ATP Artistic Director Betsi Morrison this week announced the entertainment line up for
the 2019 Whitefish Wine Auction to be held August 15-August 17. “Whitefish favorite Mike
Eldred will team up with pop tenor Eric Michael Krop and Broadway’s Tracy McDowell to
present Broadway favorites throughout the evening of the Gala event,” she said.
ATP is reviving the popular Whitefish Wine Auction as a benefit for Alpine Theatre
Project Kids! Education program. Whitefish Lake Institute had sponsored the event in
conjunction with The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, culminating in 2015 with a guest appearance by
Connie Chung, well-known television news personality.
After absence of the wine auction for three years, wine enthusiasts Carl Straub, Jr. and
BB Bernheim approached Alpine Theatre Project about reactivating the event using Straub’s
and Bernstein’s experience with the Sun Valley and Nashville Wine Auctions. Brian Averill at
The Lodge at Whitefish Lake agreed to host the events at the lakeside tent at The Lodge, and
the 2019 Whitefish Wine Auction was on its way.
Whitefish Wine Auction Committee Chair Heidi Borg said that, on August 14, the chefs,
hosts, and vintners, some of whom are coming from California, Washington, and beyond, will
gather for a meet and greet on the shore of Whitefish Lake. The first public event will be a
series of private home dinners spanning from Whitefish to Finley Point. The dinner menus will
be designed and prepared by a chef, and two vintners will pour the wines they and the chefs
have personally paired for maximum impact of both the food and wine.
Borg said that the signature celebration will be the Gala Dinner and Auction at The
Lodge at Whitefish Lake, featuring multiple vintners vying to pour the best wine of the evening to
pair with the menu selected by the Executive Chef of The Lodge. A silent auction will take place prior
to the dinner and will feature, among other items, wine lots that include the choices from the
previous night’s dinners. Patrons will be invited to download to their devices an app that will
allow them to follow the bidding and weigh in remotely on those items they would like to
purchase. The silent auction will close at the beginning of the dinner, and bid winners will be
notified on their devices.
Larger auction items will be auctioned live during the course of the dinner, including a
stay at a private home in Yountville, CA with pre-arranged winery tasting tours in the fabulous
Napa Valley and an experience at the enchanting Coeur d’Alene Golf and Lake Resort, as well as
rare and extraordinary wines contributed by participating vintners.
On Saturday, oenophiles will be able to purchase tickets to an event where they can
taste the wares of participating vintners in the lakeside tent.
“ATP is excited to have the help of Carl and BB and to partner with The Lodge in bringing
back the Whitefish Wine Auction.” said Luke Walrath, ATP Development Director. “We’re
looking forward to a fun summer evening by the lake,” he added.