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Wine Festival Raises $12 million for Children
One of world’s most prestigious annual wine events took place last weekend, raising $12 million for disadvantaged children.
The Naples Winter Wine Festival took place on the grand lawn of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Florida. Some 580 guests were in attendance, during which a live auction was held for a wide selection of wines and art works.
Amongst the items sold was a 2,000-pound, 8-foot-tall bronze sculpture, ‘Reina Mariana’, by artist Manolo Valdés.
The top wine lot, called ‘Perfection’, was a total of 100 bottles of 100-point wine in a custom cabinet.
The proceeds generated marked the second biggest in the festival’s history – falling short of the $12.2 million raised in 2006.
The day before the festival, children who benefit from festival proceeds gathered for Meet the Kids Day, where they presented festival guests with handmade gifts and talked about their favourite things.
Since its inception in 2001, the Naples Winter Wine Festival – for which tickets cost $7,500 per couple – has raised more than $94.5 million for children in need.
"The proceeds generated marked the second biggest in the festival’s history – falling short of the $12.2 million raised in 2006."