How the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is welcoming new and younger guests.
By Lara Creasy
It should come as no surprise to any of us in the industry here in Georgia that the High Museum’s Wine Auction is the largest wine auction in the United States raising money for the arts. Over the past 30 years, the auction has raised more $37 million for the museum.
I, for one, have always enjoyed the Trade Tasting, held each year on Thursday afternoon preceding the main Saturday auction. But I was curious what else the event’s organizers are doing to include a broader base in their events, including minorities and those with more modest means, and how they planned to sustain the event in the future when the average wine collector is now well over 60 years old.
Steven Hargrove, the High Museum’s Associate Director of Wine Auction and Special Events, told me there are multiple events designed to include younger wine lovers, or those new to the festivities. “In 2019, we started our Thursday evening event called HIGH Revelry. This is a mini wine-and-food festival aimed at a younger audience with an individual ticket price of $175. We hope to give this group a taste of the full event so that they will become Benefactors in the future. This event has grown each year with more than 200 attendees in 2022.”
A Ladies Luncheon, featuring female winemakers at a lunch prepared by female chefs, helps to promote diversity in what is still a male-dominated food and wine industry.
The museum also offers single tickets to tasting seminars starting at $95, as well as tickets to Dine Around Dinners at participating Atlanta restaurants for $175. A diverse group of 29 restaurants are participating in the High’s events this year, including Midtown’s Lure and Lyla Lila, The Iberian Pig, and Marietta’s Seed Kitchen & Bar.
Special Guest Chefs this year are Duane Nutter and Reggie Washington of Southern National. Formerly at One Flew South – the award-winning restaurant in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – the pair founded Southern National’s first location in Mobile, Ala., earning a 2020 James Beard Award finalist title. Returning to Atlanta, they’re now opening a second location on Georgia Avenue in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood.
“The restaurateurs serve as hosts for some events and provide tastes at others, including the Vintners’ Reception, which welcomes more than 1,000 guests,” Hargrove says. “We are always striving to grow the Wine Auction and encourage a broader audience to ensure its continued success in the future.”
The High Museum Atlanta Industry Tasting
The High Museum Atlanta Industry Tasting invites restaurateurs, businesses that purchase wine on a wholesale level, and participating brokers and distributors to Atlantic Station for an exclusive tasting event on Mar. 23 from 12:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. For a $25 donation at the door, guests can sample wines, speak with vintners, and enjoy small bites to eat. Registration is required. Please click here to register for the event.
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