Last night, Wilbur Ross, Pauline Brown, Daniel Loeb, William Lauder and others top business executives from the Partnership for New York City joined Sotheby’s CEO fellow member Tad Smith to celebrate the holidays at the auction house’s York Avenue headquarters. Oysters – shucked on the spot by cheerful servers outfitted with protective mesh gloves – lobster rolls, prosciutto di Parma, risotto presented in lemon halves were as spectacular as one would expect of cuisine prepared by Sant Ambroeus. But the star attraction of the evening was the incredible selection of wines to be tasted. Primarily French and Italian vintages from Sotheby’s Wine store were poured by experts and drew raves from guests, who also bid on three wine-focused lots in the evening’s benefit auction. The sale, conducted by auctioneer Andrea Fiuczynski, began with a glamourous offering: an opportunity to be styled for an evening with a selection of jewels from Sotheby’s Diamonds. Proceeds from the sale will go directly to Sponsors for Educational Opportunity.