by Carol Feeney

The Ritchie Room at Capers Brasserie and Wine Bar will be host to art and wine lovers June 8 and 9, 2007 at the Quinte Arts Council’s third annual ARTEVÏNO Fine Art and Wine Auction.  While the event itself takes place in June, a number of events happen prior to the public opening that contribute to the success and uniqueness of this event, making it truly one-of-a-kind in every aspect.

The wines of Prince Edward County are receiving national and international recognition for their quality and style and many of the County winemakers are entering their wines in the ARTEVÏNO County Wine Awards competition which is being held on May 14.  An outstanding panel of judges led by David Lawrason (Wine Access/Canadian Wine Awards), Konrad Ejbich (CBC), Michael Vaughan (National Post), Rod Phillips (Ottawa Citizen), Elia Gallo (Harvest Table), Billy Munnelly (Billy’s Best Bottles), Jill Uhola (Vintages Kingston) and Michelle McCarthy (George Brown College and Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers) will taste these offerings and award medals based on the highest scores in each category.

These award-winning wines will then be featured at the exceptional ARTEVÏNO gala dinner on Saturday, June 9, where the chefs from Capers Brasserie, Twist Restogrille, Dinkel’s Restaurant and Paulo’s Trattoria, The Boathouse, Sweet Basil  and Earl and Angelo’s will create scrumptious courses to compliment the fine wines.  The evening will also feature a live auction led by Stephen Ranger, CEO of Ritchies in Toronto, offering extraordinary art and wine packages and a once-in-a-lifetime experiential trip to a wine region.  The party continues with the Latin jazz sounds of the Mauricio Montecinos Trio.  Tickets are $150 each or $1,000 for a table of eight.  Seating is limited and the event is expected to sell out quickly.

The Quinte Arts Council has put out a call for entry for artists interested in designing a special wine label for the first ever County Cuvée being created especially for ARTEVÏNO by the County winemakers, coordinated by winemakers Frederick Picard of Huff Estates and Jeff Innes of The Grange Estates of Prince Edward County. The County Cuvée, with original artwork on its custom label, will be one of the special items being auctioned off by Boyd Sullivan on Friday night, June 8, at the ARTEVÏNO wine tasting event.

Friday evening includes the opportunity to taste a wide variety of wine produced in Prince Edward County, a silent auction of hundreds of unique art and wine items, a live auction of rare and unusual pieces, and music by Penny and John Kitchen.  This event begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are available for $35 each which also includes a souvenir fine crystal ARTEVÏNO wine glass.

ARTEVÏNO will also host a special day for the industry and trade, where restaurateurs and media from Ottawa to Toronto will be invited to come and taste wines from the County.  The public can also take part in this day as the award winning wines will be featured on Thursday, June 7, in the restaurants which are participating in the ARTEVÏNO gala dinner.

ARTEVÏNO Committee Co-chair, Natalie Bohnen-Twiddy, is this year’s coordinator of art acquisition and she is thrilled about the positive and very generous response from visual artists to both the silent and live auctions.  “We have a bigger show this year and a very eclectic mix of art,” said Natalie.  “The artists have been wonderful and we have oils, watercolours, acrylics, mixed-media, wood carvings and fabric art.  There will be something there for everyone.”