On the eve of announcing its 2019 theme, “Joy to the World,” the Naples Winter Wine Festival received a banner to wave over it: a 12th award as “No. 1 Charity Wine Auction” by Wine Spectator magazine.
Wine Spectator awarded the honor of “No. 1 in the U.S.” to the 2017 festival, which raised nearly $13.5 million under the live auction tent. That did not include its Fund a Need, which won another $1.6 million live donations for the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) health care initiative. Including other donations, that fund brought in $2.4 million specifically for children’s oral health, mental health, primary and vision care.
“We are extremely honored to have been selected as the top charity wine auction in the country by Wine Spectator,” said 2017 Co-Chair Bill Cary in a news release about the award. “Each year, we strive to bring Festival guests the best in food, wine and lifestyle, but at the end of the day, we’re all here for the kids.”
Since 2001, festival information noted it has raised more than $176 million for its founding organization, the NCEF, which has awarded grants to more than 45 nonprofit organizations that server more than 200,000 children.
Next year’s Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) is set for Jan. 25-27, and its four chairs were recently announced.
Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, and Sanibel/Captiva | 239-285-1086
