Central Oregon’s largest wine and food event, the three-day Cork & Barrel wine and food event fundraising series, a benefit for KIDS Center of Bend, reported $500,000 in net revenue raised at the 2019 event series. Held annually in July at Broken Top Club in Bend, Cork & Barrel funds 20 percent of the $2.8 million annual operating budget of KIDS Center, the only child abuse intervention center in Central Oregon.
“The need for KIDS Center’s services continues to exist and Cork & Barrel is just one way that the Central Oregon community can come together to ensure that children and families experiencing child abuse receive the vital intervention and therapeutic services that enable them to overcome and reach their fullest potential,” stated Shelly Smith, executive director. “Critical support from this event will ensure that KIDS Center continues to meet the ever changing and growing population in Central Oregon.”
Each year, Cork & Barrel brings a different wine region to Central Oregon. Twenty-two wineries from throughout Southern Oregon wine country were featured over three days, July 18-20, during last month’s Cork & Barrel event series. Executive Chef Franco Console of the Neuman Hotel Group based in Ashland, Oregon, executed a five-course meal for 450 guests of the Grand Cru gala dinner on July 20 on the green at Broken Top Club. A team of 50 student servers from the Redmond High School and Mt. View High School cheer squads provided fine-dining service for all guests of the Grand Cru dinner.
New this year, Cork & Barrel also featured a winemaker dinner hosted in March 2019 at the Citizen Bar and Kitchen. “Our first ever spring winemaker dinner was a fun way for guests to get a flavor of what they could expect to experience in July, while also giving folks who couldn’t join us in July an opportunity to be part of the Cork & Barrel experience. We plan to continue the Spring Winemaker Dinner Series again in 2020,” said Robin Antonson, director of development and marketing.
An event series that requires year-round planning, the 2019 Cork & Barrel wine and food event fundraising series was lauded as “an excellent event, masterfully orchestrated for a great cause” by Stephen Reustle, owner of Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards outside of Roseburg, Oregon in the Umpqua Valley. Paso Robles wine country was unveiled as the 2020 wine region during the live auction on Saturday night of the event. Cork & Barrel 2020 will bring 20 wineries from Paso Robles wine country — and exciting live and silent auction packages for event guests — with the help of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, a member association with a focus on Paso Robles wine country.
Early Bird Tickets are on sale now for Cork & Barrel 2020 events at corkandbarrel.org.
