The online portion of Pinot Days Online Auction 2012 will run from June 7th, 2012 to June 15th, 2012, 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 IOCC Emergency Relief Kit Program, wherein supplies are assembled and sent where they are direly needed.

What are Emergency kits?
Each kit is a small package of supplies that is assembled in the United States and shipped to people in need in other parts of the world. The Emergency Kits program is run by IOCC's longtime partner Church World Service (CWS).

Why are the kits being handled by Church World Service?
The kits are a collaborative effort. IOCC generates the kits by appealing to Orthodox Christians to assemble them. Church World Service and its partners handle the processing, packaging and warehousing required for international shipments of humanitarian assistance.

Kits are available to participating relief agencies, including IOCC, as needs arise in different parts of the world. Many of IOCC’s humanitarian and self-help programs are done in partnership with other organizations.

What are the benefits of this kind of partnership?
The overhead costs associated with warehousing, handling and preparing the kits for shipment overseas are shared by numerous organizations. This approach helps maximize efficiency and effectiveness, allowing IOCC and its partners to help even more children.

What goes in a School Kit?
The recommended items are a 12-by-14-inch cloth bag with cloth handles and a closure, filled with the following: a pair of blunt scissors, a 30-centimeter (12-inch) ruler, a pencil sharpener, six new pencils with erasers, a large eraser, a box of 24 crayons, pads or notebooks of ruled paper, and 12 sheets of colored construction paper.

What goes in a Health Kit?
The recommended items are a gallon-size plastic bag with a zipper closure, filled with the following items: one hand towel, one washcloth, one comb, one metal nail file or nail clipper, one bar of soap (bath size, new and wrapped in original packaging), one toothbrush, and six Band-Aids. NO TOOTHPASTE.

What goes in a Baby Kit?
The recommended items includes shirts, sleepers, blankets, diapers, a sweater and washcloths.

What goes in an emergency clean-up bucket?
The recommended items are a 5 gallon bucket with resealable lid, filled with the following items: scouring pads, sponges, a scrub brush, cleaning towels, laundry detergent, household cleaner, dish soap, clothes pins, a clothesline, dust masks, latex and work gloves, heavy-duty trash bags, and insect repellant.

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.