Naples Winter Wine Festival’s Haute Auction Items for 2015

The Naples Winter Wine Festival’s online auction went live this week, full of super-luxuery items like safari in Tanzania and SEVEN magnums of 2012 Maison Joseph Drouhin Grand Cru. The festival attracts top vintners including, special guests Antonio Galloni and Olivier Krug. The long list of top vintners has names like Joseph Lenn of The Barn at Blackberry Farm from Walland, Tennessee and Tom Colicchio of Craft Restaurants in New York City.  Excellent food and top wines aside, one of the top draws of the festival every year is the over-the-top auction with cars, trips and wines worth fighting for. The stars this year include a  2015 Mercedes SLS AMG GT Final Edition and a 2015 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 provided by Lamborghini Sarasota. The Huracan will be in a custom Blu Caelum and feature upgraded alloys, a lifting system, and a striking two-tone interior. 

In addition to the haute cars, there will be a lot of haute travel items on the docket including an Africa safari, a 10-day trip through Italy during truffle season, an 8 day trip to Scotland for 4, and an amazing trip around the world by private jet with stops in Seattle, Shanghai, Shri Lanka, the Canary Islands, Kenya and more.

• Private wine tastings and dinner in Sonoma County with owners of Donelan Family Wines.
• Seven Magnums of 2012 Maison Joseph Drouhin Grand Cru.
• Dinner with wine pairings for four people at Grace, Chicago’s second restaurant to be awarded the coveted three Michelin stars.
• A stay at The Viceroy in Santa Monica and two VIP tickets to a taping of “Jimmy Kimmel LIVE.”
• A luxury Singita safari adventure in Tanzania.
• A custom framed print by artist Kim Keever, famous for his aquatic abstract expressionism.

• An exclusive chef’s dinner and wine experience at Avenue 5 restaurant in Naples for 20 guests.
• The ultimate shopping experience at the Village on Venetian Bay.
• Two nights’ accommodations at the Deluxe Suite King Rooms at the Wynn Las Vegas for two couples, dinner at Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare and four premium tickets to Le Rêve – The Dream.
• A rare, French-inspired dinner and wine experience for up to 10 people at Sea Salt, one of Naples’ finest Italian restaurants.

All of the auction items were generously donated to support the festival’s founding organization, the Naples Children & Education Foundation, which gives out annual grants that have provided nearly 200,000 children with the services and resources they need to thrive and excel.

“The Naples Winter Wine Festival attracts our countries brightest culinary talent and the world’s best vintners, and has long been one of my favorite events of the year. I am honored to be the Chef de Cuisine for 2015,” said Barbara Lynch, one of the celebrity chefs involved with the festival this year. “The NWWF does such a great job of securing donations that go towards improving the lives of those that need our help the most: underprivileged and at-risk children. I set up the Barbara Lynch Foundation in 2012 with a very similar goal of empowering urban youth in at-risk Boston communities.”

Event takes place January 23 -25. Ticket packages to this exclusive event are available and start at $8,500 per couple for festival tickets, with a $20,000 package that includes reserved seating for a party of four at the same vintner dinner and under the tent. For more information about the Naples Winter Wine Festival, please visithttp://www.napleswinefestival.com or call 888-837-4919.