Overview The Austin Wine and Food Foundation Gala is a Saturday night at the JW Marriott Austin in November that opens with a collectors' auction of 50-plus wine lots and moves into a four-course dinner poured by a team of Austin sommeliers; in 2025 the auction catalog carried Harlan and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti for the first time. The 2026 edition was the 40th. The foundation was established in 1985 and has awarded more than $1.9 million in grants, scholarships, education and hospitality-industry support. On site The weekend starts on Friday with the Featured Winemaker Luncheon at Fixe Southern House, a multi-course lunch poured from the featured winemaker's own bottles. On Saturday the auction goes first, in the late afternoon, with limited seating, sommelier-led pours and light bites. Dinner follows in the same hotel, and after it a shorter live auction of 10 to 15 lots - travel, rare wine, dining experiences - and a raffle. Tables are named for Burgundy's vineyard classes, from Village up to Grand Cru, and the higher the class, the better the placement and the wine list. In 2026 the dress code was black-tie optional. Audience The foundation's members run from established, high-wealth collectors to newer drinkers building their knowledge. By its own count about one in five keeps a collection large enough to store off-site, about four in five rate their wine knowledge advanced or expert, and almost all belong to at least one wine club or allocation list. Many plan their vacations around wine regions. Talent and Influencers Each year the weekend is built around one featured winemaker. Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard held the role in 2025. For 2026 the foundation named Christopher Carpenter, who makes Cardinale, Lokoya and La Jota in Napa Valley, with Charles Antin, then Zachys' global head of wine auctions and a former Christie's auctioneer, at the podium. Track record The night ran for years as the Rare and Fine Wine Auction Gala; in 2025 the auction became its own session ahead of dinner. Proceeds go to food insecurity work and hospitality scholarships. The foundation gave more than $100,000 to the hospitality industry across 2020 and 2021, and in 2026 it put $115,000 into grants and scholarships, with Caritas of Austin, Keep Austin Fed and Sustainable Food Center among six beneficiaries. Brand presence Sponsorship is capped by tier: no more than two presenting sponsors of the auction and gala, four gold, six silver and eight bronze, each with a 10-person table and a page in the gala catalog. Presenting sponsors also get a short turn on stage, a 30-second video in the program and a thank-you from the executive director. A season package carries a sponsor through the foundation's other premiere events as well, Big Reds and Bubbles in March and Toast of Texas in May.