The tragedy unfolding in Haiti is incomprehensible. The poorest nation in the western hemisphere has been struck by a natural tragedy most of us can not conceive, in the midst of defenseless poverty we can not imagine.
For the first time ever, Brother, can you spare a bottle? will team with Palate Press: The online wine magazinee to encourage the wine-loving world to contribute to a cause outside our own, Wine for Haiti.
Brother, can you spare a bottle? Can you pull something special from your cellar, a bottle you've been saving? Perhaps you will contribute the bottle you were saving for Open That Bottle Night. Or maybe next time you're at the wine store you will pick up an extra for us.
The auction will be held on line, in the comments section, in posts for individual auction lots. All the contributions are noted in Wine for Haiti, and the auction lots are linked there, too. Palate Press: The online wine magazine will auction the wine in cases, as they arrive. David Honig, Publisher of Palate Press: The online wine magazine, will start the ball rolling with a 1976 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese, retail value $139.00.
We have already received some amazing contributions, including an etched 6.0L Cornerstone Cellars Howell Mountain Cabernet (that's 8 bottles of wine in one giant special artist-etched bottle, value $1,000), a Viña Valoria 1968 Rioj, and dozens of other amazing wines.
Please promise your contribution in the comments at Wine for Haiti, and then contribute your bottle for the auction. Then come back and bid, bid, bid.
The process might be a bit unweildy, but the goal is to get the wine in, and the money out, as quickly as possible. As soon as I have the first case, the auction will start. As soon as I have the second case (or we'll give it two days if the wine floods in), we will close the auction on the first case. We will do it until the wine runs out. Other management suggestions are welcome, indeed invited.
All the money will go to the American Red Cross (click the link to contribute money right now).
Bottles should be sent to:
Wine for Haiti
Palate Press: The online wine magazine
9425 Meridian #201
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Here is how the auction will work. As we create individual lots, they will be posted here (look down, there's one now), with a link to the individual lot. Just place your bid in the comments. We will not close any of the bids for a while, but once we do, the auction ends when we go 24 hours without a bid. If we get into a bidding war between two or three people at the end we won't make everybody wait a day, we will schedule a bid at a set time the contestants (and anybody else lurking and waiting, but interested) agree to.
Please direct all inquires to WineForHaiti@palatepress.com.
Thank you all for your generosity in this time of need.
The entire Palate Press Team.
Daily Kos- Thanks for letting a very old Daily Kos hand help out from a slightly different point of view.