Naples Winter Wine Festival

NAPLES WINE FESTIVAL

I look forward to this all year: the Naples Winter Wine Festival and it’s happening this weekend, January 24 through the 27th. Named the most successful festival of its type in the nation by Wine Spectator, it is not only an event well worth waiting for, but the star of Naples’ social calendar.

This year marks the Naples Wine Festival’s 11th year and we’re expecting the same, if not larger, turnout of vintners and wine collectors as we saw in years past.

If you’re new to Naples, read on to discover why the gala is so popular.

The brainchild of Naples Children & Education Foundation trustees, the proceeds from the Naples Wine Festival go to help protect the vulnerable – at-risk and underprivileged children. In its 11-year history the festival has raised $107 million for children’s charities. 

THE AUCTION

The auction itself will be held on Saturday, at The Ritz-Carlton Tiburón Golf Resort and includes 65 auction lots, each offering a unique experience and, what the organizers call “treasures.” You can peruse the contents of each lot at the festival’s website.

VINTNERS

Twenty eight vintners will be in attendance. Of course California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys will be well-represented by:

• Staglin Family Vineyard
• Kistler Vineyards
• Shafer Vineyards
• Pahlmeyer
• Ram’s Gate Winery
• Continuum
• Cliff Lede Vineyards
• Darioush
• Kapcsándy Family Wines
• Grace Family Vineyards
• Paul Hobbs Wines
• Ovid Napa Valley
• Silver Oak Cellars
• Gargiulo Vineyards
• Skipstone
• Colgin Cellars
• Vérité Winery

Other vintners on-hand will be flying in from Italy, France, Australia and Portugal.

CHEFS

With wine naturally comes food – or is it the other way around? At any rate, 16 world-renowned chefs will be on hand to ply you with their award-winning cuisine. 

• Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY
• Marco Canora, Hearth, New York
• Andrea Ferrero, Bvlgari Hotel Milan, Milan Italy
• Carmen Gonzales, Carment at the Danforth, Portland, ME
• Kerry Heffernan, New York, NY
• Lee Hefter, Spago, Beverly Hills, CA
• Perry Hoffman, étoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon, Napa, CA
• Christopher Lee, Huntington Social, Huntington, NY
• Joseph Lenn, The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Wallend, TN
• Kelly Liken, Restaurant Kelly Liken, Vail, CO
• Barbara Lynch, Menton, Boston, MA
• Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia, Chicago, IL
• Vitaly Paley, Paley’s Place, Portland, OR
• Richard Reddington, REDD, Yountville, CA
• Julian Serrano, Picasso at the Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
• Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco, CA

Tickets to the Naples Winter Wine Festival ($8,500 per couple and $20,000 for two couples) typically sell out prior to the RSVP deadline.