Naples Winter Wine Festival Announces 2009 Auction Lots

One of the top luxury events each winter is the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Naples, Florida. The auction and gala weekend is scheduled for February 6-8, 2009 and as usual it offers a a mix of once-in-a-lifetime experiences and one-of-a-kind treasures, with all proceeds benefiting underprivileged and at-risk children through the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the festival's founding organization. As befits a wine auction, the majority of the 65 lots feature rare wine, including many large bottles such as a 27-liter bottle from Revana Family Vineyards; five Magnums of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti; a never-before released Salmanazar, which holds a complete case of wine, from Colgin Cellars; and a single lot consisting of a hand-signed Magnum from each of the festival's 28 participating vintners. Wineries are also offering private tours of wien caves, vintner dinners and unique travel options.

Other lots include one that offers two tickets to the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards and entitles the winner to be drawn in as a character on The Simpsons TV show, one that includes a wild boar hunt in Tuscany another entitles the winner to the "ultimate house party" at Blackberry Farm with special guest and Grammy-award winning artist, Martina McBride. There are also jewelry lots from Cartier, Chopard and Bulgari, and one lot offers a shopping spree at Tiffany & Co. The car to be raffled off has not been announced yet but the website appears to indicate it might be a Lexus GS 450 Hybrid.

On the night before the auction, vintner dinners are hosted in the homes of 17 trustees and vintners and celebrity chefs including Emeril Lagasse, Jonathan Benno, Linton Hopkins, Bob Kinkead and Mary Ann Esposito. Festival ticket packages are $7,500 per couple; $20,000 for reserved seating at the same vintner dinner for two couples and tickets are limited to 550 guests.