Maserati set to star at Napa Valley charity auction
Cars and factory to share top billing with fine food and fine wine

Driving a Maserati is always a special experience – any time, any place, being behind the wheel of an Italian masterpiece is a great way to spend time. Driving a Maserati on ‘home ground’, in Italy, is even better; doing so in pleasant company, enjoying fine food and wine along the way, and things start to approach perfection. Throw in a visit to the Maserati factory, and one of the finest collections of historic Maseratis in the world, and it starts to sound more like fantasy than reality.

Courtesy of the Napa Valley Auction, one fortunate winner gets to experience all this, coupled with the knowledge that their own generosity will be making a significant difference to the lives of local people. The Auction, which has been running for more than 25 years, is one of the largest charity events in America, and the organizers are proud of the community-based nature of the event. All lots are put together by Napa Valley vintners, all wine sold in the auction is from the Valley, and all the proceeds are channeled to programs which directly benefit the needy and underprivileged of the Valley.

Shari and Garen Staglin are two of the prime movers behind the event; Shari served on the beneficiary task force which allocated the funds, and the couple are rightly proud of having donated both the highest-priced barrel lot and ‘lifestyle’ lot in the auction’s history. As the Staglin winery is small by Napa standards, and produces premium wines, respectable prices in a charity auction are a given – but raising $221,000 for eleven cases of their 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon exceeded all expectations.

The ‘lifestyle’ lot they put together for the 2006 auction was a wine-lover’s dream; business class flights to Paris, trips to the Champagne and Bordeaux regions, visits to some of the greatest wineries in the world and top-class food to accompany the wine. So how do you top that?

Well, the Staglins are nothing if not resourceful. Making use of all their contacts in the food and wine arena, they have put together a truly spectacular trip to Italy – characterized as ‘Back to the roots’, as Garen’s father came from the Calabria region. The winning bidders will be accompanied by Garen and Shari as they stay at the finest hotels, enjoying world-class food and wines in Milan and Venice and the Piedmont region. And to make the event unique, they got in touch with the president of Maserati North America, Jim Selwa, to see what could be done.

Naturally, Jim was more than happy to do what he could to support such a worthy cause; as a result, the party will travel around Italy in two brand new Maserati Quattroporte sedans, their luxury and performance perfectly matched to the tenor of the vacation. As if that wasn’t enough, a guided tour of the Maserati factory in Modena is included, together with lunch at the world-renowned Panini Collection of historic Maseratis – with the ultimate highlight being the opportunity to test-drive the new Maserati GranTurismo coupe.

The Staglins are as excited as anyone about this added dimension – after all, one of the advantages of putting together such a ‘trip of a lifetime’ is that they get to enjoy it alongside the winning bidders. “I had the privilege of driving the Quattroporte two years ago, when it was introduced, and I felt the car was just spectacular,” Garen said. “As a sedan it sets a standard of performance which is hard to be equaled; we are really looking forward to having the chance of driving them in Italy, on home turf, and taking them to Modena and seeing the factory in person.

“When you’re putting together a lot, the whole idea is to generate bidder excitement,” he continued. “Maserati is associated with world-class performance experience and luxury, and I think it will be a very exciting lot. We wanted to bring the best of Italy to the bidders with this lot, which is why it involves this wonderful experience and your wonderful cars.”

The couple’s commitment to their community extends beyond contributing to the auction; they are proud to run a certified organic vineyard, which extends to producing their own olive oil and honey from the estate. Land has been placed into a trust which guarantees that no housing can be built, and the entire estate will shortly be converting to solar energy. And the fruits of their labor help to fund their charitable activities. “The best wines we produce are blended to produce the Staglin Cabernet and Chardonnay wines,” Shari explained. “The remainder of our wine goes into our other estate wine, Salus -  named after the goddess of health and well-being. We use the profits from Salus to underwrite our annual Music Festival for Mental Health which we host at our vineyard (www.music-festival.org).”

Fine wine, wonderful food and truly great cars make a great combination; the added attraction of spending time with Shari and Garen Staglin, a truly interesting and knowledgeable couple, together with making a significant contribution to the less fortunate members of the Napa Valley community, make this lot a truly unique offering. You can learn more about Shari and Garen, their winery and their charitable activities at www.staglinfamily.com, while details of the auction, and information on the whole of the Napa Valley, can be found at the Napa Valley Vintners site.

Maserati is proud to support the Auction Napa Valley 2007. While we are unable to promise an experience as grand as that offered by the Staglins, we can provide you with a great driving experience; visit your local authorized Maserati dealer to arrange a test drive of the Quattroporte. And you can visit the dedicated website to find more information on the forthcoming Maserati GranTurismo.