A half-dozen lucky people will find themselves sitting down for dinner with Meredith Brokaw, wife of retired NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw, and New York interior designer Ellen Wright at the historic Bergman Mansion, 2000 Grand Ave., in early June.

They’ll have to be prepared to pay for the privilege, of course. It’s one of many packages expected to draw fierce bidding at the April 1 Winefest Des Moines Gala Auction at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

Carroll Stoner, travel and entertainment editor for Meredith Corp.’s Traditional Home magazine, convinced Better Homes and Gardens food editors Nancy Hopkins, Richard Swearinger and Stephen Excel to cook the meal, which will be prepared from the book “Big Sky Cooking,” written by Meredith Brokaw and Wright, and carefully selected wines for each course. Guests will receive autographed copies of the book as well.

Don’t commit May 18-21 to the family just yet. You may want to reserve that weekend to travel – airfare and hotel expenses paid, of course – to Paso Robles, Calif., where you’ll immerse yourself in wine culture.The weekend package for two to the Calcareous Vineyard, owned by the father-daughter team of Iowa natives Lloyd Messer and Dana Brown, is one of several wine experiences that will be auctioned. The winning bidders will explore the Calcareous Vineyards, taste wines from the barrel with winemaker Justin Kahler and also experience the Paso Robles Wine Festival.

Fritz Maytag, a great-grandson of the founder of Newton-based appliance maker Maytag Corp., is offering a package that starts out at his Anchor Steam Brewery in San Francisco for a brewery tour and lunch, followed by a trip up Spring Mountain to Maytag’s York Creek Vineyard near St. Helena.

Newton native P.J. Rex and her husband, Robert, are offering a weekend at their award-winning boutique winery, Deerfield Ranch, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The two-night stay includes breakfast prepared by Robert Rex, followed by a trip to the vineyard to check grapes and learn how to evaluate their quality. An afternoon by the pool or in the hot tub while enjoying spectacular views rounds out the experience.



Also close to home, wine collectors Steve and Ellen Gaucher are offering a package that will allow 20 people to sample their collection of wines from the Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone and Loire regions of France.

More auction packages are being finalized, said Kit Curran, assistant director of the Downtown Events Group, which is in charge of organizing this year’s Winefest, the fourth annual. Tickets, limited to 280, are still available and may be purchased at www.iowatix.com.

The theme of this year’s gala is “A Night in Barcelona” and legendary chef Joe Miller will prepare a four-course Spanish Mediterranean meal. The meal also includes hors d’oeuvre and soup courses. His restaurant – simply named Joe’s Restaurant – in Venice, Calif., was recently included among the top 10 restaurants in Greater Los Angeles by Zagat Survey.