By Jordan
What an exciting few weeks we have had here at Charles Communications! From a gorgeous al fresco media lunch event at the Capay Valley’s Casey Flat Ranch’s sprawling, mountain-top property to the excitement of the Charles Krug hosted barrel auction event during the 2014 Auction Napa Valley week, immediately followed by Sherryfest’s San Francisco debut - throw in the 9th annual Dress for Success Fashion Gala to top it all off and sprinkle it with a few of our hosted Brandlive virtual tastings and you can be sure it has been quite an exciting month here at Charles Communications!
Allow me to take you an a little journey to catch you up with some of the exciting things that have been going on as a result of our high energy team’s efforts.
At the end of May we coordinated an intimate group of wine writers to come experience the wines and unparalleled elegantly rustic ambiance of Casey Flat Ranch. We truly could not have asked for a more perfect day or group of curious and adventurous writers to come visit. Chef Thomas McNaughton of flour + water cooked up a mouthwatering seasonal meal that included dishes such as king salmon with dill, crème fraiche & toasted seeds, speck wrapped pork tenderloin with beet, cherry & licorice root and ended wonderfully with strawberries, ricotta & rhubarb sorbet - all paired beautifully with winemaker Laura Barrett’s recent double gold-medal winner at the SF International Wine Competition 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, as well as her 2013 Viognier and her 2010 Casey Flat Ranch Estate Red Wine matched to the menu.
The next week we hit the ground running, with Kimberly and Alex off to Napa to coordinate the media and live auction display during Charles Krug’s hosting of the Auction Napa Valley . The Barrel Auction, which garnered $1.694 million, was a part of the 34th annual Auction Napa Valley. The proceeds raised during the three-day event are donated to local funds for children’s education and health non-profits. Charles Communications Associates worked with Charles Krug to put together an incredible lot for the cause, which included a trip to London, a tour of McLaren’s Formula 1 Technology Center, a private viewing of the Crown Jewels, and a 9L bottle of Charles Krug wine, designed by three generations of the Peter Mondavi Sr. family. Another highlight of the lot was a beautiful, one-of-a-kind diamond, ruby and sapphire necklace designed by jewelers to the crown, Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher, with 100 diamonds to commemorate Peter Mondavi Sr.’s centennial birthday this year.
We were finally able to catch our breath the following week (or as Kimberly likes to describe “back to the normal madness!”). We organized several Brandlives sessions for clients SakéOne and the Lodi Winegrape Commission. If you have never experienced one of our Brandlives, you can by clicking here. Brandlive is a platform that incorporates live video and Twitter to create a more interactive tasting experience. We casually refer to them in the office as virtual tastings and they are always among some of our favorite events to organize! Take a look at some of the client mentions we have received in the past, as a result of our Brandlive tastings. (SakéOne, Charles Krug) **If you are a journalist or blogger that is interested in participating in one of our Brandlives please contact press@charlescomm.com for more information, otherwise you’re welcome to follow along via the twitter feed, just keep apprised of our calendar by following us on All the Swirl on Facebook.
Wrapping up this whirlwind month we had Sherryfest to look forward to last week, celebrating all things Sherry! Created by Peter Liem, author of Sherry, Manzanilla & Montilla, and Rosemary Gray, director of RS Productions NYC, I was thrilled to experience my first tasting of sherry (mind-blowing!) at the Sherryfest “afterparty” Thursday night, which was held at St. Vincent in the Mission District.
This of course was followed immediately by the Dress for Success 9th Annual Fashion Gala at the Julia Morgan Ballroom (CCA founder Kimberly Charles is on the Board of Directors). We had over 250+ attendees for the fashion Gala that included special guest and NBC fashion guru Jeannie Mai, a silent and live auction, as well as a fashion show hosted by Banana Republic and Carmichael Salon. All proceeds go to Dress for Success San Francisco, an international not-for-profit that helps inspire economically disadvantaged women to find their inner strength and take control of their lives.
Dress For Success Board of Directors
What an amazing month! One of the things I love about being part of this truly dynamic office is that no two days are ever the same, yet all are equally rewarding.