The Festival Is the World’s Most Prestigious Charity Wine Auction§Event Has Raised Nearly $244 Million Since Inception to Support Children in Need in Collier County, Fla. Flexjet’s Donation Includes 15 Hours of Flight Aboard the Challenger 300 as an Event Raffle and 8 Hours as Part of an Auction Getaway to St. Barths
Flexjet, a global leader in subscription-based private aviation, today announced that it is making a double donation to the 2023 Naples Winter Wine Festival, the world’s most prestigious charity wine auction. The donation includes 15 hours of flight time aboard a Challenger 300 super-midsized aircraft as part of a raffle and eight hours of flight time on a Challenger 300 as part of a six-day, five-night escape to a luxurious villa on the Caribbean island of St. Barths that will be offered at auction.
Flexjet once again will be a corporate sponsor of the prestigious annual festival, which will be held February 3-5, 2023. The festival supports the Naples Children & Education Foundation, which gives financial assistance to organizations that provide child advocacy, early learning, education programs and healthcare to children in need in Collier County, Florida. The festival, which features auctions, raffles and food and wine provided by leading vintners and chefs, annually draws hundreds of wine and food enthusiasts from throughout the world. Attendees have generated nearly $244 million for 50 organizations serving 300,000 children since the event’s 2001 launch.
“The Naples Winter Wine Festival has been one of the world’s most prestigious and successful charity wine events for more than two decades. We are proud to once again be the festival’s partner in improving outcomes for underprivileged and at-risk children in the Naples area,” said Flexjet Chief Marketing Officer Lauren Florian. “Particularly since this year’s festival follows so closely on the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, we look forward to a successful festival that provides the community with the support it needs for full recovery.”
In December 2022, the foundation committed $1 million to its nonprofit partners that were hit hardest by Hurricane Ian, which devastated Florida in late September 2022. It was the third-costliest hurricane in our nation’s history – with only Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Harvey (2017) causing more damage.
During the auction, the audience can bid on items including rare collectible wines, private wine tastings, extraordinary dinners with top chefs, exotic travel experiences, custom art, golf and more. Attendees at this year’s festival will have the opportunity to watch Flexjet’s on-site glass blower who will be making hand-blown wine glasses for festival guests. Guests will be able to fill their commemorative glasses with 2018 Isthmus Cabernet Sauvignon Blend from Hamel Family Wines offered from Flexjet’s on-site wine fountain. This Bordeaux-style blend exhibits notes of black fruits and cassis over an aromatic fabric of iron, clove and balsam. Dense and layered in texture, its richness is integrated with pronounced freshness and an invigorating streak of minerality.
The 15 hours of flight time aboard a Flexjet Challenger 300 is part of a raffle to be drawn at noon on February 5, the festival’s final day. The Challenger 300 has an eight-passenger capacity, luxury amenities and a 3,100 nautical mile range, allowing it to fly cross-country nonstop. No more than 200 tickets will be sold; additional information is available on the festival site.
The auction lot that includes eight hours of flight time aboard a Challenger 300 offers a roundtrip flight from Naples to St. Maarten and then to St. Barths for four couples and a six-day, five-night stay at Cuvée’s Vue de Rêves villa. The getaway on one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful islands includes services from a personal experience coordinator and meals prepared by Cuvée’s private chef, Christophe Moreau.
This year, the Naples Winter Wine Festival will take place on the first weekend of February – one week later than usual. Ticket packages for the festival start at $15,000 per couple for a Double Magnum package and $35,000 for two couples to experience a Jeroboam Package. For additional information, please visit: napleswinefestival.com/about-the-festival.
