(Wines&Vines) - The first-ever Sonoma County Barrel Auction brought more than $460,000 in bids today for 71 one-of-a-kind lots of wine ranging from a rare Sauvignon Musqué from Dry Creek Vineyard to a 20-case lot of Williams Selyem Reverence Pinot Noir blended from seven heritage clones.

Two hundred wine trade buyers from as far away as Taiwan and media representatives attended the event at the Vintner’s Inn, where winemakers poured all of the auction lots for tasting in the morning, followed by lunch and the auction.

While Sonoma wineries and their numerous organizations supporting individual American Viticultural Appellations conduct many fundraising events throughout the year, this one was unique in that wineries from all the AVAs came together to present Sonoma County in a single venue and totally focused on the wine trade.

“I am very proud to see us all together in one room,” said Corey Beck, director of winemaking for Francis Ford Coppola Presents and president of the Sonoma County Vintners, the auction’s sponsoring organization. “Our county is very diverse, so we asked ourselves what can we do as a group to show the great diversity and quality of Sonoma County wines.”

Carolyn Stark, executive director of the vintners group, was very pleased with the bidding, saying it exceeded expectations of a total under $400,000. Proceeds from the event will go back to the various AVA organizations to support their individual marketing and other efforts, Beck said. Fourteen of the county’s 17 AVAs participated.

Glenn Siegel of Santa Rosa, Calif.-based retailer Wine Spectrum was one of the biggest spenders, bidding $13,000 for a five-case lot of Martinelli Winery Pinot Noir; $7,500 for another five-case lot of Linked Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as several other lots.