinas — Venue
| Event Chairs: Phil Smith, Jill Trainor