Of Grace and Charity

Getting a bottle of a limited-production wine may require a visit to an auction house, where collectors sometimes part with surplus wine. Older vintages of Chateau d’Yquem, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and classic Burgundies and Bordeaux are often found at auctions conducted by such houses as Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Butterfield & Butterfield.

One wine rarely seen at those commercial auctions is the Grace Family Cabernet, of which little more than 200 cases are made each year. Those who can’t get the wines from the winery may be able to find a bottle at charity auctions that benefit needy children. Winery owner Dick Grace, who actively discourages speculation in his wine, donates a number of bottles to charity auctions for that purpose.

Even so, buyers pay dearly for Grace wines. In the last three years, Grace Cabernets have raised $400,000 for children’s charities. Last weekend alone, three magnums of the 1990 Grace Family Cabernet sold for $19,000 at a charity auction to benefit disadvantaged children.

“When we find someone who’s just a speculator in the wine, we cut them off,” says Grace. “As far as I’m concerned, the wine is an instrument to help children who have to contend with life-threatening ailments. We have been allowed to be stewards of a property that addresses a larger issue than just the beverage itself.

“My vision of the wine is to have a couple or a small group buy it to enjoy with a fine meal, and to auction bottles for the benefit of children in need.”

Even retailers are encouraged to donate Grace wines to such causes. David Breitstein of the Duke of Bourbon in Canoga Park says he gets just eight bottles each year, but he says he will sell none of it. He says all eight bottles will be donated to charity auctions.

“There are so few things that really ring a bell at an auction, and Grace is one of those things,” says Breitstein. He says he will select auctions “where there is a good cause and where we can improve the lives of people who need the help.”