A time for wine
Welcome to Paris, Texas.
That was the vibe inside Jones Hall for the Houston Symphony’s 19th annual Wine Dinner & Collector’s Auction. A mashup of trés chic meets California cool à la the evening’s “Judgment of Paris Act II” theme.
Lost? Here’s the backstory.
The motif riffed on a 1976 wine competition dubbed the "Judgment of Paris," and central storyline of the 2008 American comedy-drama film "Bottle Shock" starring Alan Rickman. Fast forward to the ending: Rickman's character defeats a French wine in a blind taste test with a Napa Valley chardonnay.
Voilà. An excuse to pair fur stoles with irreverent black-tie was born.
No one personified the dinner’s high-low aesthetic better than co-chair Valerie Dieterich.
Her floral, high-neck Carolina Herrera gown accentuated her baby bump with casual nonchalance. One of Dieterich’s counterparts, fellow co-chair Carolyn
Faulk, also served a major moment. She underwrote cases of Dom Pérignon for everyone’s silent-auction-perusing pleasure.
Flutes in hand, a sold-out crowd of 330 symphony patrons and oenophiles bid on more than 113 lots of rare and exceptional wines, spirits, trips, dinner and exclusive experiences. Nearly every item had sold by night’s end — a testament to honorary chair Robert Sakowitz.
He’s had plenty of time to finesse his auction strategy. In 2001, Sakowitz served as the
Wine Dinner’s inaugural auction chair, a position he held for 10 years. The original concept was fathered by the Houston Symphony’s former music director Hans Graf, whose stroke of genius led to a dinner partnership with Spec’s founder John Rydman. Back then, all of the planning centered around a concert; now, it’s all about the booze.
In many ways, Friday night’s festivities symbolized a return to the event’s roots. Dinner-goers dined on the Jones Halls stage. And the parade of eveningwear in transit from the crimson-carpeted, Gemini II-lit lobby, through the Green Room and onto the stage was a sight to behold.
Cue the Events Company’s Richard Flowers and his flair for Parisian je ne sais quoi. The décor began with a large flower cart brimming with fresh blooms to mark the entry (and Instagram) point. Painted tapestries depicting the Eiffel Tower and other iconic City of Lights sights hung from the rafters.
A flurry of social-media photos and video was taken before cochairs could successfully coax guests into their seats. But, boy, does Faulk know how to command an audience once she gets its attention.
“This is the most fun we’ve ever had with our clothes on!” she breathed into the microphone. The tone was set.
Next, Dieterich’s husband and co-chair, Tracy Dieterich, introduced his big contribution to the program: master sommelier Guy Stout, who revealed the meal’s big challenge: a blind tasting of paired wines from California and France.
So in between the five courses of Tony’s catered feast, diners debated whether their favorite pours hailed from the West Coast or across the Atlantic.
Collective efforts raised more than $560,000 toward the Houston Symphony’s education and community initiatives.
Several after-parties ensued, including the official late-night gathering at Tony’s and an impromptu meetup at the Lancaster Hotel.
Midnight in Paris, Texas, does have a nice ring to it.