This Record Breaking Wine Auction Reshapes Lives

In just five hours last weekend, two auctioneers at the Winter Wine Festival in Naples, Florida, raised over $20 million for the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) to aid disadvantaged children and youth. In the past 20 years this event has generated over $210 million. All funds from the actual auction, that is—generated ‘under the tent’ via bidding—go directly toward aiding children and students.

The event is singular because not only did it raise the highest amount ever at a charity wine auction, but also because it unfolds within fields of disparity—between an unusually steep imbalance between wealth and poverty (for specific historical and demographic reasons) in Collier County, Florida, and because this luminous international wine event takes place in a location unknown for winemaking prowess.

Both disparities actually fuel the event’s success.

Collier County, Florida, includes some of the greatest regional contrasts between rich and poor in the U.S. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey has, in the past, ranked Collier County among the top 25 U.S. counties with greatest income inequality.

Collier is one of four Floridian counties without a sales tax, and consequently, in 2017, dedicated only 1.4% of its budget to human services, far below the state average of 8.3%. Of the county’s residents, 14% live in poverty (2017 figures, according to Naples Daily News) while 25% lack adequate food to eat. In Collier County, 13% of children lack health insurance compared to the national average of 6%, one in four school-aged children have signifiant vision problems and more than one in five children has a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder—among those living at or below the poverty level.

Many children in the county who suffer from malnutrition, neglect and health issues have lacked an adequate state government safety net to assist.

This in a county where many wealthy retirees live on impressive estates, and some properties sell for dozens of millions of dollars. In the city of Naples, near streets with names such as Pelican Bay Boulevard and Seahorse Avenue, are condominiums with such pedigreed appellations as Dorchester, or Cap Ferrat.

When some relatively affluent residents and retirees living in Naples found out about such low levels of social services for children and students, they decided to act.

Naples resident Denise Cobb became involved with the Naples Winter Wine Festival auction at its roots of inception. She recalls how an organization named Youth Haven ran a wine auction to raise funds for neglected and abused youth over two decades ago. Several wine lovers living in Naples attended, where they bid for wine, and consequently amped up the wine charity notion by creating what is today the festival. She spoke about the event.

“Naples is very wealthy along the coastline, but if you go a half hour east, not so much. Some parts look like a third world country. We were surprised about the tax situation—not a dime from the county taxes went to children’s services. Which is unusual. We thought we could do a world class wine auction and get Auction Napa Valley Wine to help us. A group of us got together. First, we all had special skills—marketing, database, PR, accounting. Second, we did it as couples. So not only was there peer pressure, but spouse pressure. We put our skills together and our passion for kids. Napa Valley were our champions, and our association remains collaborative.”

Jeff Gargiulo and his wife Valerie Boyd, who have produced wine in California for two decades, recalled early days of this event. Jeff recalled their first auction.

“We were able to attract world class vintners and chefs the first year and get a good audience of patrons. There’s no way that we could see years ago that it would achieve the level it’s achieved.”

Valerie told of consequences.

“We’ve measured the impact. The primary focus 20 years ago was to make a profound difference in the lives of children in Collier County. Visiting the kids shows that we have done that, and more.”

Although the Sunshine State began producing wine in the 16^th century, Floridian wine is generally made from non vitis vinifera grapes and is unrenowned for complexity. Hence, when leading winemakers from all over the world gather here, they are on relatively ‘neutral terrain’ regarding wine renown, so can easily relax while sharing thoughts and powerhouse vintages in a non-competitive setting.

At the sprawling and palm dotted Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort last weekend—venue for the auction—over 30 renowned U.S. and international vintners, 20 master sommeliers and a handful of signature chefs gathered. This is a venue where Burgundian vintner Aubert de Villaine, owner of Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, can meet (as happened years ago) and banter about vine selections with Berkeley medical doctor/Argentinian winemaker Laura Catena; here Burgundian Jean-Charles Boisset, over glasses of wheat beer, tells how his grandmother pushed him toward switching to biodynamic winemaking techniques (he interrupts his story to greet and hug his friend Chef Charlie Palmer). This is where Saskia de Rothschild explains her passion for viticulture and serves, to a select group, a vertical tasting of Château Lafite Rothschild.

This is where participants can discuss cork types with Peter Michael of Napa Valley as he pours his latest Pinot Noir or learn that the volunteer serving drinks is Ruth Manchester, once voted a top chef in America. Here, Matteo Lunelli—CEO of Ferrari wines—greets friends in a hallway and discusses his latest vintage of sparkling Perlé. Nearby, Jay Boberg tells how he began his IRS record label and why he chose Oregon for making Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir. During dinner, Laurent Ponsot from Burgundy recalls visiting 48 U.S. states with his wife—on a Harley-Davidson. For the final Sunday brunch, after mimosas, invitees ponder whether to pour themselves a glass of Opus One from Napa Valley or Sassicaia from Tuscany (some opt for both). The event takes place in a casual but energetic environment where chefs serve dishes that include coffee crusted ribeye, Garganelli pasta, bruléed citrus cauliflower purée, lobster cappuccino, pavlova with elderflower cream and liquid nitrogen coffee ice cream.

