Wine lovers open wallets for charities

More than 400 wine enthusiasts attended the third annual Destin Charity Wine Auction, held Saturday evening at Magnolia Ballroom at the Village of Baytowne Wharf.

More than $850,000 was raised, and about 60 percent of that will benefit four well-known charities: Children In Crisis Inc., Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and Lighthouse Family Retreat.

Several lots of wine sold for $20,000 to $30,000, some including vacation trips to California’s Napa Valley and the wine-growing regions of France.

“Compared to last year’s event, which featured 78 lots of wine, Saturday’s auction included only 47 lots and yet raised 97 percent of last year’s total,” Ben Anderson, lead auctioneer, said in a news release.

Officials were hoping to rake in more than $1 million, the news release said.

Anderson Auctions Inc. of Destin has served as auctioneers for the Destin Charity Wine Auction since the organization’s inaugural event in 2006.

The company has a reputation for its pro bono work on behalf of numerous charitable organizations along the Emerald Coast, having raised more than $1 million for charities including Cruise for the Cure, Heart Foundation, Blount-Bowden Golf Classic, Destin Family YMCA, Florida All Sports Association and Georgia Food Industry Association.