From January 27 through January 29, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla., will host 550 wine enthusiasts for three days of meals and wine tastings at the 2012 Naples Winter Wine Festival. Tickets for the festival, which supports underprivileged children, are $8,500 per couple or $20,000 for two couples. The price includes reserved seating at the opening-night vintner dinners, which will be prepared by the likes of Wolfgang Puck and Rick Tramonto of Restaurant R'evolution in New Orleans, at the homes of charity trustees. On Saturday the 28th, there will be an auction of 65 lots that range from a weeklong sailing cruise to a vintage automobile. The festival ends with a brunch on Sunday.
Prior to the festival there is a wine tasting and lunch limited to 70 guests ($2,500 each) hosted by the festival’s honored vintner, HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg, president of Domaine Clarence Dillon, the parent company of Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion. The tasting will feature five important vintages from the two châteaux—the 1961, 1982, 1989, 1990, and 2000—and two additional wines that will be unveiled over the course of the meal. (888.837.4919, www.napleswinefestival.com)
