Following a few challenging years, the Performing Arts Wine Tasting Gala is returning to its roots.
The event, now in its 33rd iteration, has long been one of Oxford’s premier yearly events. Put on by Miami University’s Performing Arts Series, it offers attendees the opportunity to sample a wide variety of wines and participate in other activities such as a silent auction alongside many members of the local community.
For many years, the gala was hosted at Millett Hall on Miami’s campus. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was moved to the Oxford Community Arts Center (OCAC) and changed from an evening event to one in the afternoon.
This year, the formal gala returns at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at OCAC.
Performing Arts Series Director Patti Liberatore, who is involved in coordinating the event, sees the merging of the old structure and new location as a natural fit.
“It’s a beautiful space to do it in,” Liberatore said. “The gala aspect means that it’s at night and it’s a great excuse to dress up and be as fancy as you want. But what we’re saying is, come as dressy as you want, but just come.”
Since the gala falls right after Valentine’s Day, Liberatore said she has embraced the theming for decorations.
“One of the wonderful things about going to the Oxford Community Arts Center is it’s naturally beautiful in there,” Liberatore said. “So we don’t need to do nearly as much production as we had to do at Millett to make it feel worthy of the title ‘gala.’
“Interestingly, dark cherry red is the big color trend this year apparently by the color forecasters, which worked out for us because we were heading that direction anyway.”
Wine’s central focus brought the involvement of Jack Keegan, Certified Wine Educator and professor of Miami’s Viticulture and Enology class for over 30 years.
Keegan is responsible for sourcing many of the wines for the event, including those in the premium pour section, which offers exclusive tastings of more exotic and expensive drinks.
“If you buy a regular ticket, you can have the chance to taste at least 60 different wines,” Keegan said. “And then we’ll probably have at least 30 or more wines where you’ll buy a ticket for a premium pour, and some of these wines can easily be $100, $200, $300 in value.”
Keegan is also associated with the silent auction portion of the event, where attendees can bid on various items, both in-person and online. One of the highlighted auction items each year is a personal dinner and tasting with Keegan.
“They will come, and I will usually put on a multi-course dinner with wines from the very start to the very end,” Keegan said. “I like to entertain, and having people over, you could certainly do food, but wine adds so much to it.”
Other auction items available include wine, works from local artists and tickets to live events in Cincinnati for acts like Sebastian Maniscalo and Tyler, The Creator.
The gala is one of the most important events every year for the Performing Arts Series. Not only does it serve to offer a fun experience, but Liberatore sayss that it also acts as an integral fundraising opportunity.
Funds raised from the evening will be put toward more events and experiences in Oxford, including concerts, art exhibitions, theater performances and speakers, something Liberatore is especially passionate about.
“With recent budget cuts, it is more important than ever that we are generating as much additional funding as we can because we believe that the Performing Arts Series provides a really important, vital service to the community,” Liberatore said.
“We can still bring in programs that are likely not to be available to the community … but to offer them at a price that is as affordable as we can make it because we want to make sure as many people can be involved in it as possible.”Tickets for the gala are available for purchase online at $125 for general admission and $6 for an additional premium pour ticket, alongside some group and bulk ticket options.
