In just four years Sonoma County’s Paradiso auction has raised $6.5 million and is ranked as one of the top wine auctions in the world — it’s already third — and is moving upward every year. What’s it doing that’s so right?

Paradiso isn’t exactly unique as wine auctions go. It’s bright, friendly and extremely well-organized. It’s a one day affair — actually, just a shade over four hours, and in that short time the organizers squeezed in registration and a reception, lunch and an auction featuring 43 lots. No barrel auction, no e-auction — just an old-fashioned hold-the-paddle-in-the-air auction.

So what do they do that’s different?

The folks there don’t spend huge sums on big-name entertainers, but they bring in lesser-known personalities. This year it was singer N’Kenge Simpson, who enthralled the audience with a brief performance that included opera and popular selections, while guests were eating lunch. They loved her.

The auction layout was such that every one of the 400 people in the tent had an unobstructed view of the stage, and even the seats at the rear were relatively close. But the auction action came even closer to spectators when Fritz Hatton, Napa’s premiere auctioneer who handled gavel duties at Paradiso, exited from the stage and walked among the audience, even leaning close to bidders and coaxing them to go higher. It worked. It created an aura of intimacy missing at many other auctions.

If there is any shortcoming to Paradiso, it’s that the prices on some of the lots seemed quite low. Without trying to appear presumptuous, here’s a suggestion: With the clout that the event’s co-chairs have, they could, with little effort, bring in the kind of people who have the wherewithal to bid high and often and get the dollars even higher. Just the three people in the photo accompanying the report on the auction in today’s Register could rely on their contacts, twist a few arms and be persuasive in getting some of those high-rollers into the tent.

Of the 43 lots, five featured Napa Valley wines, and some Napa Valley wines were included in a couple others. Last year there were more, and it has been speculated that the decline in participation by Napa Valley vintners wasn’t due to their lack of interest, but rather to a set of circumstances involving sponsorship. The Sonoma County Vintners had originally agreed to be a sponsor, but pulled out. Because the Paradiso organizers expected to concentrate on Sonoma County wines, I suspect they didn’t contact vintners in Napa Valley until the last minute.

Paradiso even reached out to the Naples Winter Wine Festival, with one of that group’s trustees attending and winning one of the major lots. There may have been more Floridians, but name badges didn’t indicate the hometown.

Naples counts heavily on Napa Valley for support, too, and the Naples Web site actually indicates the festival is an “annual two-day event featuring California wines (17 Napa Valley wines are slated for participation in the 2008 event) and an auction by Sotheby’s to benefit local children’s charities.”

There are many similarities among Paradiso, Naples and Auction Napa Valley. Paradiso differs from the other two in that it doesn’t conduct an extravaganza with fancy dinners at wineries or private homes. It just offers lunch in a friendly setting, puts some wine on the tables, creates some interesting auction lots and brings some heavy-hitters in to bid on them.

But there’s no need for the auctions to compete.

After last year’s auction, Jackson told the Register, “We need more community involvement. It would be good if we could get Napa and the North Coast to come together.”

Sounds like a good idea. If it happens, look out Naples — here comes California.