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Contact:
Dawn Montecalvo, Executive Director, NCEF, 239-595-0846, dawn@napleswinefestival.com
Andrea Steffy, PR Counsel, Gravina, Smith & Matte, 239-272-9480, asteffy@gravinasmith.com
World's Leading Charity Wine Auction Adds Hollywood Glamour to Fantasy Auction Lots
Rare wines, TV appearances, exclusive trips and ultimate dining headline 2008 gala
NAPLES, Fla. (July 26, 2007) – The Naples Winter Wine Festival, the most successful charity wine auction in the world, unveiled highlights of its eighth annual festival to be held Jan. 25 – 27 in Naples, Fla. Widely known for offering stunningly unique and highly prized auction lots, including luxury wines, exclusive trips and other opulent fare, festival organizers are avidly collecting the ultimate in bidding experiences for 2008.
Among the 70 auction lots will be super-fantasy lots that include Hollywood excitement: a walk-on role on a hit ABC-TV show coupled with four tickets to the Academy Awards ceremony and the star-studded Vanity Fair Oscar Party; and another lot featuring a walk-on role on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show “24” starring Kiefer Sutherland.
Prized wine lots include magnums of the California cult cab Screaming Eagle; other large-format bottles of special vintages from wineries around the world, including Fontodi from Italy and Torbreck from Australia; rare verticals and other wines especially produced for the festival by esteemed vintners such as Araujo Estate Wines, Colgin Cellars and Harlan Estate.
Ultra-trips will send winning bidders on exclusive excursions to locales such as the Galapagos Islands, Dubai and Argentina. And a lucky bidder will drive home a specially inscribed Maserati Gran Turismo Coupe.
According to Don Gunther, 2008 festival chairman and a trustee of the Naples Children and Education Foundation, which founded the wine festival, dreaming up and securing supreme lots is a labor of love for fellow trustees.
“We don’t try to outdo ourselves each year; we just keep our eyes on the prize – creating irresistible lots that will raise as much money as possible for underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County. When donors and patrons learn about the children and programs we support, their generosity flows from there.”
 Celebrity chefs and vintners
Each year, some of the most highly regarded vintners from around the world and the finest, most highly acclaimed chefs in the U.S. participate in the festival. For the 2008 gala, 29 vintners and 17 chefs will contribute their time, talent and resources.
John and Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley, a father-and-son team, have been named the gala’s featured vintners. Among the winery’s most distinguished wines are Shafer cabernets, which have been called “undeniably one of the New World’s most profound Cabernet Sauvignon” by leading wine expert Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio has been named Chef de Cuisine for 2008. Colicchio, one of the culinary world’s most celebrated figures, is head judge on the popular Bravo TV show “Top Chef” and chef/owner of the highly regarded Craft Restaurants. “Tom, John and Doug are among an incredible group of chefs and vintners who will create the ultimate in dining for our guests,” said Gunther. “We are very pleased to welcome them and immensely grateful for their generosity.”
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Heroes
The theme for the 2008 gala is Inspiring Tomorrow’s Heroes in recognition of the children and festival patrons’ contributions that help make a profound and sustaining difference in their lives. To inspire guests’ spirit of giving, the three-day festivities will begin on Friday with a Meet the Kids Day Tour and Grant Luncheon in Immokalee.
A migrant farmworker community just east of Naples marked by poverty and sub-standard living conditions, Immokalee is home to more than 20 nonprofit organizations that have received funding from festival proceeds. The tour enables guests to experience firsthand how they can make a difference for children – from funding daycare facilities to healthcare programs to services for troubled teens.
On Friday evening, guests will attend intimate, themed vintner dinners held at 17 elegant homes of trustees. Esteemed vintners from around the world will personally pour their finest wines to accompany award-winning chefs’ multi-course creations. Saturday will begin with a lunch extravaganza at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort that showcases the culinary talents of Ritz-Carlton chefs from throughout Florida. The world-famous auction of exceptional wines and other one-of-a-kind treasures and experiences will follow under a giant auction tent set on the grand lawn of the resort. On Sunday, the festivities wind down with a salute to Southern hospitality at a farewell celebration brunch prepared by WCI Communities’ renowned chefs.
The Naples Winter Wine Festival is the most successful charity wine auction in the world. Ranked by the Luxury Institute as a top 10 arts and entertainment event for wealthy Americans, it was founded by and is hosted annually in Naples, Fla., by trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation. Their vision was to create an exquisite event that would raise funds for area charities that assist underprivileged and at-risk children. Since trustees founded the festival in 2001, more than $55 million has been raised toward making a profound and sustainable difference for children in need.
Attendance at the festival is limited to approximately 550 individuals. Ticket packages are $7,500 per couple; $20,000 for reserved seating at the same vintner dinner for two couples. For a schedule of 2008 festivities and more information about the Naples Winter Wine Festival, please visit www.napleswinefestival.com or call the wine festival office at 888-837-4919. |
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