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Philbrook Wine Experience Breaks Revenue Record

Museum’s largest fundraiser exceeds $3.2 million

May 8, 2018 (Tulsa, Okla.) On Aril 27 and 28, Philbrook Wine Experience 2018 set a new revenue record of just over $3.2 million. The fundraising weekend featured 50 top vintners from around the world including Williams Selyem, Boisset Collection, and Kamen Estate Wines, showcasing their wines to approximately 2,000 guests across multiple events. All proceeds benefit Philbrook Museum of Art, an 80-year-old, privately funded general art museum nationally known for its compelling and innovative public programs.

The culmination of the weekend took place during the Vintner Dinner and Auction on Saturday, April 28, led by auctioneer and participating vintner Fritz Hatton of Arietta. Spirited bidding took over the Tent on the Philbrook Lawn, which was transformed into a seated dinner for 500 and adorned with beautiful fabric panels designed by renowned artist Rachel Hayes. Wendy and Gentner Drummond, the 2018 Wine Experience Chairs, worked for nearly two years to arrange this unforgettable sold-out event.

The top single lot of the event was donated by Jean-Charles Boisset of Boisset Collection and includes a three-day excursion with Jean-Charles to his exclusive favorites in California Wine Country. The lot, which raised $200,000, also includes a bubble-themed dinner provided by Jean-Charles and Chef Justin Thompson of Tulsa at Philbrook the following year. A wine dinner featuring all-star winemakers Jasmine Hirsch and Michael Cruse and hosted by event chairs Wendy and Gentner Drummond also garnered an impressive $104,000.

“Gentner and I are so grateful to the exceptional vintners, patrons, sponsors, and volunteers, who embody the generous spirit and gracious hospitality of Tulsa as we gather together every two years to make a difference in the future of our dynamic and vibrant Museum,” said Co-Chair Wendy Drummond. “This event is a celebration of all we love about the shared experience of wine and culture, transformed into an astounding investment into the cultural community of Tulsa.”

Other events taking place over the weekend included the Trade Tasting, which connected visiting wineries with 350 members of the regional retail, restaurant and service industries. The Grand Wine Tasting offered nearly 1,000 guests a high-energy tasting room environment with more than 50 wineries offering over 200 different wines alongside nearly two dozen regional restaurants sampling their cuisine.

The weekend also included nine educational wine seminars over two days, with winemakers like Jasmine Hirsch, Jean-Charles Boisset, and Roberto Bava presenting on topics that ranged from “Climate Change in Winemaking” to “Blind Tasting: The Deductive Method of Sommeliers.”

Philbrook Wine Experience received enthusiastic interest from wineries around the world, ultimately selecting 50 from throughout Napa, Sonoma, Central Coast, France, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest.

The 2018 Philbrook Wine Experience vintners:

  • 32 Winds
  • AldenAlli
  • Ancien
  • Arietta
  • Barra of Mendocino
  • Bergstrom Wines
  • Boisset Collection
  • Chateau Montelena
  • Christopher Creek Winery
  • COHO Wines
  • Cruse Wine Company / Ultramarine Wines
  • Darms Lane
  • Ehlers Estate
  • Flanagan Vineyards
  • Francis Ford Coppola Winery
  • Frias Family Vineyard
  • Gemstone Vineyard
  • Girouard Vineyards
  • Giulio Cocchi
  • Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyard
  • Hess Collection Winery
  • Hirsch Vineyards
  • Honig Vineyard & Winery
  • Joullian Vineyards
  • Kamen Estate Wines
  • Keenan Winery
  • Kermit Lynch
  • Kinsella
  • Kistler Vineyards
  • Lail Vineyards
  • Land of Promise
  • Lede Family Wines
  • Lieu Dit Winery
  • Mas de Daumas Gassac
  • Owen Roe
  • Peju Province Winery
  • Petrichor Vineyards
  • Presqu’ile Winery
  • Ramey Wine Cellars
  • Raptor Ridge Winery
  • Roberts and Rogers
  • Rombauer Vineyards
  • Saddleback Cellars
  • Schweiger Vineyards
  • Stone Edge Farm Winery
  • Triumph Cellars
  • Villa Creek Cellars
  • Williams Selyem
  • ZD Wines
  • Zinke Wines

About the Weekend:

On Friday, April 27, the Philbrook Grand Wine Tasting offered guests a casual, happy hour/tasting room environment with more than 50 wineries offering tastings of over 200 different wines alongside nearly two-dozen regional restaurants sampling their cuisine.

For Saturday, April 28, the tent on the Philbrook Lawn transformed into a seated dinner for nearly 400 guests complete with center stage and live auction. Wendy and Gentner Drummond, the 2018 Wine Experience Chairs, worked for nearly two years to arrange this unforgettable sold-out event, which culminated in an entertaining live auction led by auctioneer and participating vintner Fritz Hatton (Arietta).

