The online portion of Pinot Days Online Auction 2011 is now open. This auction will run from June 1, 2011 to June 16, 2011, and offers wonderful and hard-to-find wines, wine tastings, wine tours and other pinot noir-related goods. Auction proceeds are divided annually between a Charity Beneficiary and toward growing Pinot Days, which is a 501(c) [3] non-profit in its own right. This year's Charity Beneficiary is the OCMC's Water Well Dig Project for the Turkana people of Loupwala in East Africa.

The Turkana are primarily nomadic pastoralists. Single families will rove large swatches of land as they graze their cattle between homesteads that they have established in places where basic amenities like water can be found. Turkanaland is a very hot and dry place subject to cyclical droughts that often wreak havoc on the livestock that lie at the heart of Turkana culture. These droughts also result in famine and force people to walk, sometimes more than 10-miles per day, simply to fetch water. Turkanaland's extreme remoteness also means that schools and hospitals are a rarity. In an effort to help support the physical needs of the people, we are raising funds to build a bore hole (water well) in the village of Loupwala. This bore hole will provide enough water for both the people of the village and their livestock. Water is truly considered a blessing by the Turkana people as it is in short supply. The OCMC is currently assessing the further needs of the area including the construction of additional bore holes. OCMC is now fundraising to help support these expanding efforts.

This year's Pinot Days growth project is website-focused; we will expand the Pinot Days website to include a blog, pinot-related event listings, producer features, guest bloggers, winery of the month, etcetera. We are also exploring expansion into Texas in 2012.

Auction items range from bottles and cases of boutique and acclaimed pinot noir to tastings, tours and trips. Tell your friends, family, community... Let the bidding begin! Thank you for supporting the 2011 Pinot Days Auction.