(March 2, 2010 – West Palm Beach, FL)  The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts hosted its celebrated annual Palm Beach Wine Auction on February 16 at The Breakers, Palm Beach.

More than 140 friends and supporters attended this popular, sold-out event that generated more than $365,000 for the Kravis Center’s award-winning education programs.

“This year’s Wine Auction was truly spectacular,” said Palm Beach Wine Auction Founder & Chair Ted Mandes, who is also a member of the Kravis Center’s Board of Directors. It started with a reception in The Tapestry Bar at The Breakers, followed by an elegant five-course dinner and wine auction in The Circle Room.

“Everyone raved about the incomparable food and wine,” he said. “The setting was lovely, and the wine auction was highly charged with a lot of excited bidders, which is just what wine connoisseurs expect a world-class auction to be.”

The auction of more than 30 impressive lots was once again under the direction of Michael Troise, the retired Auction Director for NY Wines/Christie’s Fine and Rare Wine Department and an expert with more than 40 years experience in tasting, buying and brokering wines from vintages dating as far back as the late eighteenth century. 

According to Mandes, the mission of the annual Palm Beach Wine Auction is to “share the cultural wealth” by further advancing and broadening the scope of the educational experience of our youth through targeted programs at the Kravis Center. 

“It is not just a cause, but an ongoing obligation,” he emphasized. “Exposure to the arts at an early age can be truly life-changing. It certainly was to me when I was growing up in Pennsylvania.”

Event supporter David Hamilton agrees. “The Palm Beach Wine Auction is an amazing opportunity for people to wine and dine in a sumptuous environment, purchase unbelievable wine values, and walk away with the satisfaction of knowing that they’ve done something to improve the lives of boys and girls throughout the Palm Beaches.”

The Premier Grand Cru sponsor for the annual Palm Beach Wine Auction was PNC Wealth Management.

The Premier Cru sponsors were Madeline and Roderic Fink, Chris N. Kritikos, and Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein.

Private Reserve sponsors included Jane M. Mitchell and
Lewis M. Schott.

Special Select sponsors were Barbara and Jerome Golden, Laurie J. Raber and Steven M. Gottleib, and Sydelle F. Meyer.  Special Support was provided by Tiffany & Co.

About the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts:
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and international artists and companies of the highest quality; by offering comprehensive arts education programs; by providing a Palm Beach County home in which local and regional arts organizations can showcase their work; and by providing economic catalyst and community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. 

The Kravis Center is located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, FL.  For more information, please call561-832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org.

For more information about the annual Palm Beach Wine Auction, please visit www.palmbeachwineauction.org.