ABOUT THE CAUSE:

All proceeds from the Wine Experience benefit Philbrook educational programming and Museum operations including programs like Second Saturdays, which offers free admission and activities on the second Saturday of each month, free admission every day to kids, and free annual museum memberships to all Oklahoma public school teachers.
“Philbrook was founded 80 years ago as a gift to the city of Tulsa. Today, that spirit of generosity and support for the arts continues with the Philbrook Wine Experience. The success of this event enables Philbrook to impact nearly 170,000 people a year through innovative exhibitions and programs,” says Philbrook Director Scott Stulen.
Patrons of Philbrook Wine Experience Weekend include both long-time supporters of the Museum as well as some first-time benefactors.
First Crush Patrons: Shelly & Alan Armstrong, Bank of Oklahoma, Billie & Howard Barnett, Krista & Charlie Bendana and Donna & Eric Swank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Mary & Jim Bush, Cinda & Mark Marra and Pam & Terry Carter, Pat Chernicky & Greg Holt, Patty & Joe Cappy, Karen & Carlin Conner – SemGroup Corporation,J.W. Craft — Blue Moose of Boulder, Barbara & Arlo Dekraai, Wendy & Gentner Drummond — Blue Sky Bank, Gayle & Frank Eby, Pam & Lee Eslicker, Robyn & Larry Ewing, Jean & Randy Foutch, Helmerich Foundation, Betsy & Bryan Hendershot — Boardwalk Brands, Barbara & Steve Heyman and Susannah & Jim Adelson — Nadel and Gussman, Holliman Family Foundation, Bonnie Klein, Teresa Knox & Ivan Acosta, Beth & Ben Latham, Marilyn & Larry Lee — Ram Energy LLC, Ellen & Carlisle Mabrey III and Terry & John Mabrey — Mabrey Bank, Matrix Service Company, Julie & John Nickel, Cindy & Bob Peterson, Leigh & John Reaves – Asphalt and Fuel Supply, Charles & Peggy Stephenson Family Foundation, Jill & Robert Thomas, Susan & Bill Thomas, Vanessa & Scott Thompson, Kayla & Scott Vaughn – GlobalHealth, Susie & Don Wellendorf, Mollie Williford, John Steele Zink Foundation, Debbie Zinke, Robert Zinke Jeroboam Patrons: Stephanie & Jack Allen, Ann & Mark Farrow, Suzanne and Jim Kneale Family Foundation, Julie & Sanjay Meshri, Frauke & Oscar Quiroga, Cheryl Ulmer & Greg Ratliff Magnum Double Patrons: Tom Adelson, Stefanie & Tom Atherton, Joan & Tom Atkinson, The Bama Companies, Inc., Cox Communications, Ashley & John Griffin, Claire & Phil Lauinger, Moore DM Group, Berry & Regina Mullenix, Ryan Tanner & Jay Krottinger, Sheri & Charles Stinson, Debra & Daron Street, Georgeanna & Roger Thomas, T.D. Williamson, Inc.
In addition to the philanthropists who attend the Wine Experience events, other donors, such as Cathey & Michael Barkley, The George and Wanda Brown Foundation, The Mary K. Chapman Foundation, The Fulton and Susie Collins Foundation, Susie and Dave Hentschel, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Ruth Nelson and Thomas Murphy, Susan & Bill Thomas, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Jana Shoulders and Bob Soza, and The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation contribute solely to the Creative Opportunity Fund, which directly supports educational programming.
Sponsors include Bill Knight Lincoln and Lincoln Black Label, Luxury Transportation Sponsor, VisitTulsa, Hospitality Sponsor, MidFirst Private Bank, Wine Walk Sponsor, Bevio, Wine Sales Sponsor and The Summit Club, Wine Seminar Sponsor.

The Philbrook Wine Experience began in 1992 with a modest wine dinner among friends of the Museum. In 2016 the weekend raised over $3 million for Philbrook making it Oklahoma’s largest fundraising event and one of the top charity wine events in the nation. A privately funded Museum, Philbrook relies on this biennial event to raise critical funds.

SAVE THE DATES: Join Chairs Karen and Carlin Conner for Philbrook Wine Experience 2020, April 24 & 25, 2020.

For additional information on the Wine Experience, visit Philbrook.org/wine.

ABOUT PHILBROOK

Rooted in the beauty and architecture of an historic home gifted by the Phillips family 75 years ago, Philbrook Museum of Art has grown to become one of the preeminent art museums across the central United States. Highlights of the Museum’s permanent collection include Renaissance and Baroque paintings from the Kress Foundation, one of the greatest surveys of Native American art anywhere, and growing modern and contemporary collections. The Philbrook American art collection includes, among others, works by William Merritt Chase, Alexandre Hogue, and Asher B. Durand.
The Philbrook main campus spans 23 acres of grounds and formal gardens, and features an historic home displaying the museum’s permanent collection, as well as an architectural addition with auditorium, restaurant, library, and education studios. The satellite location in downtown Tulsa showcases Philbrook’s modern and contemporary art collections, as well as the Eugene B. Adkins Collection and Study Center of Native American art.
Philbrook Museum of Art is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, Philbrook Downtown, 116 E. M.B. Brady St., is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday. Philbrook admission runs $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and university students; Philbrook Members and youth 17 and younger are always free. Philbrook Downtown admission runs $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and university students; Philbrook Members and youth 17 and younger are always free.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jeff Martin,
Communications Manager
O (918) 748-5352
M (918) 697-9042
JMartin@philbrook.org

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