New Chairs, New Theme for 2019 Naples Winter Wine Festival

The fest, again named the country’s top charity wine auction, has big plans for yet another blockbuster event.

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Drumroll, please.

The Naples Winter Wine Festival has held onto its perch on Wine Spectator’s annual list as the No. 1 charity wine auction in the United States for the 12th time since the festival's inception in 2001. The data was based on the 2017 festival, which raised $13.5 million, so the 2018 festival, in which $15.1 million was raised, is still very much in contention for next April’s top spot.

All of the funds generated by the auction each year go directly toward helping Collier County’s at-risk kids through the festival’s Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), which runs its own strategic initiatives in the community and awards grants to local nonprofits.

Already hard at work to keep adding to its roster of awards and designations, the group recently announced the 2019 chairs: Jeannelle and Brian Brady and Linda and Tim Koehn. The next event, to be held Jan. 25-27, like all events before it, will have a unique theme. The co-chairs wasted no time in selecting the apropos, “Joy to the World,” and releasing its proprietary logo (pictured), with both serving as an inspiration for the months of planning ahead.