Diamonds and Denim: Uncorked

Swirl it, smell it, sip it. There's nothing like a fine wine in your glass, especially if you're sharing a bottle with fine friends.

Toledo Opera Guild members Barbara Baker and Diane Rusk, along with Marcy McMahon, have done an amazing job gathering more than 150 bottles of wine from all over the world to stock the Wine Cellar sale at the Diamonds and Denim event Nov. 8 at the Toledo Club downtown.

Dom Perignon dipped in
dark chocolate and decorated
with dried lemon peel.

Proceeds directly benefit the Toledo Opera, but winning bottle bidders will be rewarded with exquisite elixirs. Some bottles retail for a few hundred dollars. Notable offerings include:

• Rhone Valley Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve - Domaine du Pega
• Bordeaux - Pauillac - Chateau Pichon Lalande
• Burgundy - Nuits St. Georges, Les Boudots (Premiere Cru) - Domaine Jean Grivot

A full list of wines will be available after the "stellar cellar" committee has organized the bottles into lots. The sale will be conducted by silent auction.

Two bottles definitely will look different than the others, for they are dipped in chocolate! Bliss in a Bottle, of Columbus, creates these treats, and generous donations to the guild's event have purchased Dom Perignon in nut-studded chocolate and Le Grand Courtage Brut Rose in dried strawberry-flecked white chocolate.

When checking out these tables laden with wine, don't miss the framed linen map of France's wine and cheese production. That too will be available for sale.

The Diamonds and Denim wine cellar will be an amazing opportunity for you to add to your collection, give someone else a lovely holiday gift, and support the Toledo Opera.

While cash bars will be open for your wine needs during the party, the first 100 guests will be treated to a complimentary glass of champagne. This flute, however, will hold more than bubbles. Inside each glass will be a loose gem, one of which will be a real diamond from Jeffrey Mann Fine Jewelers! A jeweler will be at a table in the Centennial Room to examine your stone and discover whether you are the lucky winner.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary of business in the Toledo area this year, Jeffrey Mann has been a longtime supporter of the Toledo Opera Guild. Thank you!