Key points:
- The annual High Museum wine auction will relocate to Pullman Yards for 2026.
- The wine auction takes place at the Kirkwood development March 26-28.
- The weekend includes winemaker dinners, a live auction luncheon, and the Palette & Pour reception.
After more than three decades at the High Museum of Art in Midtown, the annual Atlanta Wine Auction will relocate to Pullman Yards in Kirkwood. The three-day wine event takes place March 26-28.
Since its founding in 1993, the Atlanta Wine Auction has raised more than $42 million for the High Museum’s exhibitions and education programs, which draw roughly 35,000 schoolchildren yearly through programs the event helps fund.
A new venue, a familiar mission
The move to Pullman Yards, a sprawling entertainment and dining destination built in a former railroad repair facility, reflects the auction’s growth, High Museum Director Rand Suffolk said.
“Our Wine Auction has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 30 years, and this was the right time to make evolutionary changes that ensure the auction continues to be a signature event for the High and Atlanta,” Suffolk said in a statement.
Pullman Yards cofounders Adam Rosenfelt and Maureen Meulen said they see the partnership as a shared investment in Atlanta’s cultural life. “For nearly a century, the High Museum has profoundly impacted our city through its collections, exhibitions and community programming,” they said.
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What’s on the schedule
The weekend includes winemaker dinners, a live wine auction luncheon, and the Palette & Pour reception on March 27. That last event is getting a format change this year: previously limited to benefactor package holders, it’s now open to individual ticket holders. Early-bird tickets are $175 through the High Museum’s website.
The Live Auction also features the Dick Denny Paddle Raise, an appeal established in 2006 that has generated more than $2.1 million specifically for the museum’s Art Access student field trip program.
Who’s running it
The 2026 cochairs are Elizabeth Ralls and Erica A. Thomas. Ralls is president of Buckhead Crown Media and publisher of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, which has sponsored the auction as a media partner for years. Thomas built the food and beverage brand Eating With Erica in 2013 and has since worked with more than 250 companies in the industry.
This year’s Winery of Honor is ZD Wines, a family-owned Napa Valley wine producer founded in 1969 that has supported the auction since its first year. The winery farms certified-organic vineyards in the Rutherford and Carneros American viticultural areas. Vice President of Sales and Marketing Teresa D’Aurizio, who has worked with the founding deLeuze family since 1998, will accept the designation on behalf of the winery.
Tickets and benefactor packages are available on the High Museum’s website.