Sales were swift at Sunday’s Mystery Wine Party as 50 bottles were snapped up in an hour at La Cava. The idea was simple: customers paid rmb100 and picked one of the covered wines on the shelves—each retailing from rmb120 to rmb2000—then tore open the packaging to see what they got. Most people ended up sharing their wines, so it wasn’t surprising the event lasted well beyond it’s scheduled three hours and until the last drop was finished.

More sporting attendees signed up for the Wine Flights Paper Airplane Race. Eleven contestants each paid rmb50 for a flight ticket, carefully designed their craft, then raced for glory—and a bottle of Charles Ellner Champagne—in the hallway outside La Cava.

The Mystery Wine Party and donation spittoon raised rmb5450 while the Paper Airplane Race took in rmb550, for a total of rmb6000. Individual donations covering one of more cataract surgeries, at rmb800 per operation, via charity partner Orbis totaled rmb4000, with Martin Winchell and Alex Jennings leading the way.

Mystery wines were donated by 1421, Australian Natural, Grape Wall of China, La Cava, Le Sommelier International, Pasion, Ponty, Seina and Signature Wine Club.

Maovember focuses on quirky events for good causes. Our 2022 partner is Library Project, which has furnished thousands of reading rooms in rural schools. Learn more about Maovember here. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.