With over 400 guests in attendance, Lyric Opera of Chicago put on a glamorous weekend at its 2023 Wine Auction last month to highlight esteemed vintners from around the world. Chicagoans and visitors from several states and countries flocked to The Loop's grandiose historic opera house dressed to the nines for the black-tie event.

Held in the two days leading up to the auction were the highly exclusive Featured Vintner Dinners in private homes and the Featured Vintner Reception, held in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Grand Foyer of the opera house to showcase all 31 vintners. The sparkling three-day event returned after a five-year hiatus, giving the city a good reason to drink wine and raise money for Lyric Opera in an effort to keep the art form alive.

“The proceeds are used for Lyric Unlimited, which reaches out to school children across the metropolitan area as well as the Ryan Opera Center where we train up-and-coming performing artists,” Co-Chair Nancy S. Searle said in an interview with Chicago Star prior to the auction. “It also goes towards productions. Lyric is one of the cultural treasures of Chicago and the world-class productions are incredible.”

As part of the 2023 Wine Auction planning committee, Searle and Co-Chair Erica L. Sandner helped bring together all the moving pieces of the fabulous event over the last five years and have served as co-chairs in previous years. Assisting them were Vice Chairs Suzanne Welsh Mulshine and Eileen Austin Murphy. All four women are part of the Lyric Women’s Board, and Nancy has additionally served on the Lyric Board of Directors.

Dining On Stage: A Night to Remember

While the swanky tone of the evening was set upon arrival with a gorgeous red carpet in front of the opera house, the auction location itself was truly exquisite and unexpected. Tables for guests were placed on a raised platform atop the actual stage under the beaming theater lights. Adding to the ambiance were six large tree statues covered in sparkling white lights, which separated the raised stage from the further back rows of seats. 

Projections on the wall created the environment of a vineyard under a magical sunset, before changing throughout the auction to display the different lots and speakers. On each end of the stage were the two auctioneers: Michael Davis (Vice Chairman) and Ben Ferdinand (Senior Vice President and Senior Consignment Advisor) from Hart Davis Wine Company. 

The Menu

Guests were presented with a decadent dinner menu by J&L Catering consisting of a Composed Chilled Lobster Vichyssoise soup with braised leeks and caviar pearls for the first course. Served with the first course were two glasses of white wine from Honored Guest Maison Joseph Drouhin: Meursault-Perrieres Premier Cru 2019 and a Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2018. 

For the main entree, guests enjoyed Deconstructed Wellington of Beef Tenderloin with caramelized shallot, spring onion puff pastry, blue oyster mushroom, and spring vegetables. Served with the entree were two glasses of red wine from Maison Joseph Drouhin: Volnay Clos des Chenes Premier Cru 2018 and a Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru 2018.

Dessert consisted of a Chocolate-Raspberry Bomb with cocoa nibs, raspberries, and gold leaf. To finish, guests enjoyed a cheese course consisting of cow, sheep, and goat’s milk cheeses with fig jam, sweet butter, candied walnuts, mini baguette, and artisan crackers. 

Guests went home with party favors that consisted of a set of Sipsmith London special edition gins donated by Beam Suntory, who also donated several lots for the auction.

Featured Vintners Steal the Show

Though Chicagoans and visitors typically flock to Lyric Opera for its opera singing and performances, the real stars of the night were the 31 vintners on display, which included the following:

Maison Joseph Drouhin (the Honored Guest), Adelsheim, Arietta, Barboursville Vineyards, Broadbent, Cakebread Cellars, Caymus Vineyards, Château d’Esclans, Chateau Musar, Château Palmer, Darioush, Delaire Graff Estate, De Wetshof Estate, Domaine Carneros, Faust, Flowers Vineyard & Winery, Futo Wines, Grgich Hills Estate, Gusbourne, Kistler Vineyards, Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine, Peay Vineyards, Pinea, Quintessa, Résonance Vineyards, Senses Wines, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Taylor Fladgate, The Vines, Wayfarer, and Williams Selyem.

Guests were able to taste wines from each vintner at the Featured Vintner Reception the night before the auction. Also on site that evening was Ann Ziff — Founder and Designer of New York fine jeweler Tamsen Z — with a showcase of her jewelry on display, along with Floridian watchmaker Goldsmith and Complications. 

“Aside from raising money for Lyric, another really important reason for putting on this glitzy soiree every couple of years is to showcase the incredible artform of winemaking,” Sandner informed our team. “Many of these featured vintners have partnered with Lyric for many auctions, and what traditionally might have been a simple donation of a wine lot, we feel this is a more dynamic relationship that we’re creating so that we’re also giving back to them. They’re in the business of selling wine, and we’re opening up our audience to help them carry forth their initiatives.”

The auction certainly provided a lucrative opportunity to sell wine along with other top experiences and trips. Plenty of paddles were raised, and a total of 55 lots were auctioned off that night. In 2018, the auction raised $2.1 million; this year’s total has not yet been released.

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