It is also the location where powerfully efficient philanthropy kicks off. The efficacy of NCEF grants and strategic initiative practices funded by this auction have been monitored within six commissioned third-party studies. Some 45 non-profit organizations utilizing these funds now help provide care to underprivileged children and students within Collier County.

Maria Jimenez-Lara has been the CEO of NCEF for eight years. She spoke of their record.

“Our metrics are amazing. It took a few years to capture the data and track it, but that’s important—in the same way that investors would want to know their return on investment. Even though you don’t see it in the beaches and beautiful homes, we have a huge number of children that are in need. We’ve been doing this for 20 years. Some of the kids, when you meet them, you think it’s hard for them to have a chance where there’s no food, no education, where there’s domestic violence. So, when you see them thrive and flourish and do so well? It’s amazing.”

Consider the metrics since the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) was established in 2000.

In the past 20 years the generated funds have paid for 135,000 dental visits, while 87,000 children have received medical and healthcare services. During this time 13,700 children have been screened for behavioral health issues, 121,000 have had their vision screened, and more than 30,000 have each received two sets of eyeglasses. Ten medical residents now staff a pediatric oral care unit, some of them each seeing 25 to 30 patients a day. The funds have provided seven million meals and allowed 55,000 youth to receive mental health services. Additionally, 44,000 high-risk children between the ages of six months and five years have attended early childhood education programs and 7,700 children have been given aquatic safety lessons to reduce drownings.

Consider the community of Immokalee, a swamp-drained tomato growing region located a 40-minute drive northeast of Naples. How have these funds aided children living there? The school graduation rate in this community of over 25,000 residents increased from 65% to 93% between 2011 and 2018. There was also a 68% decrease in the number of students dropping out of school between 2005 and 2016. In the decade leading up to 2018, the juvenile delinquency cases in the community dropped 52%.

At a ‘meet the kids’ event before auctioneers began to bang hammers or sommeliers start pouring wine, representatives from dozens of these nonprofits explain their work and results. They are joined by children who will benefit from auction funds—who are uniformly polite and eager, curious and determined. Few visitors’ eyes will stay dry when they meet the children whose life trajectories are being positively altered.

Dr. Kristen Dimas spoke about growing up in a migrant community in Collier County. Her parents taught her that education and hard work were critical to success. The NCEF program helped incentivize her career choice at a young age.

“I dreamed of going to college and chose Florida State University. Classes were harder than I was used to but I surrounded myself with positive people. When my mother was laid off her job, I thought I may have to go home to help out. But I got another scholarship, and Mom got more work. I got a degree in biology and saw the need for medical providers in my community. I knew I’d go to medical school. Days seemed they’d never end, but failure was not an option. With hard work, dedication and a lot of prayer I passed the medical school exam. Now, I am a medical doctor. Thanks to this program to help a young girl go out and grab her dream.”

Regine Francois of Collier County won a scholarship to Columbia University. Speaking about the impact of NCEF on growing up, she said.

“The programs fed my body and dreams. I come from a family of eight from Haiti. I am now overseeing seven programs of philanthropy in New York.”

Wine constitutes only a portion of what is auctioned to raise funds. Donated packages are creatively designed to keep the number of between 450 and 600 attendees rapt during auction hours. Consider this year’s auction lot number 49 (out of a total of more than 60 lots). Here, five couples will visit southern France for a week aboard a 200-foot superyacht—which includes an onboard masseuse, a personal trainer, two personal chefs, as well as a medley of excellent donated wines. Within minutes of when the bidding began, this lot had sold for $1,050,000. Other packages included a first-class round trip and 11 nights for two couples in the U.K. (including three nights at a 16^th century castle) with VIP admission to Wimbledon and the British Open, as well as a 90-minute private lesson with John McEnroe and Stan Smith. Winning bid: $480,000.

Consider the event’s overall impact.

In just five hours the auction raised $20 million to help underprivileged children in need of improved nutrition, health and literacy. The positive impact of this well-organized bidding will ripple throughout the lives of thousands of children, not just for one year, but for their lifetimes.

Jeff Gargiulo spoke of the event’s present and future.

“The reward? Seeing the children. Understanding these kids really need that help. That they weren’t getting it from other sources, and we’re able to provide it, and get those results.”

The future?

“I would love to see this model and information spread across the broader universe of our country, and people knowing that if they really get together and do this and get focused, they can make this kind of difference.”

That could be a powerful template to implement.