naples wine festival

Naples Winter Wine Festival Proves Big Giving Is Back

Filed under: Wine, Events, Charity, Big Givers

Big giving is back at one of the year's grandest wine events. The Naples Winter Wine Festival in Naples, Florida was held over the weekend. It raised $12 million for Collier County's underprivileged and at-risk children during the live auction of 70 one-of-a-kind auction lots. The total was healthily above last year's $8.1 million and over double the $5.1 million raised in economically gloomy 2009. The total nearly grazed the $12.2 million record set in 2006. The festival has brought in over $94.5 million since it began in 2001.

Approximately 580 festival guests were seated under a giant tent set on the grand lawn of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples bidding on lots that ranged from $30,000 to $1 million. The million-dollar lot was an 8-foot-tall bronze sculpture, Reina Mariana, by artist Manolo Valdés. The 2,000-pound sculpture had traveled to the festival grounds from New York City's Columbus Circle, where it had been on display. The top wine lot, modestly called Perfection, was a total of 100 bottles of 100-point wine in a custom cabinet. It equaled the highest bid of a wine-only lot in the festival's history at $400,000. A 39-bottle collection of Sine Qua Non, many in large format and including 100-point wines, captured a winning bid of $160,000; a 25-year complete vertical of Shafer's Hillside Select and 24 bottles of the vintner's Silver Anniversary Sensation, when released in 2013, resulted in a high bid of $150,000; and four magnums of Colgin Cellars IX Estate Napa Valley Red Wine went for $130,000.

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Naples Winter Wine Festival To Have "Perfect" Wine Auction Lot

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity

The Naples Winter Wine Festival isn't for another few months but one of the lots has already been announced. For those who have been chasing down 100-point wines, save room in your cellar. One of the auction lots at the elite wine festival to be held
will offer an unprecedented auction lot of 100 bottles of 100-point wines at its annual event January 28-30, 2011 in Naples, Florida. Decanter reports that wines in the 'Perfection Lot' include a 1955 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, a 1989 Chateau Petrus, and a 1985 Domaine Romanee-Conti valued at more than $11,000. All of the wines were rated by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and other wine publications, including Wine Spectator. Auction proceeds go to help underprivileged and at-risk children, the Naples wine event has raised $82.5 million for local children's charities since 2001.

Tags: 100 point wines, naples florida, naples wine festival, naples winter wine festival, NaplesWinterWineFestival, wine auction

Naples Wine Auction Numbers Back Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity, Big Givers

Last year the results of the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida showed an economy where even the wealthiest patrons were slow to open their wallets. The results of this year's auction are a little more uplifting. The Naples News reports that the Naples Winter Wine Festival at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort at Tiburon in North Naples raised a preliminary total of $8.06 million for children's charities in Collier County. That's around $3 million more than last year's total and the overall mood appears to have been far brighter with reports of an energetic room and even a few bidding wars. It's not as high as the previous years when $14 and nearly $16 million results were seen but it is a step in the right direction.

Many lots sold for over six figures including a four-day trip to Manhattan for two couples with the best seats in the best restaurants, Yankee Stadium and live tapings of television shows which went for $170,000. A 14-night voyage aboard The World for two couples sold for $160,000. Two couples will be hosted by jewelry company Chopard at the Cannes Film festival in a lot that sold for $160,000. A ten-day South African odyssey for two couples through the country's premier wine regions and landscapes sold for $340,000. One woman paid $130,000 for a lot that is topped by a dinner with Robert Redford. A lot that featured a Michael Kors makeover and a trip to the Project Runway finale fetched $150,000.

And of course there were many large wine auction lots including a 2003 Chateau Lynch-Bages presented in a rare double magnum and two nights for two couples at Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac, France that sold for $170,000. A lot of 30 wines from Burgundy sold for $100,000. And someone really likes the monster bottles, a lot that included four mammoth 9-liter Salmanazars, one each of 2005 Chateau Haut-Brion, 2005 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion and two 9-liter bottles of the 2009 vintage sold for $150,000.

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Naples Wine Auction Sees Lowered Results

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Events, Charity

The recession has come to one of the most lavish wine auctions. This year's Naples Winter Wine Auction event on Saturday in Naples, Florida brought in just over $5 million. That sounds like a lot until you consider that the auction to benefit Collier County children brought in around $14 million last year and close to $16 million the year before that. There were a few less lots this year but the auction was no less lavish. The top lots was a Caribbean cruise for 12 aboard a private yacht, which went for $350,000 and a trip to the finale of American Idol went for $110,000. The two top wine lots received bids of $150,000 and $110,000. Previous years have seen a $1 million lot and even a $2 million bid in 2007 for a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe. The 500 guests dined on the usual sumptuous fare cooked by Ritz-Carlton chefs from around the state and fine wines from around the world and bid with the usual excitement but the end result reveals that the wealthy are more cautious. There's no denying that the end total of funds raised sends a sharp message that the economic situation has caused even the top tier of the wealthy to check their spending, even when it is for a good cause.

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Naples Winter Wine Festival Announces 2009 Auction Lots

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

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.

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Naples Wine Auction Breaks Records

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Auctions, Events

As expected, this year's Naples Wine Festival broke records. The auction brought in $12.2 million, a full million over last year's total. 100 percent of the money raised will go go to help children. Last year, 20 charities received $7.04 million of the $11.2 million raised. Tickets to the event cost $7,500 per couple and bidding was held in a large white tent with tables decorated with a brightly-colored circus theme. Some of the highest bids included a 2006 silver-gray Continental Flying Spur Bentley for a high bid of $440,000, $520,000 for a "Capri Red" 2006 Ferrari Spyder and $520,000 for a one-week yachting excursion on the Mediterranean. Emeril Lagasse joined in the fun offering to cook an additional meal to add to those donated by four other famous chefs in an auction lot called "Kick it Up a Notch in the Big Apple" and acted as temporary auctioneer. Lagasse also bid $420,000, with a second bidder, for an auction lot called "The Perfect Getaway," featuring a trip with six couples for seven days and six nights aboard the 177-foot yacht Katharine through the Mediterranean Sea. The article doesn't say who won the Rolls-Royce Phantom that was auctioned off.

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Naples Wine Auction To Auction Off Rolls-Royce Phantom

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Auctions, Events

Once again, it's time for the posh auction that is part of the Naples Wine Festival in Florida. The auction is famous for auctioning off some of the priciest cars in the world. This year you can snap up a customized 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur or a 2005 Ferrari F430 Spyder as well as yachting packages, trips and plenty of wine lots. The 2006 Rolls-Royce Chardonnay Phantom shown here is being raffled off at $5,000 per ticket. Last year, the companion car, a burgundy Phantom brought in $800,000 at the auction. There will be only 300 tickets sold for the car (for a total of $1.5 million) which has a DVD system with two screens on the backs of the front seats and a wine cooler under the center of the rear seat. It also comes with a nine-liter bottle of 2003 Hartford Court Seascape Chardonnay engraved with a rendition of the car. The Naples Winter Wine Festival always attracts a high-spending crowd and the proceeds raise money for children's charities in Collier County. The auction takes place this Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort at Tiburon in North Naples.

[via Naples News]

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