Wine-d Down

Wined Up! featured great wine and a greater cause

On the second of Pairings’ three nights of events, a jubilant crowd of wine enthusiasts — beginners and oenophiles alike — poured into City Winery for this year’s Wined Up! The event featured 29 premier West Coast vintners offering over 60 wines, and some attendees arrived with research in-hand: their personal list of must-try sips.

Dana Stoller and John Navin, husband and wife co-chairs of the weekend’s festivities, ensured that there was a wine for every palate — from crisp chablis and buttery chardonnay to dry pinot noir and jammy cabernet sauvignon. RARECAT Wines’ French Sparkling NV seemed to be a particular crowd favorite; several guests expressed their delight with the bubbly concoction to any who would listen.

Upstairs in the Collectors’ Showcase, guests enjoyed some truly extraordinary offerings from top-notch vintners like ADAMVS, Pahlmeyer Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery. The more intimate setting of the balcony provided not only a chance to chat leisurely with the winemakers, but also a vantage point for watching the action below.

In addition to sipping, socializing and snacking on hors d’oeuvres provided by City Winery, revelers participated in some competitive bidding for the exceptional wine lots in the silent auction. The proceeds from this sold-out event go to the Nashville Wine Auction and its local partners, bringing Nashville’s wine community together to fund the fight against cancer. This organization has raised $33 million to date, accelerating generosity through the sharing of wine.

Good company, great wine and a greater cause have been the trademark of Wined Up!, and it once again upheld its reputation as one of Nashville’s premier wine-tasting events.

BY KARIN MATHIS PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANGELINA CASTILLO