Jacqueline Kerr and Jenny Backhaus toasted co-chair Mike Kerr.
Jacqueline Kerr and Jenny Backhaus toasted co-chair Mike Kerr.
Stephen Brown threw up a bid card during the live auction
Stephen Brown threw up a bid card during the live auction
Matthew and Eugenia Howley
Matthew and Eugenia Howley
Michele Forsyte with her husband, John, president of Pacific Symphony, and Pat McAuley
Michele Forsyte with her husband, John, president of Pacific Symphony, and Pat McAuley
The Pacific Coast Wine Festival hit all the right notes as it drummed up more than $198,000 for O.C.’s beloved Pacific Symphony.
THE PARTY Glasses were filled and hearts were full as Pacific Symphony’s 11th annual Pacific Coast Wine Festival uncorked nearly $200,000 for the orchestra’s artistic and educational programs. THE SCENE A crowd of roughly 200 convened at Balboa Bay Resort to sample sips from more than 100 first-class wineries from the Sonoma and Napa Valleys, France, Spain and Italy. Co-chairs Mike Kerr and Brian Pollack greeted guests during dinner hour, where wine donors like Joann Leatherby, Greg Bates, and Felicity and Donald Sodaro enjoyed a VIP menu of potato leek soup, New York steak with half-lobster tail, and chocolate and hazelnut mousse. THE HIGHLIGHTS It wasn’t just the vino that had the room buzzing. Diane and Rodney Sawyer scored a seven-day SeaDream Caribbean cruise for $15,000, while couples Mike Kerr and Jenny Backhaus, Nemie and Brian Pollack, and Mary and Gary Lisenbee pooled $17,000 for a tour through Spain’s enchanting wine country. Toastworthy! -Allison Mitchell
Photos by Ann Chatillon Photography
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