Silent and live auctions
Over the years, we have auctioned off fine wines, exciting travel experiences, and exclusive dinners. One of a kind lots encompass all three.
About our auctioneer
Vintner and Wine Auctioneer
Wine auctioneer Fritz Hatton
Fritz Hatton and his immediate family own Arietta, one of Napa’s top producers of Bordeaux-style blended wines. He is also the nation’s most experienced wine auctioneer, having begun his career in Christie’s Wine Department in 1980. After a twelve-year management career for Christie’s in North America and the Far East, Fritz took a musical sabbatical on the west coast in the early 1990s, and conducted his first auction for the Napa Valley Vintners in 1992. Out of his musical and wine country experiences in the early 1990’s with his winemaker friend, John Kongsgaard, emerged a wine brand with a musically inspired name: Arietta. Fritz rejoined Christie’s as Director of Christie’s U.S. Wine Auction Department in 1995, but returned to California in 1998 to launch Arietta with his partner, Caren Hatton. The Arietta winery now produces 3,000 cases per year of nine different Bordeaux-style blends and varietal wines, including its original and flagship wine, Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Vineyards, as well as its celebrated white blend, On The White Keys.
Fritz and Caren Hatton reside in Napa, California. As sole owners of Arietta, they oversee all production and sales of the Arietta wines. Fritz continues to travel in the U.S. and Asia to conduct commercial wine auctions for Zachys, as well as charity wine auctions nationwide. A native of Michigan, Fritz graduated from Yale University with a degree in English literature. He returned to Yale as one of the first students to enroll in the new Yale School of Organization and Management, from which he received an MBA in 1979. Apart from family and wine, his major interest is classical music. Fritz is just as happy playing the piano as he is introducing wine lovers to Arietta, and encouraging auction bidders to turn cash into collectible wine.
For questions about auction items or the auction process, contact urmcevents@rochester.edu.