naples winter 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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