Naples, FL, January 31st, 2024 — The Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF), announced that its 10th annual online auction was another success, bringing in over $1 million. This year’s online auction proceeds bring the total amount raised through the online auction to nearly $4.5 million since its inception in 2015.

The online auction drew bidders from across the country, giving them the chance to bid on over 100 incredible auction lots, including rare collectible wines, private wine tastings, over-the-top dinners with well-known chefs, exotic vacations, custom art, luxury excursions, sports and more.

This year’s top grossing online auction lot was the “VIP Andrea Bocelli Concert Experience in Orlando, Florida” on February 18, 2024. Seven couples each bid $20,000 for this buy-a-spot lot, raising a total of $140,000. The experience includes Roundtrip, Private Air from Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida to Orlando Executive Airport, airport transfer to the Kia Center and two tickets in a Founders Level Premium Suite with wine, appetizers and dinner.

Three winning bidders also bid $26,500 each for “Don’t Call Me Lonesome: A Private Dinner and Performance,” bringing in a total of $79,500. This experience invites eight lucky couples to join Valerie Boyd and Jeff Gargiulo, owners of Gargiulo Vineyards, and Radney Foster, an award-winning songwriter and performer, for a fantastic evening of music, food and wine at the Gargiulos’ Naples home or their own home in Naples. The memorable meal will be personally prepared by Gargiulo and Foster and will be paired with wines from Gargiulo Vineyards.

Additional online auction highlights included:

• $22,000 for “A Vertical Collection of Pappy Van Winkle”: This auction lot includes an almost unheard-of collection of America’s most celebrated bourbon with four highly sought after Pappy Van Winkle 750ml bottles, 15-Year, 13-Year, 12-Year and 10-Year. Bottles of Pappy are hard to come by, extremely expensive and cherished by whiskey lovers.

• $21,000 for “The Eagle has Landed”: The winning bidder will take home a selection of highly sought after California cult wines, including two 750ml bottles of 2008 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, one bottle of 750ml 2011 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon and one bottle of 750ml 2013 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon.

• $21,000 for “Three Enchanted Nights in the Big Apple”: Two couples will enjoy three nights’ accommodations at NCEF Lifetime Trustee Dave Gibbons’ apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York City, overlooking Central Park. The experience includes four premium tickets to a Broadway production; a private wine tasting at Italian Wine Merchants on Union Square with President Chris Deas followed by a five-course dinner prepared by Chef Linn Johansen; a wine-paired five-course dinner hosted by Dana and Joe Matina at New York Vintners; and dinner at The Noortwyck, including a 2019 Knights Bridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon to be poured during dinner.

• $20,000 for “The Napa Valley Reserve”: The winner of this auction lot will receive a special vertical collection of The Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 vintages in full cases containing 12 bottles each in 750ml format.

• $19,000 for “The Ultimate Girls Trip to Palm Beach”: This luxury girls’ getaway begins when the winner’s party of six boards a Pilatus for Roundtrip, Private Air from Naples, Florida to Palm Beach, Florida for two nights’ accommodations in Superior Suites at the chic and elegant The Colony Hotel Palm Beach. While there, the six guests will enjoy dinner or lunch at Swifty’s, one $1,000 shopping voucher each for Marissa Collections and a private chef dinner at Marissa Collections’ Palm Beach Penthouse.

• $15,000 for “Key West: Mile Marker 0”: Four guests will enjoy a three-day, two-night Key West fishing adventure with two nights’ accommodations at The Galleon Resort & Marina and one day of offshore fishing on a 46-foot Valhalla with an experienced Captain. The trip includes Roundtrip, Private Air on a Phenom 300 from Naples to Key West.

• $13,500 for “Gateway to Wine Country with Knights Bridge Winery” (sold twice for $27,000 total): Three lucky couples will experience three nights’ accommodations at the newly renovated Bailey Vineyard House with a VIP vineyard tour and tasting at Knights Bridge Winery in Knights Valley, California. The couples also will enjoy a private multi-course lunch or dinner prepared by estate chef Richard Whipple paired with Knights Bridge wines as well as an one-hour photo session on property with renowned photographer Mike Larson and chauffeured transportation in a Cadillac Escalade.

This year marked the 24th anniversary of the NWWF, impacting close to 90 of the most effective nonprofit organizations in the community and providing over 300,000 at-risk and underprivileged children with the essential services and resources they need to excel. An amazing lineup of the world’s most acclaimed vintners, celebrity chefs and featured sommeliers hailing from multiple countries set the stage for a weekend of unique, one-of-a-kind wine and culinary experiences.

During the live auction, festival guests were inspired to bid high and often on 50 incredible auction lots, many of which included exceptional wine lots from some of the most revered vineyards across the globe, hitting a record of over $33 million for underserved children in Collier County. This brings the total raised by the NWWF to almost $302 million since its inception in 2001. 

Using the funds raised from this year’s Festival, NCEF will award grants to local organizations and fund strategic initiatives supporting Collier County children in need on March 18, 2024. 

For additional information on the Naples Children & Education Foundation or the Naples Winter Wine Festival, please contact Lisa Juliano at [email protected] or 239-514-2239.

*Please note donations are still coming in and bids are being certified. 

About Naples Winter Wine Festival 

The Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF), one of the world's most prestigious charity wine auctions, offers a weekend of unforgettable memories. Guests enjoy world-class food and wine during intimate dinners in elegant, private homes and other landmark settings throughout Naples and are invited to bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel and wine experiences during an electrifying live auction. Since its inaugural event in 2001, the NWWF has raised almost $302 million, making a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Collier County. 

About Naples Children & Education Foundation 

The Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, is improving the educational, emotional and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted close to 90 of the most effective nonprofits in the local community, providing more than 300,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. NCEF's unique approach, which emphasizes collaboration between organizations and bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community, one issue at a time. 

For additional information on the Naples Children & Education Foundation or the Naples Winter Wine Festival, contact Lisa Juliano at [email protected] or 239-514-2239.