A unique wine experience with access to rare varietals, vineyards, and vintages benefiting families facing rare diseases.

‍

Event included:

• 6 rooms each offering a unique wine experience
• Featured food pairings
• Auction including a Trip to Napa, CA
• Diamond Drop by Diamonds Direct
• Live entertainment and open bar

VIP experience included limited tickets for:

• Pre-event exclusive tasting with Founder Todd Newman of award-winning Napa Valley Winery, Dakota Shy

‍

About event

The Inaugural Rare Affair was a unique wine experience with access to rare varietals, vineyards, and vintages, to benefit families facing rare diseases. We kicked off the event with a special pre-event tasting for VIPs with the winemakers from Napa Valley's award-winning Dakota Shy winery. The wine experience was held across six rooms, each offering access to rare varietals, vineyards or vintages, in addition to a featured food pairings. As this is the first Rare Affair, we hosted approximately 300 event attendees representing our Board of Directors, partner organizations, employees of Atrium & Levine Children's Hospital, and families from the local community that have been impacted by rare disease. During the event there was also an open bar, a jazz trio, dueling pianos, a live auction, a raffle for a trip to Napa Valley, and a “Diamond Drop” opportunity. WARD'S Foundation raised $400,000 from A Rare Affair to help further advance the care of rare disease patients at Atrium Health Levine Children’s through The Ward Winslett Center for Complex and Rare Diseases.

‍

Celebrating Ward's legacy and bringing awareness to rare disease

WARD'S Foundation partnered with the team at Dakota Shy winery in Napa Valley, working with founder Todd Newman and winemaker Tom Garrett to create two barrels of custom, small-batch wine in memory of Henry Edward "Ward" Winslett IV. Todd and Tom share a mutual passion for the history, wines, and vineyards of Napa Valley and craft a collection of wines that can proudly be placed on the table and enjoyed every day. Our Foundation's small-batch Cabernet Sauvignon is described as "powerful, lush, and dense." This custom vintage is another way we celebrate Ward's legacy and bring awareness to rare diseases. Perhaps most exciting of all, Todd came to Charlotte from Napa Valley to hosted a unique VIP experience at our Rare Affair event on February 24, 2023.

‍